Summer in Jerusalem: Building, Books, and Paisley

Sharon A

It’s feeling like summer on the Jerusalem streets.

The sun blazes down from a cloudless blue sky.

Walking during the day, shade can be hard to find.

Though with the new construction rising higher and higher above the Jerusalem streets that situation is changing.

Finding a parking space in Jerusalem is more of a challenge. These men had blocked off spots to save at their construction site on a busy street.

On our moving day, a big challenge was finding a spot for the truck to park to be loaded. Out early on the street, I was upset to see broken glass on the ground by the garbage dumpster probably from a discarded frame of ours.

But by 8:10 am, it was gone.

If I hadn’t been out before 8:00 am I would never have known that this man had cleaned up the area. Plus, he seemed surprised when I thanked him.

Cleaner Jerusalem streets and lots of construction will greet visitors to Jerusalem this summer.

The old ivy is long gone, as the Beit Hanasi entranceway gets renovated.

The President’s Residence visitor tours are back. The new red cord seems to be a physical reminder not to walk thru the president’s garden but stay on the path.

The WaterGen machine is a recent addition. I was able to drink 4 kinds of water – made from the air, from the old cooler, bottled water, and from the caterer’s ice-filled cooler. When it’s hot, water is good for you, right?

The garden stage area in the back of the Beit Hanasi garden was being set for ceremonies of awards to reservists soldiers this week, and the next day for three projects from the IDF, the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the Ministry of Defense, and the Israel Defense Industries. 

Reservist one is open to media, but the special Project Awards stay secret.

I went to Beit Hanasi for the swearing-in of the two new Supreme Court Judges. There were more than the usual number of photographers, but much less media coverage. I decided not to get on the floor with the guys.

So I was able to get the 5 newest judges’ reactions to President Herzog’s joke.

The ceremony itself is very brief. The new judge reads a short statement and receives his certificate from the President, the Minister of Justice, and the President of the Supreme Court.

It’s their speeches that fill the time, while their very proud families fill out the audience along with the Judicial selection committee.

President Herzog had connections with not only the newest judge but her family also from their days in New York at Ramaz School. Surprise, the other judge he did not have connections to talk about, that could have been the first time a Herzog was not connected to an honoree.

Here are the women currently serving on the Israeli Supreme Court,

and the two newest Judges of the Israeli Supreme Court are Yechiel Meir Kasher and Ruth Ronnen.

Education and opportunities for women was an RJS feature last week.

This week the popular Hebrew Book Week is back from June 15 to 25.

It is hard to even give away some Hebrew books. Especially encyclopedias, no one will take them, so they get left out for the Jerusalem street cleaners.

The love of books starts with the young. Beit Avi Chai is having special programs for children and families this week. One story session is to be in English for the children’s Hebrew Book Festival.

But much more than books can be found on the Jerusalem streets.

Paisley: A Princely Pattern is the name of the new exhibit at the Museum for Islamic Art, with a purple paisley pattern now featured on their wall.

The 11th Jerusalem Design Week will be held on June 23-30, 2022, at the nearby Hansen House with installations on the street light pole already going up.

The Jerusalem Symphony and the Jerusalem Beer Fest are advertising for July events. Summer in Jerusalem, the holidays are over, but plenty to do.

Or just stroll and take time to notice the flowers in bloom, thriving in the hot summer sun. However, there was little time for that this short week.

After ordering two closets (for those who do not know Israeli apartments usually have bare walls and you need to get something to put your clothes in) I had to stop for a second and get the sign over the exit door.

It says in Hebrew – Go in Peace! under a view of the Kotel, Western Wall.

The end of the school year events and summer weather were mainly what was happening on the Jerusalem streets this after the holidays week.

Hope you can come soon and see for yourself, summer in Jerusalem.

Number One in Jerusalem – Education

Sharon A

The holiday season has come and gone, though Israeli flags and colorful flowers can still be seen along the Jerusalem streets.

Like every year, this small decorated porch rates as a favorite sight.

The Shavuot holiday started as Shabbat ended, making it a two-day holiday celebration for many Israelis. But outside of Israel, it was 3 days long, so no complaints. This all-time favorite image is from a wall mural when the Jerusalem Cinema City when newly opened.

We moved last week. With too much to do, packing, sorting and tossing (can you believe the strap on this bag was so old it disintegrated!) I had to pass up so many events that I will not try and list them all.

But if there is only one place to go in Jerusalem to take a break, the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens would be at the top of the list.

To see the brides posing for their wedding photos in the lush gardens,

and multiple groups attending workshops and meetings, it is hard to remember this was a Jerusalem garbage dump not so many years ago.

