I can say with confidence that I will remember that Yom Kippur for the rest of my life.

Being in Israel has been amazing, but for the past 2 weeks, we’ve been on lockdown. Meaning we have a 1-kilometer boundary surrounding the campus of which we can’t pass. It’s hard to feel like I’m in Israel when I haven’t gotten too really see/experience it yet. 

On Yom Kippur night the surprise activity was a walk through the streets (in the boundary of course). Except for because it was Yom Kippur no one was using their cars, so the usually very busy streets of Hod Hasharon were empty. Not a single car in sight. Everyone was either walking, praying, or riding their bikes, scooters, etc with family, friends, and even pets. 

At home, my family and I choose to celebrate by going to our temple in the morning, then at night by having a huge feast. So I never knew that this was a tradition for people. At school, I feel some sense of community and of course at temple its a lot stronger, but never at this level. I felt more connected to strangers than some of my own classmates that I’ve known since 2nd grade. 

We walked in groups talking and laughing it was a lot of fun. We made our way to an intersection and sat down in the middle of the street so we could all reflect on how celebrating Yom Kippur in Israel made us feel. Everyone seemed to really appreciate this experience and I can definitely say the same for myself. I can say with confidence that I will remember that Yom Kippur for the rest of my life.