![\"Having](\"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/bike.jpg\")
<\/a>Having a Yom Kippur Break in the Middle of the Road<\/p><\/div>
\nFor religious Jews Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most holy day of the year, but for secular Israelis this is perhaps the best Jewish holiday of all. <\/p>\n
Yom Kippur is the conclusion of the High Holidays in Judaism, begun on Rosh Hashanah when God decides if you will live or die in the year to come. You have the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Days of Awe, to ask God\u2019s forgiveness, after first apologizing to those you have hurt during the year, and amend your ways. God then makes his final verdict on Yom Kippur. Religious Jews pray and fast during Yom Kippur, showing their devotion to God, and in America this may be the only day of the year many Jews enter a synagogue. <\/p>\n
Although you won\u2019t find secular Israelis fasting, making atonements, or rushing off to synagogue to pray to God on this sacred day, the secular will respect the sanctity and tradition of the day. Every business in Israel closes on the eve of Yom Kippur. Unlike the partial shutdown witnessed on Shabbat, on Yom Kippur you cannot even purchase a stick of gum. All television programming in the country is halted on this day; premium cable means nothing on Yom Kippur. The country goes on a tight shutdown, no exceptions. <\/p>\n
Prior to the advent of Netflix, Amazon Prime and other forms of television instant streaming, the days leading up to Yom Kippur caused a stampede to the local video\/DVD store. DVD shelves were bare in the hours leading up to the holiday and you could only hope you rented enough mind-numbing movies to get you through the television blackout of the next twenty four hours. <\/p>\n
Israelis refrain from driving on this day and the roads are as empty as they would be if the apocalypse came. Only ambulances, where needed, take to the roads on Yom Kippur and every highway, freeway, motorway, city boulevard and country lane in Israel become an open playground, creating the world\u2019s most successful green air day as well as the most carefree day of the year for secular Israelis.<\/p>\n
Although many tour guides will recommend staying in Jerusalem during Yom Kippur to witness the somberness and reverence of the day, I suggest heading to Tel Aviv on this sacred holiday. In secular strongholds like Tel Aviv, Yom Kippur is a day for two wheels, and every man, women and child take to the streets on bicycles, roller-skates, rollerblades, tricycles and big wheels. While on the other 364 days of the year polluting buses, cars and motorcycles have the right of way, Yom Kippur is bike day. For local bike shops, the days leading up to Yom Kippur are like Black Friday and the countdown down to Christmas all in one. Everyone wants a bicycle for the holiday. If the bike shops don\u2019t make a good profit during these days, their businesses will likely go under in year to follow. <\/p>\n
Imagine riding down the center of a city street without a care in the world. You don\u2019t have to glance over your shoulder to see if a car is coming. No need to hurry to the side of the road to get out of the way of traffic. You can speed across the city faster than a motor bike. Traffic lights and stop signs mean nothing on this day. Ride freely. The only company you will have on the streets will be the thousands of other bikers riding alongside you. <\/p>\n
Yes, watching prayer at the Western Wall on this holy day is a solemn sight, but participating in the freedom of bike day in Tel Aviv is true nirvana. <\/p>\n
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