Hundreds of thousands flock to beaches, parks during intermediate days of Passover
As temperatures rise and schools are on vacation, overcrowding leads to closing of some sites
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Hundreds of thousands of Israelis flocked to beaches and national parks on Sunday, while marking the intermediate days of Passover, leading to overcrowding that shuttered access to some sites.
Most schools are closed nationwide and many people are off work during the weeklong holiday, so leisure attractions tend to draw large crowds.
Sunday was also unseasonably warm, with temperatures topping 95F/35C in some parts of the country, sending many to seek out beaches and natural springs.
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said that approximately 200,000 people visited its sites Sunday, forcing it to shut the Yarkon and Ein Hanya national parks, near Petah Tikva and Jerusalem respectively.
It also restricted vehicle access to Beit Yanai Beach, and reported heavy crowding at other sites.
Authorities also shut access Sunday afternoon to most public camping beaches around the Sea of Galilee due to overcrowding.
The Union of Kinneret Cities, which administers public beaches around the large freshwater lake, said about 30,000 people visited its beaches and parking areas on Sunday, filling every single one — forcing them to close access to all except Dugit Beach, on the Galilee’s eastern shore.
President Isaac Herzog himself paid a visit to a national park on Sunday, touring Tel Lachish with his wife, Michal.
לא ניתן לטרור לשבש את חיינו! הבוקר לפני השרב הגדול בטיול מקסים בגן לאומי תל לכיש. צאו לטייל בארץ ישראל היפה שלנו. מועדים לשמחה ???????? pic.twitter.com/LPV6jcE67r
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) April 9, 2023
Sunday could prove to be the last rain-free day of the holiday, with showers and even some thunderstorms predicted for the rest of the week in much of the country.
The Times of Israel Community.