This year, the Jewish fast and holiest day of the calendar coincides with Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which marks Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Ishmael.
With the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur coinciding this year with the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), Muslims in mixed towns and cities in Israel were concerned that there would be confrontations between members of the two faiths.
With this in mind, representatives from the two communities have met in Ramle and agreed to make every effort to preserve the calm over the holidays, including a reduction in volume for the loudspeakers in local mosques.
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar and is traditionally observed by fasting, refraining from bathing and other physical comforts as well as day-long prayers in synagogues.
Id al-Adha, however, is a festive celebration involving large family and communal feasts to commemorate the Muslim tradition in which Abraham was willing to submit to divine will and sacrifice his son Ishmael although ultimately a lamb was sacrificed instead.
Jewish tradition holds that Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac not Ishmael.
References:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4576260,00.html
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Gaza, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Religion