Yom Kippur 2

Now that I have rested from my trip to hospital, let me recount the adventure of travelling on the eve of Yom Kippur. As you would know, Kippur is the Day of Atonement, a sombre day where prayers are offered for the forgiveness of years committed in the past year. 2000 yrs ago when there was a Temple, the scapegoat was offered on behalf of the sins of the Israelites. Today without the Temple, Jews wave money or a chicken over their heads to transfer their sins onto the money or chicken which is then offered to the poor - evil turns to good. Jews fast for one entire day.

Well Kippur is so solemn, everything stops - literally. The entire country simply stops. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-comes-to-a-halt-for-yom-kippur-1.388782  So when I went to the hospital, I planned to come back to Jerusalem before Kippur began on sunset yesterday. The journey took longer than expected and when we arrived in Jerusalem, the sunwas already setting. There were no cars all along the highway leading to Jerusalem, and also in the city. It was so eery, ours being the only car in the street. Traffic lights stopped working. Poor Ramzi was panicking as he was afraid Jews would throw stones at us for travelling in a car on Kippur.

When we reached the vicinity of the Old City, we found ALL roads leading to it were blocked off. Police refused to tell us how we can get back home. They just told us to turn away.

So I told the driver to through King George Street, down Prophets' Street into Damascus Gate area. The driver didn't know the way and made a wrong turning - we entered Mea Shearim!!!! The ultra-orthodox neighbourhood. They came out in droves - hundreds ... and we were all panicking as we thought they would start attacking us for driving a car on Kippur. I told the driver to reverse and he drove in reverse like crazy back to the first road junction which he missed earlier .... phew! Just in time. We turned right and reached Damascus Gate which was not blocked ...

... and that was a very very close call from being lynched by a religious mob. That's life in Jerusalem. One wrong turn in the streets may determine your future!