Many were worried that the three-day (Saturday night through Monday)
Lag B’Omer celebrations with their smoky medurot, large bonfires,
would cause worse air quality than the usual holiday pollution.
But thanks to Israeli basketball team Maccabi Tel Aviv
playing in the Euroleague Championship basketball final,
so many people came inside to watch the exciting game
that there seemed to be a lot less smoke this year.
Maccabi Tel Aviv won in overtime!
The team has already been to the Prime Minister’s office
and is invited for a special reception today in the President’s House.
Lag B’Omer and International Museum Day were celebrated on Monday.
Thousands of school children on school holiday filled museums
which had no entrance fees in honor of Museum Day.
We had a great time in the Bloomfield Science Museum as always,
with lots of new exhibits and activities.
Lag B’Omer gatherings and parades Sunday in the Rechavia neighborhood
and Monday in Teddy Park near the Old City were just two of many events.
There was one unique event on Monday afternoon.
In a first-ever Run for Peace,
Australian ultra-marathon runner Pat Farmer (in the blue shirt)
and a few of his supporters arrived at the end of his 1500-kilometer run from Lebanon.
After running around 80 kilometers a day,
athlete Pat Farmer’s advice was to “put one foot in front of the other.”
Following a small press conference at Jaffa Gate,
Australian Ambassador Dave Sharma told another gathering in honor
of Farmer at the King David Hotel how proud Australia is
to support sports and all efforts for peace.
All was not sports and parades.
The week-long International Writers Festival opened in Mishkenot Sha’ananim.
But the real action was found outside,
just down the road from these two venues.
People were in the air, flying high
after Mayor Nir Barkat cut the ribbon of the new Skate Park Jerusalem.
The large rink is located in a section of the Liberty Bell Park.
Though some may not think of this as popular sport,
hundreds of people from all over Israel came for the opening,
children with skate boards tucked under their arms,
and others watched as the best riders from all over Israeli showed their moves.
While the runners raced along the Jerusalem streets without getting a second glance,
and the parades stopped traffic for a bit,
this Skate Rink is really something!
Additional photos: Peace Run and Skate Park
