Good Days

This week’s international visitors included former US president Jimmy Carter and his group of Elders;

delegates to the annual convention of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, JPPI; and

 the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, who met in Jerusalem to discuss the Agency’s  future.

Also, this week the government announced that housing in Jerusalem is a priority.

Around the world the real estate market continues to suffer,

while in Jerusalem real estate prices just keep going up and up.

If you would like to buy here, it helps to have lots of money.

You could have spent 40.2 million shekel  to buy a large apartment in the Mamilla project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, any property in Jerusalem,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no matter what its appearance, is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, euros, or shekels.

 

Luxury construction goes on in Jerusalem,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and construction equipment can be found on many streets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cranes and workers can be seen if you look up,       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and rubble if you look down.

 

With space so limited, new building is often on top of the old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful rooftop gardens can be the result,

however,  many of these luxury buildings stand empty much of the year.

 

 

For the real Jerusalem streets these good days are not so good,

as the average Israeli salary is around 6000 shekel per month.

A new housing project for secular young people is now being planned for Costa Rica Street,

with the announced bargain price of 1.2 to 1.7 million shekels per apartment.

 

The dry weather has provided many good days for the construction business.

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A much-appreciated break in the heat wave made it possible to sit outside

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                                                 and walk more comfortably.                                      

   This man stopped his painting, smiled and said  “Good days.”

There may be too much rain from Indonesia to Chicago, but in Jerusalem,

as seen in the Valley of the Cross, it is DRY.

Now what is needed are some good WET days.

 

Too many buildings, too much stone and not enough color this week?

The walls of the Old City have been illuminated pink at night as thousands of people are preparing for

  the Susan G. Komen Israel Race for the Cure, Thursday, October 28th in Jerusalem.