[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 40 (Monday, October 13, 2008)]
[Page 1317]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message on the Observance of Yom Kippur, 5769

October 7, 2008

    For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; 
from all your sins shall ye be clean before the LORD.

                                               Leviticus 16:30

    Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement and the most holy day in 
the Jewish faith. From the time the Kol Nidre is recited until the 
Shofar is sounded, Jews around the world will draw nearer to God through 
acts of atonement, fasting, and prayer. Jewish tradition teaches that on 
Yom Kippur, God remembers every name, listens to every petition, and 
offers forgiveness to the repentant.

    On this day, Americans are reminded of the great blessings of 
religious freedom and the unalienable rights bestowed upon all people by 
the Creator of life. May God grant us peace, comfort, and hope for all 
the challenges we may face in the year ahead.

    Laura and I send our best wishes for a blessed day and a most 
meaningful fast.

                                                George W. Bush

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