Dates
Yom Kippur 2025
Begins at sundown on October 1, 2025 and ends at nightfall on October 2, 2025.
Starts
October 1, 2025
at sundown
Ends
October 2, 2025
at nightfall
Length
1 day
work restricted
Candles, Jerusalem
17:44
on October 1, 2025
Yom Kippur 2025 ended on October 2, 2025. 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 2025
Times for the evening it begins, October 1, 2025. 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 2025
Other Jewish holidays in 2025
8 of the 14 other dates on the 2025 calendar, in the order they fall. Each has its own page for 2025.
February 13, 2025
Tu BiShvat 2025
The new year of the trees. Tree planting in Israel and eating the fruits of the land.
March 14, 2025
Purim 2025
Celebrates the rescue of the Jews of Persia as told in the Book of Esther. Megillah readings, costumes, mishloach manot and festive meals.
April 13, 2025
Passover (Pesach) 2025
The festival of freedom, marking the Exodus from Egypt. Seder nights, matzah, and no chametz for eight days (seven in Israel).
April 24, 2025
Yom HaShoah 2025
Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Israel a two-minute siren brings the country to a standstill.
April 30, 2025
Yom HaZikaron 2025
Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Independence Day.
May 1, 2025
Yom HaAtzmaut 2025
Israel's Independence Day, marking the declaration of the state in 1948.
May 16, 2025
Lag BaOmer 2025
The 33rd day of the Omer count. Bonfires, weddings and celebrations at Mount Meron.
June 2, 2025
Shavuot 2025
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 2025?+
Yom Kippur 2025 begins at sundown on October 1, 2025 and ends at nightfall on October 2, 2025. Jewish days start in the evening, so the first full day is October 2, 2025.
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".