Okay I’ve been having a conversation with my friends for the last 2hrs on the percentage of Jewish people in America who take off for Yom Kippur. Any info at all on the topic would be great… Thanks ahead!
Welcome to the boards Cameronwvu!
100% (or near enough as makes no difference) of Orthodox Jews take off from work. Among the other branches, the number is going to be rather high as well. Yom Kippur tends to be one of those holidays that even those who are minimally religously affiliated observe to at least some degree.
Zev Steinhardt
My husband considers himself Reform. Excluding any health problems, the most he does is fast for Yom Kippur.
I am an atheist, but I was raised Jewish. I take off and I fast on Yom Kippur. I do this as a traditional thing – I treat it as a day of self reflection. I spend the day thinking about my life in general, where and how I could make it better, who I have hurt or offended over the past year, and how I can right wrongs. If it is a nice day, I will sit outside for a while, listen to music, and think.
I do not take off for Rosh Hashana, Passover, or Shavuot. I do not fast on the other fast days.
I think it will be a difficult question to answer. People define themselves as Jewish in different ways. The “right” definition of Jewish, those whose mothers are Jewish or who had an orthodox conversion, does not cover the entire set of people who observe Yom Kippur. It also covers a lot of people who do not consider themselves Jewish. Among self-identifying Jews, I would imagine more than 90% take off.