On Streets and in Houses: Summer Culture in Jerusalem

US Secretary of State John Kerry traveled back and forth many times

from Jerusalem to Ramallah, but not to worry, that distance is very short. 

 Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta was around this week also.

We did not hear that either man had time for leisure or culture while in Jerusalem.

But I wonder if they noticed, as their motorcades sped through the streets,

that the viewing stands of the Jerusalem Formula Peace Road Show were coming down?

Still hoping that my hearing will return,

what a noisy event that was!

School is out for the long summer holiday.

So what is happening next on the streets of Jerusalem, Israel?

The 30th Jerusalem Film Festival is to open this week. 

 Also, the International Writers’ Festival is in nearby Mishkenot Sha’ananim;

next year it is to be in May so take note and mark your calendars now.

The annual Season of Culture in Jerusalem (July 1 – August 23)

is trying something new, “In the House,” 

where some events are held in private homes.

At First Station,

sitting in the shade, were a Savta 

and her young friend.

So interesting,

 that not only children stopped to respond to their street performance.

A young boy in a wheelchair danced in his seat as this street musician played,

just another of many performances in this new tourist spot.

Of course, the Jerusalem Theater is a constant venue of cultural performances.

But also the lobbies of the theater are used to showcase local artists.

Last year we knew one young artist whose work was on display,

and this week, I knew two of the artists.

  The first a portrait painter, Laurel Sternberg

and  Shoshana Meerkin, a favorite watercolor artist, had their work showcased.

And if these examples of culture are not serious enough, 

 on July 17, 2013,

Verdi’s Falstaff 

with Zubin Mehta conducting the orchestra,

will be performed at the Jerusalem International Convention Center.

 And these are just a few examples of what is really happening in Jerusalem.