Nakba
The International Writers Festival is hosting events all this week
in Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first community to be built outside the walls
of Jerusalem, perhaps best known for its iconic Montefiore Windmill
which is now undergoing renovation.
This Jewish neighborhood was unsafe and deserted from 1948–1967.
In answer to a question the speaker encouraged writers to write about
what they know. What do I know?
I know that it was not easy to get to the lecture hall as the narrow streets
were full of school children.
on their way to the Old City.
This week marks 45 years since the reunification of Jerusalem.
As Channel 1 looked for a story at the Writers Festival,
I was amazed by the sight across the valley near the Old City walls.
Hundreds and hundreds of Israeli school children
were climbing the path towards the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.
In 1965 when Jerusalem was divided and under Jordanian rule,
a Jewish person could not get near the Kotel, the Western Wall,
so this photo had to be taken at the edge of No-Man’s Land.
Next week for the Shavuot holiday, tens of thousands
of worshipers will pack the plaza for the break of dawn services.
I stood on this pedestrian bridge watching
the endless stream of school children walking on my left.
At that very moment, on my right
smoke was rising from Arab neighborhoods.
It was Nakba Day, the “catastrophe” or “disaster” the Arab world
has observed for 64 years because of the establishment of Israel.
Below, an Arab girl was walking alone
and this Arab boy was hanging around the cinema.
They were heading home around the time PA leader Mahmoud Abbas was
in Ramallah inciting the crowd with charges of “ethnic cleansing”.
I passed through the Liberty Bell Park
and saw two Arab boys climbing on a sculpture in the gardens.
It is not easy to relocate under the best of circumstances,
but my Christian friends from Lebanon did it in America.
My Jewish friends from Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq and Morocco
lost everything when they were forced from their childhood homes,
but they moved on, and built good lives for themselves and their families.
Yes, there is a Nakba, a disaster and a real tragedy.
As long as the Arab world continues on its destructive path…
there is indeed a Nakba .
Like this:
Hollywood Celebrities Tweet about Israel
Tourism in Jerusalem is growing, April numbers set a new record.
This week Birthright-Taglit is bringing 59 groups,
each with 40 young people, for their first visit to Israel.
Yet many people think Israel is a dangerous place to visit.
What do you think you see in this photo?
This is not a tourist getting attacked,
but actor Zach Roerig of Vampire Diaries on the right,
with actor Eli Finish of the Israeli TV show Eretz Nehederet
at a special martial arts class held at the Inbal Hotel.
This week eight US actors were in Jerusalem
with America’s Voices in Israel – AVI tour.
AVI, along with the Ministries of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora and Tourism
aims to give the celebrities a program that reflects their interests.
Their whirlwind visit ended with this class,
also attended by Holt McCallany of Fight Club
and AnnaLynne McCord of 90210.
Holt enjoyed practicing with head coach Boaz Barr,
as did Zach Roerig,
and beginner AnnaLynne’s high kicks impressed everyone.
Shortly after posing for a group photo, the Americans flew home.
Israeli fans surrounded Eli Finish as soon as he entered the lobby,
while US stars Zach and AnnaLynne went unnoticed to their rooms.
Also on this tour were Paul Johansson (90210 & Atlas Shrugged),
Omar Epps (ER & House), Holly Robinson Peele (21 Jump St),
Mekhi Phifer (ER) and Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds).
We will have to wait and see if the tweets, Facebook photos
and blogs on this celebrity trip will be a positive influence
on how their fans view Israel.
I do know they had a great time and plan to return,
Zach said I could quote him…
“I’ll be back!”
Like this:
Lag B’Omer Fire and Smoke
Meron and the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
may be the #1 most popular place to be on Lag B’Omer
but celebrations in Jerusalem are a close second.
Collecting wood for a medura, a bonfire, began before Passover.
Wood in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, was carried in a little wagon,
but I really liked this pile of wood being transported on top of a car.
The sign says no fires, but before Lag B’Omer the dry grass is cut short,
because this park is one of the most popular places to make a medura.
Wednesday night small fires were lit all around Jerusalem.
In the Har Nof neighborhood preparations for large fires began in April,
smoke from one of these fires could be found well into the day on Thursday.
As I said before some love this and some do not and
miraculously once again there were no reports of major accidents.
There was one thing that was different this year,
the house of Benzion Netanyahu z”l, was covered in black.
The house is located near one of the busiest Lag B’Omer spots.
What a mess it would have been
if the Prime Minister was sitting shiva this week.
However,
Lag B’Omer is a happy time,
so we will end with a colorful photo.
Hope you had a good and safe holiday too.
Komen Israel Race for the Cure
The second Komen Race for the Cure was held in Jerusalem today.
Thousands gathered in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park,
to help raise money for breast cancer research.
People came from all over Israel and all over the world to take part,
including hundreds of Arab women
and Arab girls.
From a large stage after warm up and exercise music played,
US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro spoke to the crowd in Hebrew.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and his wife Beverly
led the crowd out of the park
to the starting line.
Balloons were released after the mayor spoke
and the march began
going up Bezalel Street toward the center of town
to King George Street.
The March then proceeded through the Ben Yehuda Mall
and to Yoel Salomon Street,
which was a great improvement over the previous route.
US Senator Joe and Hadassah Lieberman and Ambassador Shapiro
seemed to be really enjoying themselves.
