Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur 2012

If you want to know what it would feel like if the world stopped for a day, you should come to Tel Aviv for Yom Kippur.  On this holiday, the day of atonement, all businesses close and all traffic stops.  The city normally full of of traffic jams, honking, buses, packed cafes, and a whole lot of hustle and bustle, becomes silent.  

Pedestrians and bikers take over the empty streets, my sons included.  The older boys were off riding bikes with their friends, and little Adam stayed with me and Mike, and showed off his marathon potential.  I think he ran about half a mile on Tuesday night.   

As we walked, we met friends and neighbors on nearly every block.  We couldn’t stop to talk for long, though, because Adam was on the run.

At Rabin Square, Adam finally got tired.  He spent some time on Mike’s shoulders.  I know the photo is blurry, but maybe you can tell that Adam is holding Mike’s ears.  He is doing a lot of this ear-holding lately, and his frequent demand of, “Mama, I need to hold your ears now,” ranks high on my list of funniest things my kids have said.   

After resting on Mike’s shoulders, Adam ran home.

On Wednesday the dog enjoyed some freedom.  She was out in the middle of the street without her leash for a few minutes. (She has recovered wonderfully from surgery.)

And here we have the cats.  How could I not include them?  They didn’t join us outdoors on the holiday. (They’re indoor cats, but even if they weren’t I’m sure they’d have been way too busy napping.)  I instructed them to do maximum repenting.  MAXIMUM.  They may look cute here, but you should hear them at 3:00 a.m. We don’t call them the Terrible Two for nothing.  

Jessica Apple

Jessica Apple grew up in Houston. She studied Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan, and completed an MA in the same field at the Hebrew University. She began to write and publish short stories while a student, and has continued to write essays and fiction while raising her three sons (and many pets).

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Jessica Apple

Jessica Apple grew up in Houston. She studied Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan, and completed an MA in the same field at the Hebrew University. She began to write and publish short stories while a student, and continues to write essays and fiction while raising her three sons (and many pets). Jessica’s work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Financial Times Magazine, The Southern Review, The Bellevue Literary Review, Tablet Magazine, and elsewhere. She is the diabetes correspondent for The Faster Times. In 2009 she and her husband, both type 1 diabetics, founded A Sweet Life, where she serves as editor-in-chief. Jessica loves spending time with her sons, cooking with her husband, playing with her cats, reading, biking, drinking coffee, and whenever possible, taking a nap. Follow Jessica on Twitter (@jessapple)