23%. That is the percentage of the Boston University undergraduate student body that is Jewish, according to Hillel International. That equals somewhere in between one in five and one in four students. For those Jewish students, each fall an important decision must be made. On Yom Kippur, what some call the holiest day of the year, does one attend class? Because BU does not take off for Yom Kippur, many students have to go through the hard decision of choosing between religious practices and academics.
BU should cancel classes to accommodate for the high amount of Jewish students, faculty and staff.
Yom Kippur is a Jewish holiday that usually falls in September, where Jews spend the day fasting and praying to varying extents. It is a day of atonement, one where people ask from their friends and God for forgiveness for bad deeds committed during the past year. It is a very intense holiday. Many fast for 25 hours straight and spend 10 hours or more in synagogue. A day this important is not meant to be spent worrying about classes. Giving students the day off will allow participants to be fully involved in their spirituality.
Although BU has a policy of religious accommodation where students can miss class and make up the work later, the policy is not good enough for a holiday like Yom Kippur. It is incredibly difficult for a student to receive the same level of education from a friend’s notes than from the lecture or discussion itself. While it may not be practical to take off every single holiday, when the absence rate can reach up to 23%, it is practical.
It is also unfair for major American and Christian holidays to have days off but not Yom Kippur. If it would be inconsiderate for there to be an exam on Christmas or full course load on Easter, the same logic should apply to Yom Kippur.
BU cancels classes for Patriots’ Day — a holiday that is unique to the state of Massachusetts, Maine and Wisconsin — but not Yom Kippur. Patriots’ Day? Really?
Yet, the entire university closes for this obscure holiday. I’m not trying to trash talk Patriots’ Day — who doesn’t love watching the Boston Marathon running through campus on a beautiful April morning — but it is less serious and crucial to a community compared to Yom Kippur.
Only 22% of the BU student body is from Massachusetts, compared to the 23% who are Jewish.
So if we do take off for Patriots’ Day we should definitely take off for a holiday that is more important to a wider portion of the BU community.
Canceling classes for Yom Kippur is not a new idea. The school districts of Newton and Brookline — as well as others throughout the country — take off because these districts have high Jewish populations, and there is no real point to holding classes with such high absence rates.
Closing for Yom Kippur would help Jewish students without harming others. It is a low-cost high payout policy. BU could help so many connect with their heritage, alleviate stress and not put students in uncomfortable situations.
Even if you are not Jewish and don’t understand the relevance of Yom Kippur, I’ll ask you this: Who can say no to one extra day off?
