Israelis Spent Nearly $4 Million Per Minute on Rosh Hashanah Eve

Israelis engaged in a significant spending spree on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, with credit card transactions reaching a peak of over 3.91 million shekels (approximately $1 million USD) in a single minute. This surge in consumer activity occurred on Friday, the day before the Jewish New Year holiday began.

According to data from the company Shva, credit card spending between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Rosh Hashanah eve exceeded 1.196 billion shekels. This represents a roughly 3% increase compared to the same period last year, which saw spending of 1.161 billion shekels. Even when compared to 2023, before the outbreak of the "Swords of Iron" war, spending has risen significantly, from 955.71 million shekels in 2023 to 1.075 billion shekels in 2024 for the same hours.

The busiest minute of the day for transactions was recorded at 11:52 AM, when over 21,800 transactions were processed, totaling more than 3.91 million shekels. Earlier in the morning, at 10:56 AM, another peak minute saw over 18,000 transactions amounting to more than 3.44 million shekels.

Despite the holiday falling on a Friday, which shortened shopping hours, Israelis continued to make substantial purchases in the final hours before the holiday commenced, indicating a strong consumer drive.