Jews, Christians Prepare for Yom Kippur

By Chris Mitchell, CBN News Mideast Bureau Chief

CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Thursday marks Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. It also holds special significance for Christians.

Jews in Israel and around the world are preparing for this holy day, also known as the Day of Atonement.

The way Jews observe Yom Kippur here in Israel is unlike any other nation on earth. By law, television and radio broadcasts are forbidden. The airports are shut down. There's no public transportation. Businesses are closed and virtually no one drives a car.

"When the Day of Atonement comes the atmosphere in Jerusalem changes completely," said Joseph Shulam, founder of Netivyah Ministries.

Day of Prayer Held for Jerusalem

CBNNews.com - On Sunday, October 5th hundreds of Christians and Jews gathered in Jerusalem for the Day of Prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.

It's estimated millions of Christians around the world joined them through the Internet, including the Website GodTV.

More than 200,000 churches pledged to pray in more than 150 nations.

Many Christian and Jewish leaders stressed it's a critical time to pray for Jerusalem.

"The future is very challenging," said Danny Ayalon, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. "There are those who are trying to ruin us. Us means the Judeo-Christian heritage, the Judeo-Christian world, our way of life, our beliefs. These are those who do this not because of our policies, of what we do but of who we are," he said.

Sound the Shofar!

By Missey Butler, CBN Staff Writer

CBN.com - I love fall festivals. I love community gatherings that invite such fun traditions such as bobbing for apples, bumpy hay rides and children tilting their heads while trying to bite into pink clouds of cotton candy.

As we casually stroll along, the cool crisp air surrounds us with the aroma of deep fried funnel cakes, lightly dusted with powdered sugar. And, who can forget the sounds and smells of those searing sautéed onions and gyro's that tempt the best of us?

Even the toughest disciplinarians have a hard time passing by that particular food booth without relenting, and throwing down the bucks after waiting in line with mouth-watering anticipation. Traditionally, most festivals have rows and rows of food and craft booths with many different kinds of games and activities going on.

There are some other kinds of booths that I'd like to talk about. These are the booths that are described in the Jewish celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the oldest and most joyous of Jewish holidays.

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Inside Israel

Jews, Christians Prepare for Yom Kippur

Day of Prayer Held for Jerusalem

Sound the Shofar!