On the rarest of occasions does one event trigger the complete shutting-down of an entire country. Every once in awhile, members of a country observe a moment of silence, where a majority of the state’s citizens inject a one-minute pause into their daily routine. Such events also occur in Israel, particularly on Israeli Memorial Day and Holocaust Memorial Day, when cars pull over, buses stop running, and people in every city stop for the duration of one to two minutes while a siren wails in the background.
However, Yom Kippur is a completely different animal.
On Yom Kippur, the day of fasting where Jews atone for their sins, the entire State of Israel shuts down. Virtually no cars drive through the streets and absolutely no commercial stores and businesses open their doors. In fact, the main highway outside Tel Aviv, the most bustling city in Israel, appears completely deserted (as seen in the photograph above from Ynet). Even the radio and television stations in Israel cease broadcasting to help ensure that no distractions interfere with atonement. Only the most essential military, police, and medical crews work to prevent a catastrophe.
Children take advantage of the occasion to ride their bikes through the open streets without risking their lives by zig-zaging in between cars on the usually over-crowded city roads. Other Jews attend synagogue, with some taking the day-off to attend services the only time during the year.
However, Yom Kippur does not always retain its usual somber qualities. Last year, riots erupted in the northern-Israeli city of Akko, where religious Jews and Muslim Arabs generally live in harmony. Upon the entering of a vehicle into a religious Jewish area of Akko last year, observers of Yom Kippur regarded the incident as disrespectful. Subsequent clashes between the Jews and Arabs involved hundreds of demonstrators on both sides. In preparation for additional riots in or around Akko, the Israeli police imposed a vehicle closure on certain areas of the town and increased its presence in the city this year.
Aside from riots, the 1973 war in the Middle East began on Yom Kippur with Arab countries embarking on a massive surprise attack against the Jewish state. Many soldiers, on leave visiting their families for the holiday, witnessed uncharacteristic traffic on city streets and contacted their superiors for orders and information on the mobilization.
This year on Yom Kippur, Iranian officials announced the completion of war games that involved medium-range missiles capable of reaching Israel. The poorly-veiled threat comes in response to recent overtures from the Israeli military that signal preparations for a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
