The week started avikh, with so much dirt and sand in the air that it was hard to breathe;
grit got in your mouth.
The sky was white and grey, no sun or blue sky could be seen.
Then strong winds blew away the sand, and a different kind of dirt filled the air;
news broadcasts concerning the HolyLand building bribe scandal filled the airwaves.
Towering over the Jerusalem skyline despite multiple building regulations;
no one in Jerusalem was surprised that bribery could be involved. 
The sadness in the air after Yom Hashoah seemed to linger with the news of former Mayor Lupolianski’s arrest as a bribery suspect. As head of the Yad Sarah Organization, he helped so many people.
But nature goes on, and in the air day and night…
birds, resting in a tree
flying or soaring at he Kotel, Western Wall; Jerusalem is their oasis between the desert and the sea.
At Gan Sacher a ball is often in the air.
This week, blue and white returned to the skies.
The air filled with flags, Israeli and those of the city of Jerusalem.
On government buildings,
the Knesset,
commercial areas and gardens:
rows of flags
were in the air
and
along the streets
and on cars;
Jerusalem readies for Yom Hazikron and then Yom Ha’aztmaut next week.
