culture – Page 89 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Knights and Dragons Festival

October 31, 2012rjstreets

A priority for City Hall has been to encourage

visitors to come at night to the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel.

And the current ‘Festival of Knights in the Old City’ has done the job.

Jaffa Gate is the starting point for the ‘Knights and Dragons’ theme,

where a large map of the Christian Quarter route is displayed

and musicians entertain.

Smart families got a map with the 17 station locations,

but does not include the many moving ‘photo ops’.

Last week I went early,

as good photographs are hard to get at these crowded events.

Near the beginning of the route was this colorful dragon head.

A cardboard castle and its defending knight were ready for photo action,

near the real Knights’ Palace.

One lane was dark,

but most were well-lit and many costumes added color.

Actors were ready for the shows to begin.

A barber shop was open under one of the red festival signs,

which pointed to the actors getting ready in Muristan Square.

As I said, smart people took a map.

This was not the first time I got confused at Muristan Square

and headed in the wrong direction,

but this was the first night of Eid Al-Adha, the Muslim ‘Feast of Sacrifice’.

It was so crowded on the narrow paths

that I did not get a photo of the smelly animal being pushed in a cart.

His sad eyes seemed to know he was going to be the feast.

Following closely to an English-speaking tourist group,

I got only this one picture of a candy store.

Finally,

spotting a sign to the Via Dolorosa, I headed out of the Muslim Quarter.

Retracing some of my route, I noticed these smokers were gone,

the lane was dark and quiet for festival visitors.

The actors were in Muristan Square and so was the “EXIT” sign.

I do not know if the free Jerusalem Knights Festival

brought paying customers to shops, but many more were open

than for the first night of the Festival in October 2010.

Back near Jaffa Gate, large crowds were watching gladiators fight

and dancing-girls.

Hundreds of families, many with young children,

seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Many children were on their parents’ shoulders,

as it was very hard to see the performers.

I found a bench to stand on,

but I think this family had the best view.

And as usual, when tens of thousands of people come,

the Jerusalem streets fill with traffic in all directions.

There are still two more Thursday nights in November to enjoy the festival.

If you cannot come and want to see more:

additional photos on The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.

Jerusalem as August Ends

August 28, 2012rjstreets

Did you hear a loud noise on Monday morning?

It was the collective sighs of relief filling the streets –

the long summer holiday was over

and over 2 million Israeli children went back to school.

Trips to museums for water play were replaced with starting Kita alef,

which in Israel is a more exciting event than many university graduations.

The school children living in the southern Israel town of Sderot

had another rocket fired at them from Gaza as they started to go to class.

More than 440 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza

since the year began, averaging around two a day!

Last week Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing,

was performed in English in Jerusalem, Israel’s Bloomfield Park.

The shows were free and open to the public.

Shakespeare, widely agreed to be perhaps the most clever writer ever,

could he have imagined what is happening now?

Arab families were seated on the grass to watch.

A few meters away on the plaza, Muslim women sat on a bench

and then followed to see the photos of a beautiful bride in white,

as a Jewish couple were preparing to get married.

While hundreds are killed each day in Syria,

this was the scene in the Jerusalem park.

School has started, however university does not begin until October.

Arab girls in Israel will be attending classes,

not banned from an education like in Iran.

And of course, they can drive themselves to the park or to school,

not like the women living in Saudi Arabia.

Kikar Zion, Zion Square, is still a safe place to walk during the day.

It was a long hot summer,

but the evenings are now cool for the late night summer music programs.

Last week the music and lights were at the Jerusalem Theater,

and this week Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, will showcase Reggae Music

and Safra Square will host the last August free public concert.

First there was the Wine Festival, then Beer Festival,

and now this week for the first time an Ice Cream Festival.

Always something happening on the Jerusalem streets.

Aliens Land on the Knesset or Go Fly a Kite

August 22, 2012rjstreets

No matter what you read in the media about Israel,

the end of August is all about what to do with the kids.

There are no regular ganim and school does not begin until next week.

Take the kids to “office camp” is an option, or

call on the grandparents or any able-bodied (even non) adult,

to help look after them.

There many things to do in Jerusalem, Israel, in August,

but the annual kite festival at the Israel Museum is one of my favorites.

Looking up at the colorful kites can be dangerous,

if you are not careful and trip on the strings on the ground.

Many kites got stuck in the trees,

but people were still smiling anyway,

except this one man on the wall who was determined to get his kite down.

Not all the kites ended up in the trees though,

as some soared over the crowd

in the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden.

Blue and white kites were popular this year

with many of the families who filled the grounds.

For this 27th annual event, over 7000 people registered,

and even more spread out over the wide expanse of the Israel Museum.

There were not just colorful kites,

but also Kabuki Theater entertainers,

providing music,

and more color along with entertainment.

So did aliens land on the Knesset? Not really.

The Knesset is across the road from the museum and this soaring kite

looked like it was landing on the roof.

No aliens landed, and there was no violence,

just enough wind and music and kites, for a day of families and fun.

More photos to be posted on The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook Page.