Month: June 2011

There usually are no clouds in the sky over Jerusalem in the summer.

A volcanic eruption occurred in East Africa on Monday night, June 13, 2011.

News reports were of high clouds from the Eritrean Ash,

but the Tuesday sky looked like winter had returned to Jerusalem.

Dark, stormy-looking clouds hovered over the Knesset

and the Israel Museum.

 

Clouds did not result in rain, but provided shade and much cooler streets than usual.

Clear skies returned in time for the end of the Israel Festival,

 the start of Hebrew Book Week, Shavua HaSefer,

 beginning of the Jerusalem Light Festival and Wednesday night’s lunar eclipse.

It is possible to protect oneself from the sun when there are no clouds.

 Now if we could just get protection from the clouds of cigarette smoke!

With the season of many holidays at an end and summer on the way,

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu took his government members and their spouses

to the cool mountains of Safed for a get away on Friday and Saturday.

It was good timing as Jerusalem was hit with a heat wave.

The streets by the Tayalet were much quieter than usual,

the Haas Promenade, a popular tourist spot with one of the best views of the Old City,

 was nearly deserted, all seemed so quiet,  I did not take more zoom shots.

So it is impossible to see the rock throwers and policemen on the Temple Mount

who made of all day’s the headlines.

The real action on the streets was…a few Segway riders.

Children’s playgrounds were empty in the afternoon sun,

good only for finishing up a frozen ice cream treat.

Tel Aviv has the beach… in Jerusalem, when the temperature rises,

people flock to the air-conditioned shopping malls

to keep cool and have fun.

 

Every car waiting to park is searched, causing traffic backups;

every package, bag and pocket contents are examined.

There was one occasion when security was called into action and came running..

 when a couple of Chabad young men pulled tefillin out of a bag to put on a solider.

Inside the large Jerusalem Mall,

one can find everything from a colorful bird in a noisy passage way

to a quiet reading room in a book store.

Food establishments fill whole sections of the malls,

and are popular as a place for families

and friends to meet and sit for hours.

 

Large signs may announce the season of culture,

but this is also the beginning of the season of the mall.

The Prime Minister left for Rome today, the doctors strike is dragging on

 and borders all around are heating up.

Keeping cool, and a comfortable spot to sit in a mall…

could be more important than ever this summer.

 

The media gave ‘Naksa Day’  demonstrations much attention,

so we had to see what was really happening on the Jerusalem streets.

The source of danger on June 5, 2011 may come as a surprise.

School groups going in Gan Ha’atzmaut, Independence Park

did not even notice a woman dressed in a burka.

Tourists on Yoel Salomon Street walked, talked, shopped and dined as usual.

Kikar Zion, Zion Square, in the center of town was quiet

with only one musician playing,

 the only noise was an occasional light rail train doing a test run on Jaffa Street.

Arriving at the Old City walls, there was no sign of trouble,

just a sign for the upcoming Jerusalem Light Festival.

Arab boys were playing,

near tourists who were accosted by a beggar demanding money.

The way to Jaffa Gate was filled with signs for the Light Festival,

not security people.

The area inside Jaffa Gate was less crowded than usual,

so there were fewer tourists for the food stall just outside.

I really wanted to ask these two Muslim girls what they thought

of the day and its meaning to them,

but as they sat in traffic, their van’s windows were closed.

None of the many school groups seemed to mind the heat.

No matter the weather, the Hutzot HaYotzer, the artists’ group courtyard is empty,

so nothing unusual there.

Finally… a bit of action, horses going in the other direction.

Construction equipment just drove along, without so much as a fender bender.

The only real danger to be found was at the Sultan’s Pool,

where a lone workman climbed high in the scaffolding

setting up for the June 6 performance of the opera “Jerusalem”,

 a part of the Israel Opera Festival.

Looking to the left,

to the right,

and center, it was hard to spot any signs of trouble.

Arab boys crossing

 to Gan Hapa’amon,

 The Liberty Bell Park,

had a soccer ball, not rocks to throw.

In the park, picnics

and relaxing were the norm.

The walkabout ended in the Talpiot neighborhood,

where an Arab girl was shopping.

Along the way on Jaffa Street was this sign,

in memory of the 18 people killed there in a terror attack on March 3, 1996.

It is one of many such signs throughout Jerusalem,

 reminders of the real ‘setback’ …to peace.

I did not find violence, riots, or a prize-winning photo,

but as the Shavuot holiday approaches,

it was easy to find holiday flowers worthy of notice.

Chag Sameach!

Happy Holiday!