CITY FOCUS:

Jewish residents of Huntington Beach joined synagogues and congregations across the city this weekend for Yom Kippur. The holy day, a time of fasting and seeking forgiveness, lasted from sundown to sundown, Friday to Saturday.

On the day, devout Jews refrain from bodily pleasures like food and even leather shoes, said Rabbi Aron Berkowitz of Congregation Adat Israel, a synagogue associated with Chabad of West Orange County in Huntington Beach.

The fasting isn’t about some kind of self-mortification, he said, noting families feast ahead of time to enjoy company and prepare themselves.

“It’s not in the sense to make ourselves miserable,” he said. “We are focused on the fact that we have a soul, and that is really the real person, we focus on that and its reality.”

Along with the previous week’s New Year celebration Rosh Hashana, the holiday helps make up the High Holy Days of the Jewish calendar, a time of redemption and renewal.

Such an occasion brings large crowds compared to a normal Sabbath, Berkowitz said.

“There’s no question that on Yom Kippur especially, everyone connected with our synagogue will come,” he said. “It’s such a holy time, such a special time. It’s like your spiritual soul is shining, and it attracts you to the synagogue.”