art – Page 2 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

8 Things to See Now on Jerusalem Streets

October 29, 2013rjstreets

Israeli Apartheid?

got the most views in one day for a RJS post.

But, 15 Real Photos of Arab Girls is still going strong

and will soon go over 100,000 views.

Too bad all my numbers are not that impressive.

So what is there to see in Jerusalem, Israel, now that the holidays

and municipal elections are over,

and the campaign signs are slowly coming down?

1. Street art can be found in parking lots

and lines so many streets,

but contemporary art in Jerusalem has a new home.

2. The Jerusalem Biennale, which runs from September 15-October 31,

had its opening in the galleries of the renovated Templar houses on Emek Refaim Street.

3. For the week of October 17-24,

there was Manofim, multiple exhibitions of contemporary art in Jerusalem.

Art critic and art history expert, Gideon Efrat,

gave a talk at Mishkenot Sha’ananim as part of the annual Manofim events.

One woman was sketching during the program,

which was great to see at an art lecture.

Manofim took place in many neighborhoods around Jerusalem,

but I was surprised to find this sign left at the Jerusalem Bird Sanctuary.

Art, art and more art is not what you think of first in Jerusalem,

but I have written before about the galleries in the Jerusalem Theater.

4. Israeli artist Yitzhak Greenfield’s students opened a show at the theater.

People of all ages came to see their work.

Displays are constantly changing and open to public at no charge.

But there is more than art.

5. The Cinema City signs are up,

now everyone can see where the new theaters are located.

6. See and hear, another Oud Festival starts soon.

7. See and learn on Azza Street from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm,

Einstein on Azza is coming on November 1.

Professors from the Hebrew University will give free lectures, along with live performances.

There is so much more, but the last for today.

8. The Jerusalem Knights Festival will be held

on four consecutive Thursday nights starting October 31.

I saw the very first Knight night and wrote

who could imagine that the Crusades could be so much fun?

You may hear in the news about protests,

but how about these other events that are happening now?

There is a big problem though,

with so much to see and do,

how does one see a fraction of the things that are going on?

Now If I could just get people interested in seeing some of this good stuff

and not just looking for Arab girls….

Nachlaot Finding Past and Future

November 6, 2012rjstreets

Sir Moses Montefiore, a great benefactor to Israel in the 19th century,

is perhaps best known for the Montefiore Windmill.

However, in 1882 he was also involved in building

the Nachlaot section of Jerusalem.

This cluster of small Jewish neighborhoods was one of the first

Jerusalem homesteads outside the walls of the over-crowded Old City.

Stone walls surrounded Nachlaot to protect its residents.

Today one of the openings still displays a testimonial to Montefiore

and the Mazkeret Moshe neighborhood is named for him.

Nachlaot is across from the Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk.

After getting lost too many times on the narrow twisting streets,

I made it a habit to walk around Nachlaot

and not through it on my way to the shuk.

So when the Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts offered a hunt to Nachlaot,

I made sure to be one of the first bloggers to sign up for the special event.

In Nachlaot, you can see interesting street art

painted on the walls,

but you never know what you will find hanging out on its streets.

Old stone streets

and beautiful new homes,

combine to make walking the Nachlaot streets a real adventure.

From ancient stones on the left to modern cable receivers on the right,

it can all be found in Nachlaot.

We followed our map, and not only did we not get lost,

but our team won!

And thanks to the Village Green Restaurant on Rachel Imenu Street,

we enjoyed fresh bread with a cup of soup at the end of the hunt.

There are many tours to Nachlaot,

but this scavenger hunt is fun and educational for all ages.

We found it as good an experience as the hunt last year

in the Old City.

To find more photos of Nachlaot and our winning team see:

The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook Page.

Mamilla Mall

February 21, 2012rjstreets

While Mamilla Mall was under construction

there were many who doubted its potential.

It was a convenient route to the Jaffa Gate and the Old City,

but who would shop in the expensive stores along Mamilla Avenue?

Stores have closed,

but new businesses open immediately.

The crowds keep coming…Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, and lots of tourists.

Brides favor the location for wedding photos.

Street actors and mimes often perform on the avenue

and colorful balloons are a common sight.

Every night as the lights go on, it is the place to visit.

Often tourists can be found posing with the works of art on display.

Music is the current theme of the art exhibitions

and the pieces are varied.

The original stones were numbered, taken apart, and put back up.

The results can be seen behind this piece of art.

And people come to eat…

often there are lines to get in to the most popular places.

Most days you will find the “United Jerusalem” guy,

but you will not find any signs of BDS: boycott, divest and sanction

or Israeli apartheid in Mamilla Mall,

located in Jerusalem,

next to the walls of the Old City.