The mid-day weather was much cooler than the last march
and there was plenty of water for everyone.
Walking along the Walls of the Old City was perfect way to end the march.
In the park after the finish line,
a yoga session was led by a breast cancer survivor.
Sadly, not everyone survives breast cancer and
many people walked in memory of a friend or relative.
Komen organizers should also be complimented for providing
toilets for the disabled at the beginning and end of the route.
For an event that received so little advance publicity,
it was bigger and better than last time.
It is not clear yet how much money was raised for cancer research,
but as people we passed on the way kept saying,
“Ayza yofi, ayza yofi“… this is beautiful, so beautiful.”
There was no violence,
certainly no sign of apartheid on the Jerusalem streets today,
but there were a lot of pink banners and pink balloons.
Additional photos on The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.
Also see:
Arab Women Raced Through Jerusalem with Weapons
Netanyahus – Father and Son
Benzion Netanyahu, father of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu,
died and was buried in Jerusalem yesterday.
The son remembered his father in a moving eulogy.
The signs are up and the week of shiva has begun.
In Jewish tradition the shiva, the seven-day mourning period, is observed
at the home of the deceased.
Benzion Netanyahu lived the last of his 102 years on a small Jerusalem street.
Neighbors all knew when the Prime Minister came for one of his regular visits,
as armed security would stop them from even walking in the area.
Most people were impressed by the respect of a busy son for his father
and accepted the frequent inconvenience.
After the funeral, the one-way street was lined with security barriers.
A large security tent was put up outside the entrance of the house,
which is located at Yoni Square, named for Yoni Nentanyahu,
Benzion’s oldest son who commanded and was killed
in the Entebbe raid in 1976.
One of the first to arrive to pay his condolences was Natan Sharansky.
This week neighborhood patience will be tested as the street will be blocked.
Men in dark suits are wandering around the maze of streets
looking at the illogical street numbers,
while those with diplomatic license plates can park a bit closer.
Condolence messages have even been received from Arab countries.
People on the street looked sad as they passed slowly by the house.
Educated Israelis from left to right acknowledge the loss of a father,
who was an academic, a scholar and a brilliant editor of encyclopedias.
המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים
May the family be comforted with all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Celebrates Israel’s 64th
This week was a roller coaster ride of emotions,
going from mourning on Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day,
to the joyous celebrations for Yom Ha’atzmaut, Independence Day.
On Thursday night fireworks displays lit up the sky over Jerusalem,
to celebrate Israel at 64.
In Jerusalem on Yom Ha’azmaut
the hammers were bigger, but softer.
These people were watching the Air Force fly over,
but by their expressions I assume they missed my blog post.
The annual International Bible Contest was held in the morning
and the Israel Prizes were presented in the evening,
but most people spent much of the day at a mangal, a BBQ, grilling meat.
Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, was the site of many family reunions,
but I spent most of the day in Gan Sacher with 400 lone soldiers.
The Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin’s mangal
served 60 kilo of meat to young people from around the world and Israel,
who do not have families here with whom to celebrate.
See more photos of the event on the Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.
Gan Sacher did not seem as crowded as usual,
as there were plenty of open spaces for a “foam fight”
and there was plenty of the foam for sale.
I was impressed that in such a relaxed atmosphere, people made time for
this impromptu mincha, afternoon prayer, one of many that took place.
Smoke filled the sky all day,
while the weather was perfect.
Tons of equipment were schlepped and food consumed… and beer.
Israel at 64 was celebrated in Jerusalem in a big way.
Why do Israelis get so hung up about their Independence Day?
We will keep looking for answers to the question.
Like this:
Yom Hazikaron in Jerusalem
Wednesday was Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Remembrance Day
for those killed in war and by terror attacks.
It was observed in many ways. Some do not observe it at all.
I was at two major traffic locations when the memorial sirens sounded.
At night on Derech Hevron, Hebron Road, near the walls of the Old City,
cars kept moving and a large truck tried to pass against traffic.
On the Begin Highway some drivers got out of their cars before the
11:00am siren and stood silently, but as the siren began I was very surprised
to see many cars zooming around the stopped vehicles.
I decided not to show those disappointing video scenes,
but rather to share a few more positive photos.
The official government ceremony was held at the Kotel,
the Western Wall, on Tuesday night,
where an honor guard stood by the memorial flame.
The food court of the Rova, the Jewish Quarter of the Old City was closed.
Many parts of the Old City were dark and quiet.
At The Sultan’s Pool, a huge stage was built and thousands gathered
for a musical presentation sponsored by the Jerusalem Municipality.
There were hundreds of young people,
but you could hear a pin drop during the siren and no one moved.
All over Jerusalem the next day,
fresh flowers could be found at memorial locations,
marking the memory of dear ones lost.
The Begin Highway looked like a parking lot,
as many people drove to the Har Herzl Military cemetery
to attend the official ceremony and to visit graves.
This speed sign showed that no one was driving too fast.
Red memorial flames were displayed, while Israeli flags flew at half-mast.
This year there seemed to be many more
flags than usual.
I found a flag flying on top of this phone booth…
yes, there are still are a few phone booths.
Israeli flags were displayed with pride this year.
I watched the young children at one memorial event
and thought of all the lives lost.
Are there really any Israelis who do not want peace
in the future for their children?
Shabbat shalom.
