A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Yom Kippur in Jerusalem

I had made contingency plans to spend Yom Kippur in southern California, including reserving a rental car, getting invitations from friends in Sherman Oaks, Pico-Robertson and Hancock Park, scheduling meetings with people, and even contacting fellow esteemed bloggers Robert Avrech and Luke Ford about meeting each of them. It was all unnecessary as the Histadrut strike ended on Wednesday morning, and through quite a bit of persistence, I got onto the one flight added by El Al and landed in Israel 20 hours later than initially planned.

In Israel, shul seats were a bargain at 100 shekels (about $23) each at Beit Knesset Hanassi, where Rabbi Berel Wein is the permanent resident scholar. The fast ended at 6:10 and with Jerusalem - even the secular Rehavia neighborhood - empty of cars and secular activity, it was a very meaningful day.

After the fast I went to the Zion Square area to eat but no place was open until a couple of hours after Yom Kippur. A European tourist asked me why nobody was out since "the holiday is over." By tonight, downtown Jerusalem is busy, a much different place that I found it during my three previous visits over the last three years, especially 2001 and 2002 when it was nearly desolate.

Note to Jeff and Fred Wilpon: Just before the start of Kol Nidre, one of the congregants in shul mentioned to his friend that his six year old grandson just switched from being a Mets fan to a Yankees fan after being teased by his first grade friends. Due to the Wilpons' incompetence, Mets fans young and old are losing the demographic battle over New York, which for decades was a National League city.
posted on 9/26/2004