Yom Kippur

Tonight is the beginning of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. I'm guessing that most people who might read this have an idea of what this day entailed for the ancient Israelites. I'm also guessing that very few of you know what it's like in modern day Israel. Now, I don't at all claim to be an expert, but let me tell you what it's been like so far.

Yom Kippur, of course, starts at sun-down. It's kind of like a super-Sabbath, so everyone wants to be sure to be home and ready before sunset. Thus, most things in the city were closed by early afternoon. In general, Jerusalem is a pretty noisy city. There are always sirens, horns, and loud music to be heard. But now, there are no cars on the roads (exept possibly emergency vehicles), and everything is silent. There are people out walking (probably to and from Synagogue and the Western Wall) and I can hear their voices as they go along. That's how quiet it is. It's pretty amazing.

Most people will spend the day tomorrow fasting, still quiet, repenting, and going to Synagogue. In the eastern (Muslim) part of Jerusalem, life will go on as usual. But here in western Jerusalem, it's a day of quiet, time to repent of sin.

There are a few people who will be hard at work in spite of the holiday. Since the Yom Kippur attack, nearly 50 years ago, this is always a day of high alert for the security forces.

Here at school we actually have the day off, which will be nice. I think some of us might go to the Wall for a while to observe. Perhaps I will have more of an update later. :)