Community ‘Breaks the Fast’ together

As the Jewish community celebrates Yom Kippur, Brandeis students share what breaking the fast means to them.

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Photos/Heratch Ekmekjian

Interim President Lisa Lynch serves food to students at the Break the Fast event on the Great Lawn. View the slideshow to learn what "Break the Fast" means to Brandeis students.

Break the Fast by the numbers What was eaten after services on Yom Kippur: 5,000 bagels 3,000 pizza bagels 1,900 deviled eggs 400 lbs. smoked salmon 275 lbs. hummus 200 lbs. kosher cheese 125 lbs. tabbouleh

Brandeis students from all faiths and creeds came together on Wednesday night to celebrate the conclusion of Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—by “Breaking the Fast.”

Yom Kippur, considered by many to be the most sacred holiday on the Jewish calendar, calls Jews to fast from sunrise to sunset and to make amends for their sins. Fasting is not only a sign of observance of the holiday, but also an act that symbolizes self-cleansing.

The campus gathered in a large tent on the Great Lawn to mark the holiday and be with the Jewish community as they broke their fast, feasting on a seemingly endless supply of bagels, lox, hard-boiled eggs and myriad desserts.

“Break the Fast” celebrated its fifth year, an event created by Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel to celebrate Jewish life on campus and to build community. It quickly became a campus favorite. Flagel, Interim President Lisa M. Lynch and Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren met with students at this year’s event and served the ever-popular pizza bagels.