Yom Kippur Break-Fast for a Crowd: Setup, Seating, Food

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting, prayer and reflection. It starts at sundown and ends after nightfall the next day, about 25 hours later. Dates follow the Jewish calendar and fall in the fall, so check this year's date. When the fast ends, families and friends gather for the break-fast, a meal that is usually dairy, cold and easy to eat.

The challenge for the host is timing. Many observant families do not cook, carry or handle money on Yom Kippur, so everything has to be ready before the holiday starts. In Chicago, hosts are often feeding 30 to 60 people, from the synagogue crowd to out-of-town relatives, and need tables, chairs and coffee for all of them. Customs differ among families and communities, so adjust this plan to yours.

Work back from sundown

The most useful way to plan is a backward timeline. You are not setting a table at 7 pm after a fast. You are setting it the day before.

What to put on the table

A break-fast is usually dairy and light, which is gentle after a day without food. Menus vary by family, but the classic is easy to feed a crowd.

• Bagels in several kinds, with cream cheese, butter and jam
• Lox, smoked fish and whitefish salad
• Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and capers
• Egg dishes, noodle or potato kugel and blintzes
• Fruit and salads
• Cakes, rugelach and cookies

Many hosts keep it pareve or dairy. If any guests keep kosher, ask about their needs ahead of time, and see our note on dietary restrictions planning.

How much to make

These are rules of thumb. Guests are hungry but a break-fast usually starts with something light.

For 40 guests, that is about 40 to 80 bagels, 5 to 8 pounds of lox and a good number of coffee refills. Our guide to food per person has more.

Coffee comes first

Many guests want coffee and water first, so set up a drink station near the door that is ready as people arrive. A 100-cup urn is a standard size. For 40 guests, plan on 1 or 2 urns and a separate hot water for tea. See how many coffee urns for a party and coffee and tea service rentals. Urns need an outlet, so see power needs.

Because the urns must be ready, many hosts fill them with water and set them up the day before, and plug in once the holiday is over. If your household keeps the holiday rules, many families use a timer or ask a friend who does not keep them to switch the urns on. Check with your rabbi if you are not sure.

Seating for a big family

Unlike a cocktail party, a break-fast is a sit-down meal. People are tired and hungry and will want to sit.

• Seat everyone. Plan one chair per guest, plus 10 percent spares for last-minute arrivals.
• Use round or long tables. A 60-inch round seats 8, and a 72-inch round seats 10. See round table sizes.
• Put the buffet where the line has room. Keep the line away from the door and from the seats. See buffet line flow and buffet table layouts.
• Think about older guests. Chairs with arms and a short path to the table. See comfortable chairs for older guests.
• Plan the kids' spot. A table for children near the parents.

If you have hosted a Passover seder, the setup is similar. The break-fast is lighter and the buffet is more casual. If it is also a time of mourning for your family, see shiva house setup and meals.

Delivery and holiday timing

This is the part hosts miss.

1. Ask for delivery the day before Yom Kippur, in the morning or afternoon, well before sundown.
2. Ask for pickup the day after, not on the holiday itself.
3. Tell the driver the plan. The delivery crew should set up in the room, not just drop at the curb.
4. Do a count at the door. Count chairs, tables, urns and serving pieces.
5. Have everything ready before sundown, including the table settings, lights and the room temperature.

What most hosts find out too late

• Rental companies have holiday hours. Some are open on a Jewish holiday and some adjust the schedule. Ask when you request a quote, and say which day you need delivery.
• Urns and warmers need power and fuel. Check the outlets and the cords. Ask if chafing fuel is included. See event power needs.
• A buffet needs a food safety plan. Cold fish and dairy should stay cold. Keep fish and dairy in the fridge until the fast ends, then set them out. Set up the tables, plates and urns the day before, and keep only the shelf-stable food on the buffet. See food safety at home parties.
• Chicago fall evenings are cool. The fast ends after dark, so guests arriving from outside will want a place for coats. See coat racks.

Plan your break-fast rentals

Book a free 15-minute planning call and we will list tables, chairs, urns and serving pieces for your headcount. Or get a quote with your date and address. We check the date with the rental companies, including delivery the day before.