Was Coronation Street’s Jewish character having a meal during Yom Kippur?

Viewers of ITV soap Coronation Street were left confused by the timing of a Jewish character’s Friday Night Dinner this week, after she was shown preparing it during the Yom Kippur fast.

Fans of the long-running north-west programme reacted with disquiet and dismay, according to Manchester Evening News, after character Nicola Rubinstein was shown making the traditional supper at the start of the 25-hour fast.

While most Jews were observing Yom Kippur, viewers saw Rubinstein make the meal for 13-year-old Summer Spellman, to help with her religious education project at school.

Talking to her guardians Billy Mayhew and Todd Grimshaw about taking over Eileen’s kitchen at number 11, she said: “I’ll have it all done out for a Friday night Jewish supper.” Summer was later told that Nicola had made her a “traditional Jewish Friday night dinner”.

One irate ‘Corrie’ viewer took to Twitter to accuse the show of being “a bit out of touch” while another wrote: “A Jewish person would not have been at home making dinner but at synagogue at the start of the 25 hour fast.” Yet another demanded to know who had made the decision to show Rubinstein’s character cooking.

ITV bosses denied it was a blunder, however, saying: “We have already established in earlier scenes that Nicola is not particularly religious and Nicola doesn’t follow all the Jewish traditions, although she is proud of her parents and her heritage.”

Coronation Street spokesmen also pointed out that the meal in the Grimshaw family household was at 5.30pm, before the fast began at sundown, around 6.45pm.