So Tia asked a good question.
She asked me, "What is an appropriate greeting for this holiday?"
Sigh. I'm asked this all the time, and you know what? I have no idea. Usually, we say, "May you be inscribed," which is what tomorrow's all about: praying you've been a good person, done what you should, lived up to your potential, wronged no one-- and that G-d will inscribe you in the book of life for the coming year. Here's a good article:
http://www.juf.org/news_public_affairs/article.asp?key=3536
"Good yontif" is, essentially, "A good year," I believe. You could say that, too.
But these seem a little...I don't know. Bulky, I think, for a non-Jew. It's the holiest day of the year for us, and not a simple one. "Merry Christmas" is easy, and "Happy Easter!" is fairly ubiquitous. But Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, and, all things being relative, everyone has something for which they feel they should atone. Not the merriest of subjects. Shoebox Greetings doesn't make a cartoon card with a snarky old lady giving out Yom Kippur greetings. At least, not last time I was in a Hallmark store, they didn't.
There is one way out, though. If someone is observing Yom Kippur-- and not every Jew does, it's a very personal thing-- it's likely they're fasting. Our holidays run from sundown to sundown because, as it says in Genesis, "There was dark, and there was light; and that was the first day." (We can be awfully literal sometimes.) So we'll have a nice meal as a family tonight, and then, from sundown tonight until sundown tomorrow, we'll spend the day at services, praying and contemplating. We're supposed to focus on our spiritual well-being for this day so completely that we ignore the needs of the body. That's pretty serious-- it's the only fast day in the calendar for most Jews. Usually, the thought is, "G-d gave you a decent body, take care of it already!" So to emphasise the spiritual aspects of the day, we fast. Therefore, one thing you can always say to a Jew observing Yom Kippur is, "May you have an easy fast."
But failing all else, remember one thing: just knowing "Happy Yom Kippur!" probably isn't the thing to chirp already puts you ahead of the game, and most Jews genuinely appreciate that. And if they don't, well, you can secretly hope they spend all day dreaming of food.
Sigh. I'm asked this all the time, and you know what? I have no idea. Usually, we say, "May you be inscribed," which is what tomorrow's all about: praying you've been a good person, done what you should, lived up to your potential, wronged no one-- and that G-d will inscribe you in the book of life for the coming year. Here's a good article:
http://www.juf.org/news_public_affairs/article.asp?key=3536
"Good yontif" is, essentially, "A good year," I believe. You could say that, too.
But these seem a little...I don't know. Bulky, I think, for a non-Jew. It's the holiest day of the year for us, and not a simple one. "Merry Christmas" is easy, and "Happy Easter!" is fairly ubiquitous. But Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, and, all things being relative, everyone has something for which they feel they should atone. Not the merriest of subjects. Shoebox Greetings doesn't make a cartoon card with a snarky old lady giving out Yom Kippur greetings. At least, not last time I was in a Hallmark store, they didn't.
There is one way out, though. If someone is observing Yom Kippur-- and not every Jew does, it's a very personal thing-- it's likely they're fasting. Our holidays run from sundown to sundown because, as it says in Genesis, "There was dark, and there was light; and that was the first day." (We can be awfully literal sometimes.) So we'll have a nice meal as a family tonight, and then, from sundown tonight until sundown tomorrow, we'll spend the day at services, praying and contemplating. We're supposed to focus on our spiritual well-being for this day so completely that we ignore the needs of the body. That's pretty serious-- it's the only fast day in the calendar for most Jews. Usually, the thought is, "G-d gave you a decent body, take care of it already!" So to emphasise the spiritual aspects of the day, we fast. Therefore, one thing you can always say to a Jew observing Yom Kippur is, "May you have an easy fast."
But failing all else, remember one thing: just knowing "Happy Yom Kippur!" probably isn't the thing to chirp already puts you ahead of the game, and most Jews genuinely appreciate that. And if they don't, well, you can secretly hope they spend all day dreaming of food.