Buried in Snow, Jerusalem Braces for Further Onslaught

With major roads closed, marketplaces shuttered and electricity lines down around the city, the Jerusalem municipality warned residents to stay indoors as a new wave of snow, sleet and freezing rain was expected to hit the city over the Sabbath.

About a foot of snow was measured in some parts of the city.

The usually bustling Machane Yehuda marketplace, or shuk, resembled a snow-and-slush covered ghost town on Friday, as a small number of residents slogged through the market in search of food to prepare for Shabbat.

A handful of stalls opened midday, and small groups of shoppers eagerly gathered around them. Shoppers could be seen wafting over to the smell of fresh-baked challah being carried into the market from one small commercial baker that was able to open.

“I’m a sixth-generation Yerushalmi. I’ve lived here my entire life and never seen anything like this,” said Yehoshua Levy, a resident of the Nachlaot neighborhood who was preparing a small, 110-year-old Sephardic congregation, Shaarei Rachamim, for the Sabbath. “I just called my mother, and neither has she,” he added.

Levy noted that he was certain there would be no problem gathering a quorum for services. “Nothing keeps us from this beit knesset (synagogue),” he said. “Not war, not curfews, and surely not some weather.”

Buses and trains stopped running; thousands were stranded for Shabbat. (Photo: Netanel Tevel)

Many residents opened their homes to guests who were stranded in the city or were unable to obtain provisions. More than 2,000 drivers were said to be stuck in the city, as the municipality turned to the Israel Defense Force for assistance. With bus and rail service cancelled, and all major roads out of the city closed, thousands more were left in the city.

Jerusalem’s emergency services have been on alert since the snow started falling Thursday to handle the anticipated car accidents, fallen branches and possible roof collapses, according to new reports. They are also dealing with severe power outtages on a scale that was not predicted.

The Machane Yehuda market was at a standstill when it's usually bustling right before Shabbat. (Photo: Chayal el Chayal)

Israel’s Channel 2 news called it the "worst storm in decades."

As the weather worsened, Chabad-Lubavitch centers sprung into action, identifying the homebound, doing what they could to see they were safe and preparing for even more Sabbath guests than usual.

Colel Chabad, the largest charity in Israel for the needy, delivered hundreds of more hot meals for Shabbat than usual and was cooking right up to the minute to have as much hot food as possible ready to distribute. It is the oldest continuously operating tzedakah organization in Israel, established in 1788 by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.