Explosions in Jerusalem?

Late Saturday and Sunday night, we heard loud explosions ripping through the night air here in Jerusalem. Saturday night's explosions were short and distinct and lasted for under a minute. On Sunday, they were louder and more pronounced. At first, we thought that someone was celebrating the Fourth of July but then we realized we were in Israel.

We were then concerned enough that we called Jean to see if she'd heard them too. Indeed, she had and eventually the explosions subsided. Jean turned on the television and we checked news sources on the web but couldn't find any evidence of military activity nearby. We talked about how we don't have any sort of plan of what to do if something bad happens or if we hear air-raid sirens. We decided that we'd all put on tennis shoes and run to the U.S. Consulate, which is less than a mile away. Eventually, after our adrenaline wore off, we went to sleep.

This morning, Jen mentioned the explosions to a classmate, who laughed and said that we'd heard nightly fireworks due to a summer festival in a downtown park. Oh. Well, at least we weren't in danger.

Happy Fourth of July, for those of you who are in places where the sound of fireworks are simply fireworks.