Month: June 2011

Facing Tomorrow, Opening Acts

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The Israeli Presidential Conference 2011, ‘Facing Tomorrow’

held in the Jerusalem International Convention Center,

officially started in the evening  of June 21, 2011.

For the first presidential conference, US President George W Bush

was among the world leaders in attendance.

Streets were closed, and no one could avoid the commotion.

This year the presidents of Israel, Dominican Republic and Macedonia

just did not draw the same level of attention from the real streets.

However, photographers packed into a special opening press conference 

to get photos of international Columbian singing star

Shakira and her meeting with President Shimon Peres.

Peres spoke first, quoting from her songs, calling her an ambassador

  of young people and praised her for raising her wonderful voice.

In his opening remarks, President Peres called her “Sharika;”

everyone laughed–too bad I keep repeating the mistake. 

Shakira was presented with a special necklace

that required some help put on.

By establishing schools in poor rural areas, Shakira began a program

to break the cycle of poverty and violence

through education in her native Columbia.

As a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador,

her message of the positive effects of early education is commendable;

perhaps we should add, as long as that education done not include teaching hate.

The evening plenary was held in the large auditorium,

where the Shakira interview

was projected on two large screens, one on each side of the stage.

Shakira did not sing, but repeated her earlier message on education.

Her shoes were not very practical for the Jerusalem streets,

but her stay was brief so there was not much time for strolling around.

American comedian Sarah Silverman was the next act.

She came across bright and witty in her interview.

She tried to talk of a better tomorrow by using solar power.

Her responses to questions were quick and clever,

without any vulgar language… and the audience loved it.

 

1000 pictures over three nights and two days has taken hours to edit.

It was impossible  to get down to one post of twenty photos;

it was easy to get too many good pictures of just Sharika,

NO… Shakira!

 More photos  on The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook Page.

Shavua HaSefer

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Shavua Hasefer,  Hebrew Book Week, is celebrating its 50th year,

with the Jerusalem fair located in the Liberty Bell Park.

For many adults it seems like last year and the year before that,

even though the Hebrew books on sale,

cover a large range

of sellers,

 

and a large variety

 of titles,

there should be

something for everyone to read.

In the early evening hours,

children,

lots of children,

are looking at books.

A new generation of book fans are in the park,

enjoying, not just books,

but also live entertainment

              

at the many scheduled performances

and simple fun.

Shavua Hasefer,  Hebrew Book Week runs from Jun 15-25, 2011.

 

City of Lights

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No doubt that Jerusalem is the City of Lights from June 15-22, 2011.

 Each night thousands of people flock to the Old City for the Jerusalem Light Festival,

 the Jaffa Gate Plaza starts to fill up long before the official start time.

 Information and color coded maps of the sites are easy to get in the Plaza.

The 11 meter high ‘Echinodermus’ light structure towers above the Plaza.

While below, TILT has two benches each with three 10 meter ‘Pissenlits’

on which many people sit not realizing they were sitting on a work of art.

Not all of the electric light designs are stationary,

‘Meir Panim, Light Faces’ arrives for show time.

‘Organi’ an Israeli project hangs inside the Jaffa Gate.

The orange lights strung along the Tower of David


show the route of the Orange path.

‘Blazing Agelux’ by French group PITAYA lights up the road to the Armenian Quarter

and ‘The Art of Listening’ adds color to the Old City Wall,

the usually dark road is transformed by a series of lights.

In the Rova, Jewish Quarter in Hurva Square, stands ‘The Field of Light’

which changes colors several times every few minutes to soothing music.

‘Fantasia’ which also changes colors, is on the way to

the Davidson Archeological Garden and ‘OVO’ from Bulgaria.

In the Cardo is ‘Garden of Light’.

Not all light is electric

and this couple’s fiery dance routine impressed a large crowd.

‘Human tiles’ from Portugal show on the Lutheran Church.

In the dark, the blue path is hard to follow on the map…

 this was not the ‘lighting up” I was looking for and

there are no information people in the Christian Quarter if you are lost and need them.

Finally, a familiar face in the crowd!

Beautiful, colorful, unusual  lights,

 inside and outside the walls of the Old City,

and then, the familiar lights of all the visitors trying to get home.

For more photos… please see The Real Jerusalem Streets on Facebook.