Relaxed Parking For Jewish Holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

By Kelly Hartog 

Shemini Atzeret means the eighth day of assembly (following the Sukkot holiday). There’s a Jewish legend that says that as we come to the end of the almost month-long holiday season that began with Rosh Hashanah followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur and then the holiday of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret is God’s request to ask us to stay an extra day to celebrate.

Simchat Torah, which begins on Thursday night means “rejoicing of the law,” when the annual cycle of reading the entire five books of the Old Testament (the Torah) is completed and the readings begin again. To celebrate, Jews form processions and sing and dance with the Torah scrolls. It’s also one of two days in the Jewish calendar (the first being Purim) where drinking is not only permitted, but expected. It’s Judaism’s big all-night party.

Once again, Jews all over the city will be heading to synagogues to celebrate the festivals and to help ease parking and traffic congestion, the Los Angeles City Department of Transportation, Mayor Eric Garcetti and 5th District Councilman Paul Koretz are implementing relaxed parking throughout the Valley, Westside and Hollywood during this period.

While there will be relaxed enforcement of street cleaning, time limits and preferential parking areas, please note that meters, tow-away zones and other safety violations will be enforced.

Parking will be relaxed in the Valley from 2 p.m. Wed. Sept. 25 through 11 p.m. Sat. Sept. 28, at the following locations:

• Area bounded by Emelita Street to Chandler Boulevard and from Rhodes Avenue to Radford Avenue.
  
• Area bounded by Burbank Boulevard to Riverside Drive and from Laurel Canyon Boulevard to Fulton Avenue.
• Area bounded by Cedros Avenue to Beverly Glen Boulevard and from Dickens Street to Greenleaf Street; including Van Nuys Boulevard from Dickens Street to Greenleaf Street.
• Area bounded by Ventura Boulevard to Margate Street and from Newcastle Avenue to White Oak Avenue.
• Area bounded by ColdWater Canyon to Laurel Canyon and from Victory Boulevard. to Burbank Boulevard.
• Area bounded by Whitsett Avenue to Colfax Avenue and from Riverside Drive to Ventura Boulevard.
• 4300 - 5000 block of Densmore Avenue.
• 4600 - 5000 blocks of Gloria Avenue.
• 15800 block of Moorpark Street.
• 17000 block of Magnolia Boulevard.
• 17000 block of Ventura Boulevard.
• 5100 to 5400 blocks of Zelzah Avnue.
• 5100 to 5400 blocks of Yarmouth Avenue.
• 5400 block of White Oak Avenue.
• '12000 block of Burbank Boulevard.
• 6100 btock of Lankershim Boulevard.
• 12000 block of Sherman Way.
• 4800 block of Stanbury Avenue.
• Lennox Avenue from Hart Street to Valerio Street.
• Devonshire Street from Zelzah Avenue to Encino Avenue.
• White Oak Avenue from Devonshire Street to San Jose Street.
• Woodman to Fulton, Oxnard to Burbank.
• Lindley to Etiwanda, Killion to Ventura.
• Calvert to Eliat/Valerie, Maury to El Canon.
• Ventura to Wells, Winnetka to Del Moreno.