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Among the Jewish holidays, I loved Yom Kippur a lot, because from the point of view of a child, I wondered how you could fast a whole day. When I was 12 years old, I tried fasting for the first time. Our elders bought quinces. Cloves would be stuck on it and supposedly hunger was satisfied by smelling that. This is how it was then...
I was successful with my first fast. I didn’t even drink water. And after that, I fasted every year, until I fell ill. Now, because I am on medication, I cannot fast. But, nevertheless, I go to the synagogue every Yom Kippur. I go in the morning, I return home at noon for the minha service [prayers chanted for the dead]. I am there between 08:00 and 15:00. I go in the evening too again and without fail listen to the shofar!
I was successful with my first fast. I didn’t even drink water. And after that, I fasted every year, until I fell ill. Now, because I am on medication, I cannot fast. But, nevertheless, I go to the synagogue every Yom Kippur. I go in the morning, I return home at noon for the minha service [prayers chanted for the dead]. I am there between 08:00 and 15:00. I go in the evening too again and without fail listen to the shofar!
Location
Beyoğlu/İstanbul
Türkiye
Interview
Nesim Levi