May your Shabbat be a sweet one!
שבת שלום
Author: Sharon A
Did You See these Jerusalem Photos?
Do you find some days it’s easier to get started than others?
When the Jerusalem winter days are gloomy and cold outside (and in), it takes extra effort to put on boots and jacket (and mask) and get going.
Each day I try to walk a different route to find new images to share.
One day it was possible to get a photo of the menorah across from the Knesset with no people around it. A Knesset guard stopped me as I walked by to ask where I was going. “Gan Sacher” I told him and he let me pass by.
Day after day, the plaza outside of Jaffa Gate has been deserted. Jaffa Gate is shut and the security personnel at the road entrance check identification.
Stores in Mamilla Mall are preparing to open, but no one knows when.
At Machane Yehudah Market some stores were closed, but others were open.
Along busy Agrippas Street people were shopping for Tu Bishvat treats.
To enter the shuk, everyone had to stick out a hand to have their temperature taken. Oh, how security checks have changed this year!
Young families try to get out of the house when the sun is shining.
Zoom school for young children, week after week, is not going well. Report cards were given out to students who only had one day in a real classroom.
A new sign “Jerusalem is Giving a Shoulder – all of us in Jerusalem are getting vaccinated and continuing to abide by the regulations – together we will win and return to our routine” was also published in print media.
Meanwhile, motorcycle food delivery is a fast-growing business. This lunch was going to someone in an Israeli Financial Office.
But my favorite sighting was the hand over of food delivery to a guard outside Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence.
Did you notice the white tent in the distance of this photo?
In these tents outside the Rose Garden, across from Finance Ministry, major Israeli hospitals joined together to protest their inadequate funding.
January 27, 2021, was International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Yad Vashem conducted its annual event for the International Diplomatic Corps serving in Israel online, featuring a message from President Reuven Rivlin and a lecture entitled “The Path from Mass Shootings to the Final Solution.”
In the past the diplomatic event was held in the Yad Vashem Synagogue.
In 2017, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the international diplomats in the synagogue as part of Yad Vashem’s annual programming.
Last year Yad Vashem hosted the huge international event with kings and world leaders in attendance, shutting down many Jerusalem streets.
This section of Gan Sacher, Sacher Park was covered with white security tents last year for the dedication of the “Memorial Candle.” At the beginning of last week, they were again at work on the monument.
But by January 27th, the site finally appeared completed.
The Memorial Candle monument commemorates the heroism of the defenders and residents of Leningrad during the years of siege in the war against Nazism.
An explanation was added in multiple languages with stones at the bottom.
The monument was placed in the park in view of the Israeli Supreme Court.
During World War II, from September 8, 1941, until January 27, 1944, the city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) was under military siege by the German Nazi forces. Some 490,000 residents and defenders of the besieged city died, including tens of thousands of Jews.
The top of the “Candle” was cleaned and polished this week.
In memory of the Jewish soldiers in the Red Army, and citizens who died during the siege of Leningrad, flowers were placed at the base.
Also, on the night of 27th the holiday of Tu Bishvat began.
After a warm winter, there were signs of spring in Jerusalem.
I assume this location would be hard for most people to figure out?
The green roof of the Jerusalem Bird Observatory was looking good again.
The former President Hotel on Ahad Haam Street was finally, after over a decade in disrepair, going down, on a wet gloomy day.
While the lights were on again at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
No doorman was outside, but inside the door, there was a “Disinfection Stop.” Not only a guard at the entrance but also large bottles of sanitizers.
Fresh flowers were in the lobby, but no guests were visible inside.
Also the Prima Kings Hotel had lights on and signs of life inside and out.
What a week it was. Warm, and cold and wet outside. But unlike in the past, much of the action could be viewed from inside at home.
The Jerusalem Symphony performed online Tu Bishvat broadcasts on January 27th – here is a link for one.
KKL-JNF produced a special celebratory tablecloth kit, with unique games and activities for use with its online celebration. The kit was distributed in numerous countries and in various languages for Tu Bishvat.
