The High Holidays


  • Autumn brings the Jewish High Holidays, which are spread out over the span of a month.
  • Long weekends bring Israel to a standstill. Stores, transportation and public services are closed for extended periods.
  • Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, announced by the blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn). We did not hear one. 
  • Treats include apples dipped in honey and Honey Cake - great from the bakery, but terrible from the supermarket.
  • Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, the most solemn day of the year.
  • How solemn? Even radio stations do not broadcast. No planes, trains or unnecessary vehicles run on this day. In Jerusalem, major roads are blocked off with fences and actual concrete roadblocks (to dissuade non-observant Palestinians).
  • With nothing else to do, we took the opportunity to stroll down the main boulevard to downtown. 
  • The following week was the start of Sukkot, the harvest festival and a reminder of the 40-year sojourn in the desert, ending on Simchat Torah (the final high holiday, we hope).
  • The Torah requires Jews to build sukkahs (tents) and eat in them for a week, so Jerusalem was full of tents erected in yards and on balconies. Lena thought this was a fun and put up a very non-kosher tent that she erected on our porch.
  • Unfortunately, the second day of Sukkot featured the first rainstorm of the season, which ruined many flimsy sukkahs. (The rule requiring the roof to be made of organic material did not help.) 
Location: Jerusalem

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