For American Jews divided over Israel, Yom Kippur is a test of families and community

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(RNS and NPR) — Growing up in a Reform Jewish congregation, Adam loved Yom Kippur — the day of atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish year. He recalled the tables laden with salmon, bagels and kugels to break the holiday fast, and the congregation reciting the ancient words in unison.

“There’s something really beautiful about sitting in a room full of people who are all speaking the same prayer, saying the same blessings and talking about atonement and reckoning for our sins,” said Adam, who is in his late 20s.

But it’s not something he can imagine doing for Yom Kippur this year, which begins Sunday night (Sept. 20). After three years of war in Gaza, in which more than 73,789 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed , he’s not comfortable observing the holiday in Jewish congregations that continue to support Israel.

“We are talking about atoning for our sins, and I just think, I can’t do this with people who are still silent about a genocide being carried out in our name,” said Adam, who asked that his last name not be used given the sensitive nature of the subject. Instead, he…