The IDF's Home Front Command on midnight Wednesday morning declared that restrictions on large gatherings in central Israel, Jerusalem, and its suburbs would be removed, following a situational assessment.
With this declaration, the Home Front Command enabled thousands of Israelis to revert to their original plans for the Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) holiday.
The restrictions led to the cancellation of the central Selichot prayer gathering at the Western Wall, included a limit on gatherings of more than 30 people outdoors and more than 300 people indoors. These limits forced Jews around Israel to rethink their plans for Rosh Hashanah, especially if the plans included large gatherings.
However, the removal does not provide any real indication of what might happen over the course of the next three-and-a-half days, until the holiday and the Shabbat (Sabbath) which immediately follows draw to an end.
It is for this reason that a wise Israeli (or tourist) would do well to avoid banking on attending large gatherings during the holiday, and ensure some way of receiving Home Front Command updates if they do wish to attend large gatherings.
The IDF's Home Front Command is constantly updating its guidelines for Israeli civilians, and does so even in the middle of the day. Earlier this week, security sources urged Israelis to reconsider their holiday plans in light of potential security threats, and choose a synagogue from which a bomb shelter could be reached within the required amount of time and without pushing or rushing.
Though as of this writing the Home Front Command removed restrictions on gatherings in Jerusalem and central Israel, it is not out of the question that the restrictions will be reinstated closer to the holiday's start, or over the course of Rosh Hashanah itself.
In such a case, Israelis who observe the religious requirement to turn off electronics on the Sabbath and holidays will not be alerted when the restrictions are reimposed, but will hear the air raid sirens when they sound in real time. However, in cases of large gatherings, not everyone will be able to reach shelter in time, unless the gathering is held within a bomb shelter. There is also a real danger of crushing; in the vast majority of cases, those injured during a siren are injured while running for shelter, and not by the missile or interceptions.