Jerusalem as August Ends

Did you hear a loud noise on Monday morning?

It was the collective sighs of relief filling the streets –

 the long summer holiday was over

and over 2 million Israeli children went back to school.

water play

Trips to museums for water play were replaced with starting Kita alef,

 which in Israel is a more exciting event than many university graduations.

The school children living in the southern Israel town of Sderot

Kassam rocket

had another rocket fired at them from Gaza as they started to go to class.

More than 440 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza

since the year began, averaging around two a day!

Last week Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, 

Shakespeare in park

was performed in English in Jerusalem, Israel’s Bloomfield Park.

The shows were free and open to the public.

Shakespeare, widely agreed to be perhaps the most clever writer ever,

 could he have imagined what is happening now?

Arab families were seated on the grass to watch.

Arab girls

A few meters away on the plaza, Muslim women sat on a bench 

Jerusalem

and then followed to see the photos of a beautiful bride in white,

Jerusalem scene

as a Jewish couple were preparing to get married.

While hundreds are killed each day in Syria,

Jerusalem park

this was the scene in the Jerusalem park.

School has started, however university does not begin until October.

Jerusalem park

Arab girls in Israel will be attending classes,

not banned from an education like in Iran. 

Arab woman driving

And of course, they can drive themselves to the park or to school,

not like the women living in Saudi Arabia.

arab girls

 Kikar Zion, Zion Square, is still a safe place to walk during the day.

It was a long hot summer,

but the evenings are now cool for the late night summer music programs.

Jerusalem theater

Last week the music and lights were at the Jerusalem Theater,

J street sign,

and this week Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, will showcase Reggae Music 

and Safra Square will host the last August free public concert. 

First there was the Wine Festival, then Beer Festival,

ice cream

and now this week for the first time an Ice Cream Festival.

Always something happening on the Jerusalem streets.

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