Dates
Yom Kippur 2024
Begins at sundown on October 11, 2024 and ends at nightfall on October 12, 2024.
Starts
October 11, 2024
at sundown
Ends
October 12, 2024
at nightfall
Length
1 day
work restricted
Candles, Jerusalem
17:31
on October 11, 2024
Yom Kippur 2024 ended on October 12, 2024. The dates, times and customs below are kept as a record.
Next: Yom Kippur 2026, sundown September 20, 2026 →Israel or the diaspora?
One day everywhere. The date and the practice are identical in Israel and the diaspora.
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, a 25-hour fast spent almost entirely in synagogue. No food, no drink, no leather shoes, five prayer services, ending with the single long shofar blast at Ne'ilah.
Candle lighting for Yom Kippur 2024
Times for the evening it begins, October 11, 2024. Calculated from sunset: 18 minutes before in most communities, 20 in Israel, 40 in Jerusalem and 30 in Haifa.
Your city not here? All 106 cities.
On the ground
What happens in Israel
Israel effectively stops. There are no flights, no broadcasts, no public transport and almost no cars, and children ride bicycles down empty motorways. It is the quietest day of the Israeli year.
Practice
How it is observed
- A 25-hour complete fast: no food or drink from sundown to nightfall
- Five prayer services, from Kol Nidrei through Ne'ilah
- Wearing white, and for many, canvas shoes instead of leather
- Asking forgiveness from people you have wronged before the day begins
"G'mar chatimah tovah" (may you be sealed for good) or an easy fast: "Tzom kal"
A festive pre-fast meal (seudah mafseket) before sundown; the fast breaks after nightfall, traditionally with something light and sweet.
Every year on file
Yom Kippur in other years
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, so the Gregorian date moves by up to a month from year to year but stays in the same season.
The rest of 2024
Other Jewish holidays in 2024
8 of the 14 other dates on the 2024 calendar, in the order they fall. Each has its own page for 2024.
January 25, 2024
Tu BiShvat 2024
The new year of the trees. Tree planting in Israel and eating the fruits of the land.
March 24, 2024
Purim 2024
Celebrates the rescue of the Jews of Persia as told in the Book of Esther. Megillah readings, costumes, mishloach manot and festive meals.
April 23, 2024
Passover (Pesach) 2024
The festival of freedom, marking the Exodus from Egypt. Seder nights, matzah, and no chametz for eight days (seven in Israel).
May 6, 2024
Yom HaShoah 2024
Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Israel a two-minute siren brings the country to a standstill.
May 13, 2024
Yom HaZikaron 2024
Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Independence Day.
May 14, 2024
Yom HaAtzmaut 2024
Israel's Independence Day, marking the declaration of the state in 1948.
May 26, 2024
Lag BaOmer 2024
The 33rd day of the Omer count. Bonfires, weddings and celebrations at Mount Meron.
June 12, 2024
Shavuot 2024
The festival of receiving the Torah at Sinai. All-night learning and dairy foods. Two days in the diaspora, one in Israel.
Frequently asked questions
When is Yom Kippur 2024?+
Yom Kippur 2024 begins at sundown on October 11, 2024 and ends at nightfall on October 12, 2024. Jewish days start in the evening, so the first full day is October 12, 2024.
How long is Yom Kippur?+
1 day. One day everywhere. The date and the practice are identical in Israel and the diaspora.
Is Yom Kippur different in Israel?+
One day everywhere. The date and the practice are identical in Israel and the diaspora.
What happens in Israel on Yom Kippur?+
Israel effectively stops. There are no flights, no broadcasts, no public transport and almost no cars, and children ride bicycles down empty motorways. It is the quietest day of the Israeli year.
What do you say on Yom Kippur?+
The standard greeting is "G'mar chatimah tovah" (may you be sealed for good) or an easy fast: "Tzom kal".