The atmosphere of the High Holy Days this week was already apparent today throughout Israel where shops reported record crowds of customers and public transport officials braced for a record turnout of 200,000 holiday travelers.
Bus firms and railways were increasing schedules. Thousands of buses, some of them reserves in garages, were being prepared for use with pensioned drivers returning to the wheel for the holidays which begin tomorrow night.
Hotels in New Jerusalem and other Jewish areas were booked to capacity but vacancies were still reported in Eastern Jerusalem and west bank hotels. Lydda Airport and Haifa port expected a record number of passengers today and tomorrow.
Traffic in most streets of most cities already was heavy. Crowds milled through the main streets and spilled over into roads giving traffic policemen a difficult time.
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