10 Signs that Chanukah is Coming

It can be spelled differently in English every year,

but the Hanukkah season in Jerusalem is very consistent.

There are 10 sure signs that Hannukah is on its way.

1. The piles of sufganiot in all bakeries

begin to disappear at an astonishing rate.

2. Street decorations are up

and lit up at night.

3. Hanukkah menorahs are placed in public spaces and on roof tops.

This one is on top of the entrance to Bet Hanasi, the President’s official residence.

4. Dreydels and spinning tops of all sizes and colors

 and shapes can be are for sale everywhere.

5. Shopping mall aisles are filled with sweet treats.

6. At nursery schools adults are sitting on little chairs with their children,

as families race from one child’s holiday performance to the next.

7. Shoppers fill the malls

and go to Machane Yehuda Market, the Shuk, where…

8. Strawberries are in season

 and ready to taste.

9. Citrus fruits are at their peak color and flavor,

but more unusual tropical fruits are also offered for those special occasions.

And 10…you know Chanukah is here when,

the signs on the crowded buses change to Hanukkah Sameach.

Happy Hanukkah!

Fair Price

Let me begin my stating that I do not approve of any rock throwing

or any kind of violence against Israeli police or army by anyone.

 “Price Tag” reports from last week were extremely upsetting

 and they were condemned by community leaders.

But there is another phenomenon that needs to be addressed.

For years I have collected photos in a folder called “Street art:”

they are photos of signs

and colorful graffiti that I found around Jerusalem.

Recently I did a whole post using some of these pictures.

However, in the last few weeks,

the graffiti on abandoned buildings

and in the city center has noticeably increased.

Some time ago these small designs appeared outside an apartment building,

but this overnight attack on the same building and adjacent street sign is not art.

People living in the building are upset,

they contacted the authorities who just shrug their shoulders.

Jerusalem businesses have also been the target of this type of graffiti.

This drawing was found near Kikar Safra, Safra Square,

next to site of the municipal government and Jerusalem City Hall.

The walls around the monastery in the Valley of the Cross

have also been defaced by vandals recently.

“End the occupation” and other graffiti was scrawled on this public property,

an entrance to Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, in the center of Jerusalem.

The media has ignored this plague of recent graffiti vandalism.

Every Friday for months Israeli activists from left-wing NGOs have been

on the scene at demonstrations where rocks are regularly thrown at Israeli soldiers.

That incitement and those extremists have been handled with “kid gloves.”

The “Price Tag” phenomenon is a terrible thing and a cause of concern,

but what is needed is fair and balanced reporting on the left and right.

Until we come together as one people and respect personal and public property,

anti-Israel forces will use all these incidents to undermine Israel’s security.

A Different Gilad

Jerusalem is often the scene for protests, some of which make the news,

such as the protest about Egged bus routes in Mea Shearim.

Another protest are these photos of several famous Israeli women,

including Golda Meir, without their faces showing.

A lone protester with a sign

and a cause is a common sight and usually ignored by the media.

 Ramat Gilad is far from the center of  Jerusalem,

but last week a new protest tent was set up where Gilad Shalit’s family had been.

Gilad Zar was killed by terrorists in 2001.

His family started a new neighborhood, Ramat Gilad,

over looking Karnei Shomron, in his memory.

Plans were approved by the Housing Ministry for 185 units in 2003,

 today there are 10 families, about 30 people living on the hilltop.

The organization Peace Now petitioned the court to destroy Ramat Gilad.

The Zar family did not stay in Jerusalem for long.

The media did not report their cause or their search for a compromise.

Now each night they are afraid the army will come to destroy their homes.

A “settlement” home… no this is in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park.

In the center of Jerusalem there are illegal buildings,

 in the southern Israel there were more rockets from Gaza today,

but Peace Now is worried about Gilad.