Jerusalem – Page 195 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Two women wearing hijab sit inside Aroma Cafe in Jerusalem Israel Mailla Mall on Jerusalem Day

Israeli Apartheid?

March 8, 2011March 8, 2020rjstreets

Saudi Arabia bans protests, Turkey locks up journalists,

Iran and Libya kill their opponents,

Egypt killed protesters, Syria kills hundreds every day.

Haneen Zoabi, an Arab woman is an elected member of the Israeli Knesset

and has led anti-Israel protests.

Israeli apartheid?

Her actions would never be tolerated in any of the surrounding countries,

but Zoabi’s anti-government pieces are routinely published

in main stream Jerusalem newspapers and supported by the courts.

While Saudi Arabian women are forbidden to drive a car,

in Jerusalem, many Arab women take driving lessons

and sit where they want on public buses.

School girls are not afraid to share the same streets,

no matter what uniforms they wear, and go on to attend Israeli universities

and find work in the medical professions in Israeli hospitals.

Arab women walk alone

through the streets of the Old City

and in all the neighborhoods

around

Jerusalem, Israel

dressed in clothing

of all types

and colors.

Often Arab women shop

in Mamilla Mall,

in the Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk,

on Jaffa Street,

King George Street,

and in Talpiot.

They can eat in a street cafe or restaurant

or walk with a male companion.

With young children

or alone,

Arab women are not afraid or forbidden to move around freely.

Israeli apartheid?

Back from the Cold

January 28, 2011January 16, 2019rjstreets

New York City and Jerusalem are both very popular tourist destinations.

In New York this week the fountain is frozen,

while the fountain in Paris Square is surrounded by flowers.

A dog wears a sweater to go outside in Manhattan,

while a man wears shorts to the the Kotel, the Western Wall.

The horse and rider statue in Central Park is covered with snow,

but not the bull in Mamilla Mall.

Workers at Lincoln Square clean away the snow,

but if the temperature is 16 degrees Fahrenheit ( – 9 C) people will not be sitting outside,

like the groups in the Old City where the temperature is 16 degrees Centigrade (61 F).

In January heavy blankets of white snow fell in the New York area,

but in Jerusalem even with so little rain the green is starting to show.

Compared to the ice and salt on the steps and streets in New York City,

the Jerusalem stone steps

and streets

seem a good choice for tourists.

Glad to return to from the cold and be back on the Jerusalem streets!

Jerusalem: Signs of Progress

December 29, 2010December 17, 2018rjstreets

Progress…The Jerusalem light rail system now has power for the entire length of its track.

It’s much easier to cross the intersection of Jaffa and Strauss Streets in the center of town.

A short walk from that intersection is the Bikur Cholim Hospital,

which has provided medical care in Jerusalem for over 140 years.

The privately owned buildings are threatened with closure.

There is a serious shortage of hospital beds and neonatal units in Jerusalem, 6000 babies are born here every year; where will the mothers go?

Bikur Cholim Hospital was critical in saving many lives when suicide bombers targeted the city center, now 30 million shekel is needed to keep the hospital running.

Signs to rally residents’ support are plastered along the street.

Doctors and staff who are faced with losing their jobs and pensions have recently organized protests.

Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi, who trained as a obstetrician, did part of his residency at Bikur Cholim, publicly supports keeping it open, as do many residents and patients.

There will be a four-hour strike, and non-essential personnel will be on the streets in a protest.