Hail in April,
in Jerusalem, Israel?
Not only was there a hail storm as the holidays ended,
but this was the scene the next day also.
It looked and felt like winter, not spring.
The city looked black and white,
as 4 mm hail stones fell.
But now,
the Passover things are put away,
and visitors have returned home.
The Happy Passover signs on buses have changed,
to wish Jerusalem riders “have a good trip.”
The skies have cleared
and people have returned to the streets,
some of which are lined with flowers.
Two hundred and fifty invited guests associated with OneFamily
filled the main room
at Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Home,
with President Reuven and First Lady Nechama Rivlin,
to launch a new cookbook.
“Tastes of Life” features foods that mothers made for their
children who were victims of terror.
Each mother shares not only a recipe,
but memories of their loved ones that are gone.
Very different,
but still another way to remember a lost loved one,
a new Healing Garden was dedicated by a New York family
in the Hosptial Saint Louis Francais.
In the sunshine, supporters of Kashouvot,
an organization advancing Pastoral Care,
heard the story of Randie Malinsky z”l
who passed away in October
after losing a battle with cancer.
Now hospice patients and families can sit in the garden,
to talk or watch the light rail and the rest of the world go by.
The “French Hospital” was built in the mid-19th century
and stands next to the Notre Dame,
across from the Old City Walls, near New Gate.
It boasts the only strictly kosher nunnery in world.
Also this week for all to see,
the first Israeli flags are flying from car windows.
And the large trucks have gone around hanging Jerusalem,
and large Israeli flags over the Jerusalem, Israel streets.
The radio is playing sad, slow music,
as soon it will be Yom Hashoah,
Holocaust Remembrance Day,
and the beginning of another busy holiday season.
