rjstreets – Page 182 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Welcome to Palestine

July 10, 2011rjstreets

It is hot…

ok…we are spoiled, the rest of the country is hotter,

and it is dry, putting the public and the fire department on high alert.

Smoke billowed from this apartment building, two fire engines arrived to

find that smoke was from a man starting his BBQ grill on an outside porch.

Last week’s loud music and voices coming from open windows

have been replaced by the sounds of summer:

the whirl of air conditioning units.

In the center of Jerusalem, usually busy Gan Sacher, Sacher Park,

was quiet on Friday afternoon,

everyone seemed to be moving a bit slower…

even the soccer players.

It was a good day to sit in the shade and read

and perfect to select a choice picnic spot.

Children are out of school, keeping them busy, happy, safe and cool

have been the real streets main concerns…

and as always a good parking spot.

Day and night, the Renewed Israel Museum is a popular choice for many

and also this week the cool theaters of the Jerusalem Film Festival,

as many of the summer holiday visitors have discovered.

Had the flytilla activists arrived as the millions of regular visitors,

they would have passed these posters

on a wall in the new Ben Gurion terminal.

The irony of a United Palestine Appeal poster

to build a Jewish future would probably have been wasted on them.

These activists must not know that

cities under Palestinian Authority control have been safer of late,

and people holding US passports have visited them regularly.

Instead of sitting in jail or being deported, these activists could

have joined the many Arab families

who frequent Gan Sacher in the evening to picnic

and bring plenty of food.

Some call stopping the flotilla and the flytilla an over-reaction.

Today a suspicious package brought downtown Jerusalem

to a standstill. Another over-reaction?

Possibly… except for the one time it blows up in your face.

The Greek flag is flying with the Israeli and Jerusalem flags

lining the route to welcome the Greek President to Jerusalem.

The Greeks played an important part in stopping the flotilla,

and deserve a big thank you.

In case one needs to be reminded about smuggling weapons to Hamas,

three rockets from Gaza landed in southern Israel yesterday.

Thank you, President Karolos Papoulias…

the ‘Welcome to Palestine’ activists just don’t get it,

but fortunately…you got it!

Back on the Streets

July 4, 2011rjstreets

After hours at the computer sending out information on the “Free Palestine” people

who are waiting in Greece to pay us a visit,

a severe case of the flotilla fatigue required a long walk.

Jerusalem temperatures in June were unusually cool

and it was time to get out again and see what was really happening.

Gan Ha’atzmaut, Independence Park, often a scene of demonstrations,

was quiet enough for an afternoon nap.

There is not much chance of a flotilla coming to these Jerusalem waters.

On Yoel Salomon Street there was a little sign of stress.

On Jaffa Street one man held his own silent demonstration, but then

Dance Studio 6 started the music

and the breakdancing performances began.

A large crowd gathered quickly,

some took only a glance,

while many passers-by stopped to watch for a few minutes.

As the crowd grew it was harder to see the various dancers,

but there was a good view from the steps.

Most people in the diverse crowd were satisfied to watch

the dancers,

but this dancing baby

really got into the act.

Also nearby on Jaffa Street a band was playing,

people were smiling again on Jaffa Street, some moving to the music.

The regular violinist was performing on King George Street,

while various other musicians were playing

every few meters along Ben Yehuda Street

and one young man was reciting lines from Dr Seuss.

As the sun was setting, the light rail car could be seen in the distance,

many are filled with sandbags, not people.

Meanwhile buses are packed to the gills with summer passengers.

The sound of music and people are returning to the city center once again.

As last summer, Mamilla Mall will have live music every Thursday night.

Machane Yehuda market, the shuk, will have live music on Monday nights,

but with protest demonstrations planned at the Supreme Court,

you probably will not hear many news reports about the Balabusta Festival.

There is one consumer protest that has seen quick and positive results,

as the price of cottage (cheese) has gone down.

Now if someone could just do something about the price of yogurt…

Happy Fourth of July to everyone in the USA.

35 years since Entebbe.

Now back to the flotilla folks, this time not by sea,

but they are threatening to come by air…

Facing Tomorrow, Closing

June 28, 2011rjstreets

‘Conversion-Who Keeps the Gate for the Jewish Nation’,

was one of the closing sessions that confronted controversal subjects

at the 2001 Israeli Presidential Conference.

‘The Israeli Palestinian Peace Process:

How far away are we from a Peaceful Tomorrow?’ was another.

One of the participants, Mohammad Dajani has published material on Jerusalem.

Was he the one who walked out the previous day,

when Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat began to speak on ‘My Vision of Jerusalem’?

Dr. Ruth Westheimer is not controversial, as everyone seems to love

Dr Ruth and wants to be photographed with her.

‘Where is Jewish Philanthropy Headed’ attracted a large crowd,

however, there were plenty of seats at ‘The Jewish Dimension of a Peace Agreement’.

From opening to closing, the Hebrew University hosted exhibits,

with enthusiastic students anxious to show off their impressive research.

When it was time for the Closing Plenary in Teddy Hall,

everyone had to leave the building and reenter

through multiple layers of security checks.

Plenty of jokes in the slow line about the great photo opportunities, but

I decided to not to take pictures as security does not always have sense of humor.

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyhu was the first speaker, followed by

Natan Sharansky, who was not thrilled to have to speak in English right after Bibi.

In closing, President Shimon Peres got in the last word,

however he repeated much of what he had said earlier in the day to the bloggers.

Not exactly the real streets, but as in the game of Monopoly, to land on

Park Place or Park Lane, in the British version, can be fun for a change.

After the singing of Hatikva, buses took everyone back to their hotels.

Summer is here and school’s out.

A delivery man was almost lynched in an Arab neighborhood near Hebrew University.

Police were busy last night with demonstrators burning tires

that closed the main road into Jerusalem and caused rush hour chaos.

Flotillas and Glen Beck are their on the way.

‘Cottage’ is still a crisis, goods are high and salaries low.

The doctors’ strike keeps getting bumped to the back page.

It was great to see old friends and make new ones,

but there is always something happening on the Jerusalem streets

and as Sarah Silverman said in a TV interview, Israel has “crappy pr”.

So it’s time to get back to the real Jerusalem streets.

More photos on The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook Page