Jerusalem – Page 192 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

New Warnings in Jerusalem Shuk

August 12, 2012rjstreets

In 1997, 16 people were killed by suicide bombers and

over 175 wounded at the Machane Yehuda Market, the Shuk.

Ten years ago another 7 people were killed in a terrorist attack at the Shuk.

Six years ago during the Second Lebanon War,

I made aliyah and moved a short distance from the Shuk.

At first, every time I ventured out to the center of town or to the Shuk,

it felt like a big deal, with fear of it being my last trip.

What if today another suicide bomber was out for a midday murder mission?

However, what I found in the Shuk was very different from what I expected;

Arab women strolling freely and shopping,

mountains of garlic before it is dried,

and Natan Sharansky buying fresh pita.

This month’s Balabasta Festival has brought more people to the Shuk.

There is security at the entrance, but now a new warning is needed:

the crowds have returned, so hold on to your kids!

The Mystorin Theater Group has some of the most clever performers.

They performed two nights last week near the Shuk.

It is hard to describe what they do with costume, light and color.

This scene in the amphitheater was projected on to a large screen

and was created by hand with sand sprinkled on a light table

The ‘Sea in Jerusalem’ show also had several dance performances.

People walking by also stopped to look at the larger-than-life actors.

However, be warned:

this show was not appreciated by everyone as it was way ‘out of the box.’

These new warnings for the Jerusalem Shuk may be amusing,

however,

this caterpillar, constructed of cement pipes, is located in a park in Sderot

to provide immediate shelter for children who play in the park.

When Hamas decides to send a kassam rocket from Gaza,

the children of Sderot do not always get a warning.

Last night another rocket landed in southern Israel.

No one was killed.

How can there be any excuse for trying to blow up children,

with or without warning?

Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem

August 1, 2012July 13, 2020rjstreets

Did you hear about Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem, Israel?

By now you must have heard that Mitt Romney was in Jerusalem

on the fast day of Tisha B’Av.

I had no details on the Romney press conference when I posted last week,

but an hour later I had all the information I wanted.

What a wonder, the internet!

Even no food or water for 24 hours could not keep me away.

The Old City Walls were in the background as

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat waited to welcome Romney to the stage.

Flags and a line of security lined the entrance route.

Already there have been hundreds of reports

and millions of words written about the speech,

which was given in the plaza near the Montefiore Windmill.

Only a small select crowd attended the Romney events.

However, what else did you hear about Tisha B’Av?

Did you hear that the night before, hundreds of people

were out on the Jerusalem streets walking around the walls of

The Old City, passing first by the New Gate, new from 1887?

The new addition this year were the active Jerusalem light rail trains.

As last year, Tisha B’av and Ramadan coincided,

so Damascus Gate at midnight was still celebrating.

I only got one chance to take a photo, as security moved me away.

Cameras and security were ready for trouble.

But the most shocking scene I could find was of all the garbage on the street.

The Women in Green had to petition the court to be allowed to walk,

though this was the 18th year for this event.

Like last year, I was impressed with the number of people

and the variety of the crowd that stayed

so late at night for the closing speeches at the Lion’s Gate.

At 1:00am some marchers headed home while the buses were still running.

Others walked to the Dung Gate entrance to The Kotel, The Western Wall,

where many people stayed all night.

Tens of thousands of people,

peacefully celebrated Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem.

There was no violence, therefore it was not news.

This one minute video may help you feel the mood of the night.

As I walked home at 2:00 am, the closed Mamilla Mall was full of people.

I noticed that it was decorated with strings of colorful lights

for the Muslim holy time of Ramadan.

Another sign of Israeli oppression?

For more on Romney visit click here.

More photos from the Walk around the Walls.

Time for a Break

July 17, 2011rjstreets

Too many things this week are too difficult to understand.

20 Kassam rockets and mortar shells have landed in Israel from Gaza,

while Israel sent hundreds of trucks filled with tens of 1000’s of tons

of goods and fuel into Gaza just this past week.

Activists from around the world fight to get to Jerusalem to protest,

while the world ignores that east Africa is starving.

The murder of Leiby Kletzky z”l in Brooklyn is impossible to comprehend,

as is strapping explosives to a child making her a walking bomb,

as they did in Afghanistan.

When child safety is not a basic belief…it is too difficult to understand.

Time to take a break for something sweeter, perhaps an ice cream

or melon that is now in season.

Or sport,

as dozens of teams gathered in Kikar Safra, Safra Square,

for a basketball derby.

A few young women wore colored team shirts

and possibly a future star could be found in the crowd.

Cyclists were out adding color to the streets.

From Kraft Stadium,

a Woodstock revival filled the air with music and smoke.

The Thursday night audience was colorful…

very colorful!

The heavy warm air of last week brought vivid colors

to the summer skies at sunset,

a perfect time to take a break and just enjoy the view.

After the dark of night…the colors at sunrise were again hard to describe.

From the darkness of last week to the light of another day…

for the refuah shelamah of Tzuriya Kochevet Bat Sarah,

may the colors of sunrise be in your future for many years to come.