There was even an online Israeli Earthquake Conference held this week.
What next on the Jerusalem streets?
You never know what you will find.
However, this man was fly-casting in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park last week.
More on the park next time, there is plenty changing there for another time.
Jerusalem’s planning to be ready in the spring to welcome back visitors.
The week of Tu Bishvat, blooming trees, new growth, and hopes for the future from Jerusalem, Israel.
Take care and stay well out there, hope to see you soon Jerusalem streets.
Tu BiShvat is Coming
What a year it has been!
It’s report card time.
Yet there are children who have been in their schools for only one day so far this COVID-19 school year.
In Jerusalem, the Kotel, Western Wall, is nearly deserted of people praying and visiting, there are no tourists at least until the end of January with new coronavirus restrictions.
The Kotel Plaza, divided into sections, is filled with construction equipment stored at night and ripping up old stones by day.
What a world it has become!
As the US Capitol was the scene of the swearing-in ceremonies of a new president and vice president, socially distanced and surrounded by security,
I was also attending a corona wedding held in an Israeli backyard,
and relaxing with the sounds of the Jerusalem Symphony providing another free concert. The first time I saw Gil Shohat, he was not conducting an online performance, but playing piano in a cave – Zedekiah’s Cave.
And here he is sitting in his dressing room that night before the show!
The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra has an event called “Days of Light” planned to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th. This year due to COVID-19 restrictions it is available online.
Last year the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz brought world leaders to Jerusalem, Israel for mega-events at Beit Hanasi and Yad Vashem.
The international media was invited to watch the VIP dinner held at Beit Hanasi from a screen in Zedekiah’s Cave. One year ago, I had forgotten!
Also on January 27, 2021, at sundown the holiday of Tu BiShvat begins.
I am still not sure the best spelling of ט”ו בשבט in English, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, often called the ‘Jewish New Year for Trees’.
The almond tree on our street still has black old almonds from last year.
But I went looking in a warmer Jerusalem neighborhood and not only found one blooming, but the sky clear enough to see the half-moon above.
Every year I try to find something new for Tu Bishvat.
Last year was the impressive and colorful evening at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem – for Malida, a holiday celebration originating in India.
In past years, President Rivlin hosted a Tu Bishvat Seder at Beit Hanasi, in the main hall of the Israeli President’s Residence.
Last year KKL-JNF held an event at Beit Hanasi for Tu Bishvat. Since then the Israeli President’s Residence has held very limited events due to COVID-19. President Rivlin’s last year of his seven-year term has not been like the others due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The carob trees are easy to identify with their fallen pods on the sidewalk. The old hard buksor was all we had in the US to celebrate Tu Bishvat.
Does anyone eat it now with all the fresh and dried Israeli fruit available?
Trees are important, not just for Tu Bishvat. On King David Street, one of many trees near the street work is wrapped with a sign posted to protect the trees from damage during construction.
Last week was one wild weather week, not feeling like spring!
Three times in one day hail came down, plus so much rain.
However, neither hail, nor sleet or cold rain kept the protesters away.
Day after day, they occupy the street near the Prime Minister’s Residence.
When the sun came out, so did people to spend time in the sun and to browse in the free street library for some reading material before Shabbat.
Socially-distanced chairs were ready for Shabbat on Friday afternoon and the sounds of young children singing prayers on Shabbat morning. As I walked by the sounds of Shema Yisrael of very young voices could be heard across the street.
It is sad to see the closed sign on the gates of Hansen House and elsewhere due to the lockdown restrictions from the spreading novel coronavirus.
But, it was good to see the first signs of spring and new growth on the Jerusalem streets, as a year has passed and we move toward a new year.
For the full story of almond trees and Israeli flowers please visit Sara’s wonderful and helpful website ‘Wildflowers of Israel‘ – HERE.
Tu Bishvat is coming, time to get ready.
Take care, stay well, and hope to see you soon on the Jerusalem streets.