Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur Napkins

This design features a painting by the Polish-Jewish artist Maurycy Gottlieb (1856–1879). It shows Jews in the midst of the Yom Kippur service, on one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur (also known as the Day of Atonement) is the Jewish holiday of repentance, which is a time for Jews to repent for their sins and reflect on their behaviour in the past and coming year. It is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a day-long fast and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur is also the period in the Jewish year when the dead are solemnly commemorated (in the service called Yizkor). There is a rabbi holding a Torah scroll in the center of the artwork. The original painting was produced in 1878, and it is now housed in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel.