In Jerusalem, a Celebration Worthy of a Haircut
In Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood, it is Lag Ba-Omer. Lag Ba-Omer marks the end of a plague that killed thousands of Jewish scholars. It is also the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, the core text of Kabbalah mysticism. To celebrate, families light bonfires and cut the hair of three-year-old boys for the first time.
Photo credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters
Keywords: Jerusalem
Amanda Erickson is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic Cities. All posts »
Designs for a Divided Jerusalem
Graphic of the Day: Jerusalem's Sound Map
Jerusalem Bets on a Skyscraper Forest
'Worse Than May 3, 1999'
The Pain of China's Devastating Earthquake, 5 Years Later