"Fast" Times in Tel Aviv - Yom Kippur 2012

Birds singing, children playing in the street, bikes whizzing by, the wind rustling in the trees, and even waves lapping on the beach--all sounds that we're only privy to hear once per year from our apartment in Tel Aviv.

Yes, today was Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement--the holiest (and also my favorite) day of the Jewish year. And yes, due to the fact that we live above busy Hayarkon street, it is the only day of the year that we can comfortably have our apartment's windows open. Without cars, trucks, and motorbikes barreling by our building during the country-wide shutdown, it was almost shocking to experience such an array of "new" sounds.

I wrote about Yom Kippur last year, so won't go into details again (hey, that means we've been in Israel for over a year now!). The argument against Israel's especially early change back to standard time had even more backing this year, as the 2012 Yom Kippur fell almost two weeks earlier than in 2011. Religious proponents of changing Israel's clocks back to standard time 8 weeks ahead of the rest of the world cite more daylight for early morning prayers, and also seem to think that the policy encourages more Jews to participate in the Yom Kippur fast. If it was up to me, I'd side with the secularists, since I don't like getting home from work after dark unnecessarily.

According to recent polling, 64% of Israeli Jews had planned to partake in the 25 hour fast which started an hour or so prior to sunset on Yom Kippur Eve. Keep in mind that Jewish days begin at sundown based on the biblical account of creation in Genesis 1:5b, which states "And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day"). Figuring that this was our last Yom Kippur in Israel, not being pregnant (a preclusion from fasting for Jewish women), and being of age (kids who haven't had their bar/bat mitzva yet don't fast), Nicki and I decided to partake in the fast.

Our (quiet) day consisted of a lot of time on our balcony. Reading. Enjoying the view. Taking in the "new" sounds. Reflecting. Praying. Given the lack of noise, the balcony had never been so pleasant (except for YK 2011). Perhaps that's a metaphor for our relationship with God. He's there, and He wants to commune with us, but we need to get away from the "noise" in our lives.

We also went for a walk--being sure to walk right down the middle of the street, as opposed to the sidewalk, just because we could. The only potential street hazards on Yom Kippur seemed to be children on bikes and skateboards. It was funny to watch the street lights change right on schedule, though there was no car traffic to manage. We did see an ambulance and a cop car driving (slowly) around, so apparently some of the basic services don't completely shut down. Other than that, though--the whole country was at a reverent standstill. Even Ben Gurion international airport was closed.

By 6:07pm, we were ready to eat! Dinner never tasted so good. Back to work tomorrow, and then it's a four day weekend as we celebrate Sukkot (aka the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of booths, which I wrote about last year as well).

Here is Nicki enjoying the sights and sounds from our annually-quiet balcony.

Nicki and I weren't the only ones reading...although Sammy did get to eat.

And one more - not taken on YK, but worth sharing - Sammy is excited about his new toy!