Sylvester

"That's what Rocky is all about : pride, reputation, and not being another bum in the neighborhood."
-Sylvester Stallone

There is something really cynical about New Years in Israel that I love.
I've spent the past four years celebrating this holiday here and it hadn't hit me until tonight that even though New Years is not as built up of a day in the Jewish state as it is virtually everywhere else, it still has something about it that you can't witness in any other country.
Unlike the US, everyone went out tonight. But more shockingly, and without thinking twice, everyone will go to work or school tomorrow.

Israelis don't call it "New Years." There's already a new year celebration and it's called Rosh Hashana. In Israel "New Years" is known as Sylvester. And that's where the cynicism comes in.

Saint Sylvester was an anti-Semite who wouldn't allow Jews into Jerusalem. In Israel this day is called Sylvester, not to honor the anti-Semitic saint, but to remember his end.
Yep, the guy died on December 31st, and we consider it celebration-worthy.

Ironically, I spent my Sylvester in downtown Jerusalem. I wasn't sure what to expect because Tel Aviv was a bit low-key last year, but Jerusalem proved itself to be pretty lively.
Unexpected ethnic sing-along on Ben Yehudah:


Zolly's: