Israelis flood the streets on bikes, taking advantage of Yom Kippur’s car-free roads
For 25 hours, nation's streets remain largely empty of vehicles on holiest day of the Jewish calendar
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.
