Gaming in the Crossroads

Last night Rachel and I walked down to the nearest major traffic intersection to find four teenagers sitting in the middle of the intersection playing cards. There's no traffic island; they were just sitting on the pavement, traffic light hanging overhead.

That's Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. I don't think any other city is quite like it.

On Yom Kippur, the cars disappear from Jerusalem's streets. A few police cars park in the streets or slowly make their way from one neighborhood to another. Tens of thousands of men, women, and children dressed in white file out after evening services to congregate in the middle of the streets. Around them, the less religious kids zoom around the auto-free streets on bicycles and foot scooters.

It's a sight to see.

Owing to the short day, nearly all the next day until nightfall was spent in synagogue. It was an easy fast for me. Afterwards, I began setting up the sukkah, which will host Games Day a week from Sunday.

All you non-gaming Israelis who read this are welcome to come by and try your first game on Games Day.

Yehuda