Photos: Snow Day in Jerusalem, Israel

Cars sit stuck during a snow storm on highways on December 13, 2013 at the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israel. (Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

We’ve been hearing a lot about the unusual snowstorm in Israel this week, which is being called the “worst storm in decades” (It’s even snowing in the coastal city of Haifa for the first time in 22 years). The winter storm has wreaked havoc on the usually temperate country’s infrastructure, with snow, hail, and heavy rains prompting the closure of major highways and shutting down Ben Gurion Airport briefly today. The Times of Israel brings word of the storm’s first casualty, a 36-year-old man from Rishon Lezion who fell from his roof while repairing a leak caused by the storm.

But despite the interruption to daily life the storm has brought, Jerusalem residents have made the most of the wintery climate, turning the Old City into a slushy mix of Shabbat preparation and snow day shenanigans:

Stephanie Butnick is the founder of GOLDA, a Jewish lifestyle newsletter. She hosted the Tablet podcast Unorthodox, co-authored The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between, and worked as a writer and editor at Tablet.

Photos: Snow Day in Jerusalem

Traffic jams, snowman, and a snow-covered Western Wall