A few dozens of windsurfers take advantage of strong winds and the stormy weather during the third national lockdown.

The almost empty Shlomo Lahat Promenade on a stormy day during Israel's third national lockdown.

Two men playing backgammon in an empty street in Yehudit neighborhood during the third lockdown.

Tel Avivans sit around public tables next to one of the busiest cafes on Rothschild Boulevard closed during the third lockdown.

People pass by a police checkpoint on Herbert Samuel Street next to the beach. Police checkpoints were spread during weekends throughout Tel Aviv making sure people stay less than 1km away from their homes.

A woman dragging a shopping cart exits HaCarmel Market. The Israeli government ordered all markets to stay closed during the lockdown, yet a few vendors kept their shops open despite being fined.

Two kids wearing facemasks sit together next to the Yarkon River in HaYarkon Park. Many Israelis spent the weekend in parks and at the beach as the third lockdown neared its end.

Young Tel Avivians gather and dine on the street at Levinsky Market. Many Israelis openly disobeyed the lockdown’s guidelines and gathered in open spaces.

A few young people watch their friend walk a wire tied between two trees in HaYarkon Park. Many Israelis spent the weekend in parks and at the beach as the third lockdown neared its end.

Young people work out in an outdoor public gym in HaYarkon Park. Gyms and swimming pools closed for months, forcing people to use outdoor alternatives to keep in shape.

Dozens of people hang out at Hilton beach in close proximity violating the social distancing guidelines. Many Israelis spent the weekend in parks and at the beach as the third lockdown neared its end.

Birds rest on a wooden pier st Tel Aviv’s beach during the third national lockdown.

An Ultra-Orthodox couple watches the sunset on a bench at Tel Aviv port.

Very few cars seen on Ayalon Highway, the main traffic route passing through Tel Aviv, as Friday falls during the third national lockdown. People were requested to stay less than 1km away from their homes, a guideline strictly enforced during weekends.

A trumpet player performs next to people walking on Tel Aviv’s promenade past a police car as the third lockdown nears its end. In recent weeks Israel is moving back to normality following three national lockdowns and a massive vaccination effort.

People wait in line for free Covid-19 tests at a public healthcare station on Rabin Square in Tel Aviv.

Israelis receive the Pfizer vaccination at a Kupat Holim Clalit station in north Tel Aviv. Over 55% of Israel’s population has been vaccinated with at least one shot.

People sit in the resting area after receiving the Pfizer vaccination at a public healthcare facility on Rabin Square in Tel Aviv.

A few kids hang out next to the closed entrances of Tel Aviv Museum and the Cameri Theater. All cultural establishments have been closed for months due to the pandemic.

A public announcement requesting wearing masks is seen on the screen at Lev Cinemas in Tel Aviv before a special screening of "High Maintenance" (a movie about Dani Karavan) before an audience of vaccinated and/or recovered people.

A number of people hang around HaBima Square. Having to stay less than 1km from their homes, most people socialized in city squares enjoying food from cafes and restaurants that offered takeaway services.

Hundreds of Tel Avivians wearing costumes gather at HaBima Square to take part in a bicycle-riding costume party. Standard parties were not allowed, yet riding a bicycle was permitted as a sportive activity.

Foreign workers, some undocumented, wait in line to get vaccinated safely at a vaccination station close to the old central station in Tel Aviv.

Tel Avivians gather around Tamara juice stand on Ben Gurion Boulevard on Election Day. Many enjoyed the free day outdoors with social distancing hardly being observed.

Young Tel Avivians gather and dine on the street at Levinsky Market. Many Israelis openly disobeyed the lockdown’s guidelines and gathered in open spaces.

Young and old Israelis enjoy their coffee on benches on Rothschild Boulevard. People feel safer gathering in public spaces after being vaccinated.

People enjoy a Saturday afternoon at Gordon Pool alongside the Tel Aviv shore. Swimming pools and gyms opened to vaccinated people and people that recovered from the virus.

A man sits at Dan Lounge in Ben Gurion airport while he awaits his flight. Air travel was restored after almost no flights were allowed to land in Israel fearing the virus's mutations.

Patrons dine at Shablul jazz club as they away a concert by a band playing covers of Havana Social Club. Capacity restrictions were lifted as all the medical parameters continued to improve.

People wearing costumes demonstrate against Benjamin Netanyahu and the government’s Corona policies during the holiday of Purim. Similar demonstrations have been taking place on a weekly basis in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other places around Israel.

Israelis wait in line to vote at a polling station in Druyanov School in south Tel Aviv. Israel voted for the fourth time in two years while necessary safety measures were implemented.

Young man in a play ball games in a designated area on Tel Aviv's beach. On June 15th Israel lifted the requirement to wear masks in all places other than airports, medical centers, and senior homes.

Careful Optimism

March 2021 marks a year of living in the shadow of the pandemic in Israel. This past year has been extraordinarily challenging for many and was characterized by fear and despair. We now (finally) start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and are in the midst of a transition period in which mental fatigue and apprehension are being replaced by hope.

Israel has been outpacing the world in vaccination rates. Encouraging results and research are leading to updated guidelines and careful optimism. However, political chaos, lack of trust in leadership, violations of guidelines, social unrest, mass protests, and the prevalence of conspiracy theories create a very complex reality. In many ways, Israel may serve as a case study to the challenges, processes, and social phenomena that other countries might face in the coming months.

The visual narrative that dominated the past year is clearly changing as Tel Aviv transitions from Israel’s third national lockdown towards a return to normality. Images based on apocalyptic urban landscapes are replaced by busy human situations in an evolving reality.