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By KATIE WILLIAMS; Times Leader Correspondent
 Monday, September 23, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





Twenty-four hours of repentance and spiritual cleansing began on Sunday at
sundown as Jewish community members began observing Yom Kippur. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It is certainly a special day. A time to put everything aside," said Allen
Reishtein, a Wilkes-Barre resident and member of the Ohav Zedek congregation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Reishtein is one of hundreds of people from the five area temples taking
time to meditate and ask for forgiveness of sins committed in the past year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yom Kippur is the biggest synagogue holiday of the year, said Rabbi Michael
Joseph of Temple B'nai B'rith in Kingston. The temple also has its highest
attendance on that day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It is a very solemn festival," said Joseph. "The idea is a time for
communal meditation of shortcomings of the next year." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rabbi Joshua Levy, principal of the United Hebrew Institute in Kingston,
said the 24 hours is a fasting period that allows people to experience private
transgressions from man to man and man to God. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There are five types of fasting during the holiday, including abstaining
from eating, drinking, the wearing of leather shoes, perfumes or lotions, and
marital relations. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The fasting, which ends at sundown today, symbolizes a higher force and a
dependence on God. Levy said that a meal is temporary and it is more difficult
to think of sins on a full stomach. When someone is deprived of things, they
can concentrate better and become closer to God. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other traditions of the day include wearing white clothing to symbolize the
purity of a dove. It is customary for men to bathe in a natural spring of
water to drown their sins. Special melodies and prayers are added to the
service on Yom Kippur, said Reishtein. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Reishtein said that if someone is serious about wanting forgiveness, they
will get it. "You have to make amends with anyone you have a conflict with and
make amends with fellow men," said Reishtein. "This is our new year with
resolutions," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Levy stressed how serious the Jewish holiday is. "It is solemn. It is not
like January first parties. We believe that this helps people get closer to
God," said Levy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Yom Kippur Marks Time Of Spiritual Cleansing