Talk about a car free day! This is it. It's also radio-free day too (snow on all channels).
Just as last year, there are children everywhere on bikes or rollerblades, gleefully tearing around main streets that are typically filled with traffic. Yesterday, I started Yom Kippur on the east side enjoying a meal out with a friend. As we were walking back west, we came upon people leaving synagogue, filling the streets. The youth were holding "sit-ins" in the middle of main intersections (Paris Square, for example) -- sitting in circles, chatting and singing. The day is about atonement, but the atmosphere in the street is happy (not exactly festive, but communal) with the observant dressed in white. As Yom Kippur ends, I'm sure people are more eager than ever to break the fast: it's been a weekend of a heat wave (35C) making the fast more punishing than usual.
This evening I went for a walk through the Old City to the Kotel (Western Wall) as the sun was setting. It was especially peaceful and busy. I'd have pictures to share if use of cameras were considered appropriate on Yom Kippur/Shabbat. Security searches were all manual too.
Next holiday starts Wednesday evening - Sukkot.
Just as last year, there are children everywhere on bikes or rollerblades, gleefully tearing around main streets that are typically filled with traffic. Yesterday, I started Yom Kippur on the east side enjoying a meal out with a friend. As we were walking back west, we came upon people leaving synagogue, filling the streets. The youth were holding "sit-ins" in the middle of main intersections (Paris Square, for example) -- sitting in circles, chatting and singing. The day is about atonement, but the atmosphere in the street is happy (not exactly festive, but communal) with the observant dressed in white. As Yom Kippur ends, I'm sure people are more eager than ever to break the fast: it's been a weekend of a heat wave (35C) making the fast more punishing than usual.
This evening I went for a walk through the Old City to the Kotel (Western Wall) as the sun was setting. It was especially peaceful and busy. I'd have pictures to share if use of cameras were considered appropriate on Yom Kippur/Shabbat. Security searches were all manual too.
Next holiday starts Wednesday evening - Sukkot.
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