Jerusalem, Israel,
blue and white,
Israeli and Jerusalem flags
are lining the streets,
and across some Jerusalem light rail trains.
A full and eventful week ahead,
but for now,
שבת שלום
Shabbat shalom.
culture
Best of Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut in Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Israel, for the Yoms
as usual was overloaded with events,
many this year influenced in anticipation of
50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem.
Israeli flags are draped down the sides of buildings.
These are at the Israel Museum entrance
where the dome of the Shrine of the Book can be seen.
Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Remembrance Day
for fallen soldiers and victims of terror,
began Sunday night with memorials throughout Israel,
and were accompanied by prayers, speeches and memorial flames.
The official state ceremony seen live on television,
was held at the Kotel, the Western Wall,
where President Reuven Rivlin lit the memorial light.
Sponsored by the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin,
a memorial service was held at Givat HaTachmoshet, Ammunition Hill,
the site of deadly fighting to defend Jerusalem in 1967.
The program in English was live-streamed
and seen by over 16,000 people around the world.
All day Monday, tens of thousands of Israelis visited cemeteries.
This cemetery has many graves from 1948-1950,
the first years that Jews could not get to
the Mount of Olives due to the Jordanian occupation
and had to find new places to bury their dead.
On Yom HaZikaron, a man prayed by a grave.
A small Israeli flag with a black ribbon attached,
and small bunch of flowers, yizkor, remembers
those much too young who died in war.
The cemetery is next to Harel Garden
and Memorial wall, where this lone wreath was placed.
Walk around the memorial and you can see
that Gush Etzion is 16 kilometers from Cinema City and
the Israeli Supreme Court and government offices.
Tens of thousands came to Har Herzl Military Cemetery
during the day, to place flowers and to mourn,
remembering those lost to war and terror.
The crowds thinned at end of day,
and all headed home from the Har Herzl Military Cemetery.
But as the sun set,
on another part of Har Herzl,
the lights went on this huge stage,
celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Independence Day.
This year for the first time two non-Israelis were selected
with the honor of lighting one of the 12 memorial flames,
Rabbi Marvin Hier and Michael Steinhardt,
seen here before the official program began.
The show is telecast live and seen by thousands,
but watching on TV you could not see them remove
the circle of fire used in one production number.
It is an extravaganza with set rituals,
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat broke with tradition
when he joined with Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein
to light the official flame of Israel’s Independence Day.
Seats were at a premium, the flag waving,
cheering crowd did not need a lot of encouragement.
Besides the two Americans, I wanted to see Rabbanit Chana Henkin
who was honored as one of the twelve torch lighters,
one for each tribe of Israel.
Dr. Ahmed Eid, an Arab doctor, was another honoree.
The program featured songs and military colors.
For this shot, no seat in the stands would work,
only this overhead camera would do.
Afterwards celebrations went all night,
in too many locations to list, with prayers, songs and dancing.
The next day at Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence,
120 outstanding soldiers were honored in the morning
and in the afternoon rows of diplomats came,
along with one young Presidential grandson,
to pay their respects to Israel and hear the Prime Minister
and President speak on theme,”next year in Jerusalem.”
While the heads of consuls and foreign military were at Beit Hanasi,
thousands of Israelis were in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park.
Most of the green spaces all over the country were full of Israelis.
On the radio were announcements of crowded roads to JNF parks.
This family brought a couch to Gan Sacher,
which is one way to make your holiday mangal, BBQ, feel like home.
I know this is getting way too long,
but there was so much more,
like the Bible Competition, free museums, and performances.
festive meals, and those IDF flyovers and stunts.
Israel, after 69 years
as President Rivlin said, is young for a country,
under constant threat and repeated attacks,
yet has accomplished so much.
So it was,
from memorials to celebrating independence,
so much happening in Jerusalem.
This Year in Jerusalem, Best of Passover
Passover is one of the three festivals
on which there were traditional pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
This year on all the days of Passover
thousands of people walked to the Old City
or arrived by bus after bus, on the intermediate days of the holiday,
dressed in their holiday finest at the Kotel, Western Wall, plaza.
Prayers started early and
went well into the day, with participants all ages
on both sides of the mechitza partition,
and in the new area where all pray together.
Holiday scenes from the Old City
included buses lining the road on the Mount of Olives,
as well as people coming and going as usual.
New to these ancient streets is
the colorful tourist train which starts from Jaffa Gate
and shares the road with buses, cars, segways,
and pedestrians going in both directions.
This year since Passover and Easter coincided,
I was hoping to find more Easter scenes,
but I came much too late for sunrise services.
I did spot a few men leaving the Old City,
perhaps they were Copts from Egypt.
Easter buns and beigele were being sold by the Jaffa Gate
for anyone craving fresh baked goods on Passover.
However, there were more things to do in Jerusalem
than just going to the Old City.
In the roller-blade/skate park in Gan HaPa’amon,
the Liberty Bell Park, Arab parents watched their children skate
along with Jews, both religious and secular.
Nearby, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center
had activities and free tours all day long.
I did not know that tours
had to be booked in advance.
But since we arrived at the end of the day,
we were able to wait a bit and join a tour.
I usually mention the tour on photo walks in the area.
Now that I finally took the tour myself
I will continue to recommend it
for its important historical information
presented in a modern, moving exhibit.
From old to new,
the evolution of the haggadah
was the theme of this Kol HaOt event at Inbal Hotel.
Israeli artists displayed their works,
while speakers elaborated on seder symbols,
design, and the history of haggadot.
The page on the right which reads “Next year in Jerusalem”
illustrated with modern building cranes and trucks.
For me, an illustration of the transition from ancient to modern.
There is so much building in Jerusalem,
things are constantly changing.
A place where one can really appreciate the development
is the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens,
which also had free admission on Passover thanks to Bank Hapoalim.
The new entrance way
leads to the pond
where people gathered to enjoy nature.
eat matzah sandwiches and ice cream treats.
Shin-Min, “pray and and flowers will come out” in Japanese
is carved on this stone, but more than prayers went into
turning this old derelict space into
a beautiful, expansive nature area, with comfortable paths.
Organized tours were available,
but the gardens are divided into well-marked growth areas,
such as Australia and South Africa,
and all the vegetation is identified.
Groups or individuals could easily
meet, eat, and explore
this man-made oasis in the middle of Jerusalem.
There was much more to see in the Botanical Gardens,
but the festive holiday meals involve lots of preparation.
Over the holiday, the overcast skies finally cleared.
Rain was predicted,
but only enough fell to get the dirt out of the air
and cover everything.
but not enough to ruin holiday outings
or the Passover greeting on the buses.