Yom Kippur at Jerusalem Western Wall

Yom Kippur at Jerusalem Western Wall

Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement,one of the special Jewish holidays is considered by children of Israel to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. Eating, drinking, bathing, anointing with oil, and marital relations are prohibited. Tradition says divine judgment of the People of Israel is sealed and their fate is decided for the coming year.

A recitation of the sacrificial service of the Temple in Jerusalem traditionally features prominently in both the liturgy and the religious thought of the holiday. Yom Kippur is observed as a one-day holiday, both inside and outside the boundaries of the land of Israel. In Israel there are no radio or television broadcasts on Yom Kippur, airports are shut down, there is no public transportation, and all shops and businesses are closed. Israel comes down to a virtual standstill at the sundown of the Yom Kippur.

It is customary to go to the Jerusalem Western Wall of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem before Yom Kippur to ask God for forgiveness for our sins. Over the last few decades, bicycle-riding on the empty streets has become a new "tradition" in Israel. As one of journalists described Yom Kippur in erusalem, "the Day of No Traffic Lights". No traffic on Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. Imagine--a capital city without any motor vehicle traffic at all: The quiet is absolutely stunning. Starting from sundown on erev Yom Kippur, 25 hours of blissful peace and quiet. Pedestrians share the road with bicycles ridden by hundreds of secular Israelis who savor the day as a safe opportunity to try out their biking skills with no irritating traffic lights. But the overwhelming sense is of people of Israel taking a complete day to evaluate and perhaps change their lives.