Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar: in Israel, nearly half of the country fasts and refrains from using electricity as part of the annual day of atonement for sins against God. But for those not headed to the synagogue, an alternative Yom Kippur tradition has emerged in recent years.
As the sun went down on Sunday evening, Tel Aviv, Israel’s cosmopolitan and largely secular Mediterranean city, slowly came to a standstill. For about 24 hours, the streets – normally groaning with traffic – become a paradise for cyclists and those on rollerblades, skateboards and scooters.
