By Marney Blom
This morning I woke up to find the Holy City wrapped in a blanket of snow, as an unusual cold front swept across the Middle East late Wednesday. While flurries were registered in Syria, Lebanon, Mount Herman, Upper Galilee and Jerusalem, Tel Aviv recorded hail.
Nonetheless, throughout Jerusalem jubilant school children were spotted carefully crafting Israeli snowmen, as schools, businesses, bus services and the major transportation artery between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv – Route 1 – all shut down for the day.
What’s more, the scheduled closed-door talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – discussions aimed at reaching a West Bank security plan – were postponed.
While the storm was responsible for boosting the water table of the Sea of Galilee, an estimated 50 million shekels worth of property damage and 25,000 residents went without power in the capital.
Growing up in Canada, I consider these snowy conditions tame compared to our frigid double-digit negative temperatures and excessive snow accumulation. However, in this part of the world snow can stop everything. In Jerusalem, most residences are constructed of stone, with minimal heating, if any. Traversing the ancient stone walkways can be as treacherous as navigating a vehicle amongst novice snow drivers.
Yet despite the challenges of the unusual event of a snow day in the ancient city, for many it is a delightful respite and a major photo-op. And for those hired to drive the city’s makeshift snowplough-tractors, maneuvering through the slushy roads was essentially just practice. According to the weatherman there is still more white stuff to come!
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