Go a bit further up the street (why do all Jerusalem streets appear to only go up?) from the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens is the Hebrew University Givat Ram campus. On top of the hill is the Kfar HiTech, High Tech Village sign.

Across the Begin Highway from the Hebrew University campus is the ever-growing and expanding, Azrieli College of Engineering Jerusalem. Remember back in 2019 there were so many events it was hard to keep up?

And on the other side of the highway is the growing and expanding Lev Academic Center, Jerusalem College of Technology JCT.

For the one event I attended this week, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion was the featured guest and speaker.

It was the groundbreaking ceremony for the Machon Tal Campus of JCT.

Currently, Machon Tal serves over 2,100 women studying at JCT. 

How good to see the current President of Lev Academic Center Professor Chaim Sukenik and Professor Joseph Bodenheimer, JCT’s fourth president (1993-2009) that evening. 

Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon, the Rabbinic Head of the Jerusalem College of Technology was also at the groundbreaking, important event.

The Machon Tal Hackathon in 2019 was impressive, along with the other Israeli – Jerusalem – innovation labs and startups. The new women’s campus will be the permanent home of future academic excellence for up to 3,000 female students in nursing, computer science, industrial engineering, accounting, and management.

When he entered and the entire time Moshe Lion had a broad smile.

A happy and positive event, filled with smiles was the one piece of “work” I was able to manage this past week.

The new campus is poised to provide increased opportunities for religious women to pursue higher education and attain quality employment in scientific and high-tech industries.

It will enable the opening of an industrial engineering and management track as well as a new nursing program for Haredi women, and a brighter future. More photos HERE

I did not get to the Israeli Education Week events at the Jerusalem International Conference Center I had on my calendar.

Back to unpacking, but I wanted to share this one important education story you may have missed seeing.

Full disclosure, I have known Professor Sukenik and his wife, a long-time friend, for many years.

Who would guess we took Organic Chemistry in college at the same time, our paths diverged, and we would meet up again on the Jerusalem streets?

Hope to see you all on the Jerusalem streets – and for a happy occasion!

Jerusalem Day 55 – Yom Yerushalayim

Sharon A

Jerusalem Day, Yom Yerushalayim 50 was a big year with extravagant programs including a drone show, which was new and exciting at the time.

Last year I was in Tel Aviv for Yom Yerushalayim. Not so much fun having to sleep on pillows on the floor as bombs fell near the loft Airbnb I had rented – with no bomb shelter.

Jerusalem Day Israeli flags dancing in street

This year I am again missing the chance to march in the Flag Parade and show you the families celebrating and dancing in the Jerusalem streets.

After Shabbat thousands of young people were dancing and singing with a huge Israeli flag, and many smaller ones.

Yom Yerushalayim has been celebrated for more than one day this year.

The music was blasting from Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, ALL Thursday night. Huge stages were erected, as usual for the WhiteNight, all night long partying, but this year sounded and felt much louder. Other locations also had major live music productions but without as many complaints.

However, even earlier in the week, there were celebrations!

On King George Street, StandWithUs opened its new expanded education center with a flashing video in the new theater space.

The gala reception and program were held outside, behind the YMCA.

But warm feelings inside for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at StandWithUs.

Gorgeous, but cool nights on the Jerusalem streets early in the week.

In the never know what next, I had no idea what this guy was doing,

or who these guys were that wanted their photo taken.

You could feel the energy, people were back on the Jerusalem streets.

Mamilla Mall was alive again, with international tourists and Israelis.

The banner for ‘Yom Yerushalaim 55 years’ was outside of Jaffa Gate.

And inside Jaffa Gate, beigelles were ready for the tourists to buy.

The police station was ready, draped with holiday flags.

Large groups of students on holiday trips filled the Old City lanes.

The Western Wall Plaza near the Kotel was filled with group activities.

From the rooftop of the Aish building, I like to check the progress of the dome rising over the Tiferet Israel synagogue construction.

And of course, from the rooftop, to take multiple photos of the scenes below.

Including Ir David where the new restaurant and cable car station are to be.

On a clear day, you can see over the Dead Sea into to Jordan.

I went to see the Charge d’Affaires of the Kosovo Embassy in Jerusalem Ines Demiri accept an award from the Israel Defence and Security Forum.

People with Israeli flags kept walking by while Ines posed with Jerusalem Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum near the Kotel, Western Wall.

We walked out of the Jaffa Gate toward Jaffa Road, so she could go home and I could get the photo of the giant Jerusalem flag near Tzahal Square.

Oh, what a lovely time of year to walk on the Jerusalem streets!

Especially seeing friends finally able to return to Jerusalem again and join us to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim in 5782.

Jerusalem Old City Walls

Remember for 19 years 1948-1967, Jews were unable to walk in or live in the Old City, the closest was a view was from Notre Dame.

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach!