31 December happened to be a Friday this year, so religiously observant Jews were unlikely to stay awake until midnight to bring in 2022. However, for Israel’s secular population (including a large Russian-speaking community for whom “Sylvester” or “Novi-god” is a secular holiday of great popularity) the calendar meant that this year, they were able to celebrate without having to take a day off from work.
Looking ahead to the new year, there are many exciting plans scheduled to come to fruition in 2022. The city has seen great growth in recent years, with dozens of building projects moving forward even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several of these venues are scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in 2022, spurring economic growth, job creation and overall quality of life enhancement in the city. There is cautious optimism that this will help take some of the sting out of the ongoing lack of tourism, which has long been the economic mainstay for many of Jerusalem’s residents.
Cautious optimism might, in fact, be the operative phrase to describe how everyone in Jerusalem, from Mayor Moshe Lion to private citizens from all walks of life, are looking forward to 2022. Although many difficult challenges lie ahead, the city is in very good shape in most respects, and there are good reasons to hope that the situation will continue to improve.
Regardless, we here at TV7 are looking forward to another busy and productive year, bringing our viewers the high quality news, analysis, ministry updates and faith-based programming you’ve come to expect from us.
Our prayer in the New Year is for God to grant us the strength, wisdom, resources, and vision to continue with this important work.
– by Aaron Hecht