attractive tourist destination – Page 79 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Week of Lows and Highs

September 14, 2016rjstreets

The news making international headlines is that

Shimon Peres, שמעון בן שרה,

is in the hospital in serious condition on a respirator.

One of my favorite photos of former President Peres

was taken at the Israel Museum 50th Birthday Bash

Who else would be presented with their own photo

taken at opening of the museum fifty years earlier?

Free entrance to the Israel Museum

is being offered this Thursday night.

I wish I could take advantage of the offer, but there are just too many

things happening in Jerusalem, Israel…again!

All the summer concerts in Jerusalem parks

and the Hansen House special children events have ended,

as it’s time to go back to school.

My favorite posters are up,

like this one of the Jerusalem municipality welcoming boys

and girls with “Hello First Graders.”

Where else is the start of school treated

as bigger deal than college graduation?

Signs are also up for Mekudeshet, a culture festival

with weeks of extensive music and arts programs.

Plus, the annual Italian Festival is also going on this week.

Signs are up as the city prepares to celebrate

50 years since the end of the Jordanian occupation

and the reunification of Jerusalem.

A new wall has been erected at Beit Hanasi,

the Israeli Presidential official residence.

However, it is a temporary barrier

as construction work for a new visitor entrance has begun.

While work proceeded behind the wall,

Beit Hanasi was busy with international visitors.

World Jewish Congress delegates came on Monday,

and posed for group photo with President Rivlin.

While on Tuesday the spouses and partners of diplomats

posted in Israel were hosted by the Rivlins.

This is one of the group’s photos,

from 80 countries, 33 nations were represented that day.

Some of those visitors had been to Jerusalem many times,

but for others it was their first visit.

How good it is when people come and see the great things

that are happening on the Jerusalem streets for themselves.

Hope to get to some of Jerusalem’s newly-opened parks,

as the countdown to Rosh Hashannah reminds us,

the new year is coming soon.

Shabbat Shalom

September 9, 2016rjstreets

Looking forward to a quiet Shabbat,

what could be more calming than cool colors

of Kinneret, Sea of Galilee.

שבת שלום

Israel Going North: Old and New

September 8, 2016rjstreets

It does not happen often,

but we got away from Jerusalem, Israel,

for a few days and we drove up north.

Nothing is far in Israel,

and in two hours you can be at the Kinneret,

the Sea of Galilee.

It looks so cool and calm,

but on the other side,

Syria is on the other side of the Golan Heights.

It used to be on the other side of the lake.

The Galil seems filled with prosperous

Arab villages along the main roads.

Check out this sign in Arabic

for the Israeli (Chinese) dairy company Tnuva.

A special ceremony honoring fallen Bedouin soldiers and security officers

was held this week at the official memorial park

established in honor of Bedouin IDF soldiers, police and scouts.

It is beautifully landscaped with large symbolic stones.

In this photo, three stones represent those hung as spies by Syria.

Despite the community pride in the fallen security forces,

no names were permitted to be photographed and published.

All those names are listed this in memorial wall shaped like a tent,

but I was told not to share the names.

Not far away,

rising above the valley is Mount Tabor,

with its narrow winding road leading up to the top.

Buses have to park at the bottom,

as only smaller vehicles can make the multiple crazy turns.

It is truly is a wonder how the Terra Santa friars

built the original structure so many centuries ago.

But what a view from there now!

Jerusalem is not the only place of contrast,

old and new, for much of Israel today is amazing,

and constantly changing.

Ok, it was fun to see one of those

old fashioned baby transporters,

new and in use in the restaurant parking lot.

Established under difficult conditions,

in 1901, Kfar Tavor,

has a museum with old milk cans,

while a few kilometers away, huge tank trucks come and go

from the state of art Tnuva factory.

The highways are not like the old days,

Highway 6 with its large trucks reminded us

of the New Jersey Turnpike traffic.

While driving it was possible to check

the phone for email and updates and more,

but the Kfar Tavor Museum has the one phone,

for all of the Palestina (Eretz Yisrael) area in 1926.

Wine is still processed the old fashioned way

in wooden, hand-crafted barrels.

Looks like this is as close as I am getting to

the Jerusalem Wine Festival this year.

Last night I attended a special event,

in the Kfar Shmaryhu residence

of the US counselor for Press and Culture.

3 teams of Ethiopian Israelis presented

entrepreneurial projects done with mentors

in a new Tech-Career incubator program.

In 2002,

no Ethiopian Israelis were trained in hi-tech in Israel,

now there are hundreds.

A few highlights of week, old and new and change,

the sunsets were picture-perfect every night,

but it is good to be back home in Jerusalem.