PHOTOS: Jerusalem of Gold becomes Jerusalem of White

Thursday, January 10, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  

 

 

 

Jerusalem of Gold became Jerusalem of White overnight, treating local residents to a thick blanket of snow measuring well over 12 inches in many places.

Schools and public transportation were cancelled, and the streets of the Holy City rang with the gleeful cries of thousands of children, and not a few adults who found they are still very much children at heart.

Snow also covered numerous other towns across Israel. Most of northern Israel experienced heavy snow, and even higher peaks in the Negev desert, such as the small town of Mitzpe Ramon, woke to a winter wonderland.

Speaking of the north, all the rain and snow is causing the Sea of Galilee to rise by unprecedented amounts every hour.

Experts agree that if the current snow storm is followed by another month or two of good rain, the lake, which is Israel's main fresh water reservoir, could fully refill by the end of the winter season.

But not all the news has been positive. There has been widespread flooding damage, and a handful of people have lost their lives after being caught in flash floods.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the focus of prayers now must be that the heavy winter precipitation remains a blessing to Israel and does not become a detriment.

 

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