A Jewish man walks up an empty road during Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, in Jerusalem on October 2, 2025. (JOHN WESSELS / AFP)
The empty streets of Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Erik Marmor/Flash 90)
The empty streets in south Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Dor Pazuelo/Flash 90)
The empty streets in south Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Dor Pazuelo/Flash 90)
The empty streets in Jerusalem, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
The empty streets in Jerusalem, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
People bike on the empty streets in Netanya, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the holiest of Jewish holidays, October 2, 2025 (Chen Leopold/Flash90)
Israelis flooded the streets on Thursday as the country shut down for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
As sundown approached on Wednesday evening, all local radio and television broadcasts gradually fell silent and the sounds of traffic were replaced by shouts of children enjoying the car-free roads.
Streets were largely empty of cars as is the national tradition, replaced with crowds on bicycles, scooters and rollerblades. Driving during the Day of Atonement is considered taboo, and many secular Israelis have turned the 25-hour holy day into a biking holiday.
For the Magen David Adom emergency service, Yom Kippur is one of the busiest days of the year with hundreds of extra medics, paramedics, ambulances and volunteers deployed across the country to help those who faint from fasting, go into labor, or crash their bikes.
The empty streets of Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Erik Marmor/Flash 90)A Jewish man walks up an empty road during Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, in Jerusalem on October 2, 2025. (JOHN WESSELS / AFP)The empty streets in south Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Dor Pazuelo/Flash 90)The empty streets in south Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Dor Pazuelo/Flash 90)The empty streets in Jerusalem, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)The empty streets in Jerusalem, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)People bike on the empty streets in Netanya, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the holiest of Jewish holidays, October 2, 2025 (Chen Leopold/Flash90)
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