Yom Kippur

No. There is no ticket, no reserved seat and no membership fee — on the holiest day of the year we are not going to ask you for money at the door. Come in.

Then you do not fast. Jewish law does not merely permit eating where health requires it — it requires it, and doing otherwise is not piety. Pregnant and nursing women, anyone unwell, anyone on medication that needs food, children under nine and often older, and the elderly: speak to the Rabbi and he will tell you exactly how to keep the day properly while eating. This is a normal conversation, and it is a private one.

Yizkor, the memorial prayer for departed parents and relatives, is said during the morning service on Yom Kippur, after the Torah reading. Many people come specifically for it. If you would like a name read, send it in beforehand through the prayer request form.

Yes, and most people do. Kol Nidrei on the evening before and Neilah at the very end of the day are the two moments people most often choose. Coming for an hour is not a lesser version of the day.

White for the purity of the day, and canvas or fabric shoes because leather footwear is among the five things set aside on Yom Kippur. Nobody will check your shoes. Come as you are rather than not come.