Gan Sacher

Not a Pretty Picture

rjstreets

Police across the United States and around the world are entering and closing down

“Occupy” protest camps and tent cities.

 Around Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, there is major landscaping in progress,

but it is still “occupied” by homeless people.

The encampment

set up on a major thoroughfare

takes up a sizeable section of the park.

It is not a pretty picture.

Wood is ready to burn for heat and cooking,

a reminder that meteorological winter begins today.

Structures are covered with plastic to protect them from the rain.

Inside the park, fences have been installed,

a garbage bin is in place,

 as are a Tzedekah box to collect money

and primitive washing facilities.

Many passers-by complain about the appearance of the park.

The irony is that those tents in the sun can be a whole lot warmer

than the old stone buildings in Jerusalem that get no sun in the winter.

The tent dwellers may save a lot of money on daytime heating costs,

but it is not a pretty picture.

To end the week with something positive…

everyone can take part in Hamshushlim, an annual Jerusalem event with

hundreds of museums and restaurants offering reduced prices

and free entrance on Thursday nights in December.

Ready for Winter

rjstreets

Often I am asked, “What are you going to write about?”

 This week it is a really good question,

as I am just back from a two-week trip to New York City,

where snow and large trees were falling and no one was quite ready for winter.

As always, taking a walk is the only way to see what is really happening.

Businesses are enclosing outside areas in preparation for winter.

A piece of bent metal next to its awning is all that remains of an enclosure

 that the city demolished this week at Yarok Yarok florist shop.

Did you hear about that from any protest group?

Sirens alerting a rocket attack sounded in Gush Dan

  were for a public safety drill;

however this week’s sirens in the south were for 40 missiles fired from Gaza.

A new flotilla heads toward Gaza and

shots were fired from Gaza at Israeli soldiers on patrol.

Perhaps that is how they get ready for ‘Arab Winter’?

I found that in Jerusalem,

signs for an Oud music festival

and an international karate competition are up.

They are changing the plantings in these flowers beds…again!

Someone has to be making a lot of money here, but that’s a whole other post.

The Shalits have gone home and the street has been cleaned up,

 but it will be a long time until

all the stickers

are gone from benches around the city.

Only the large chair and a banner remain on the sidewalk,

which seems to be a perfect background

to record your own rap song about Gilad Shalit.

Someone used a lot of tape to make many similar designs

  along the sidewalks on Azza Street.

You never know what you will find on the Jerusalem streets.

However, the really big news is

it started raining…no–pouring.

The protesters living in tents in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park

  will find that Jerusalem winter wet weather is bone-chilling cold.

As the lightning and thunder continue,

 I’m glad I planned to go to the Jerusalem Knights next week.

This is a good night not to be out.

So glad to have the rain,

but are we really ready for winter?

Illegal Building

rjstreets

Two days of Rosh Hashanah followed by Shabbat meant three days

 with no internet or news updates, so while there were many reports

of the Quartet’s disgust with Israel for building in Gilo,

I missed seeing any mention of their dismay with the Palestinian Authority as

 Kassam rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on the first day of Rosh Hashanah

and the Israeli air force had to preempt another terrorist strike on the second day.

Three days of  holiday meals and city garbage bins were over flowing.

After Shabbat, people could be found walking or jogging very late at night.

Changing the clocks back to standard time provided an extra hour to exercise,

but with the early sunset, there is not as much time to play outside after school.

 US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is visiting Jerusalem;

I wonder if  he noticed these “buildings” in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park?

While Tel Aviv has taken down its “tent cities'”

in this Jerusalem park one can find groups of tents,

a private “suburban” site,

and an open kitchen area.

Today a couple was moving a couch out of the park,

but some of the “buildings” look like they are ready for the Sukkot holiday.

Is there another “tent city” filling this parking lot?

No…these are supplies to build sukkot for the upcoming holiday,

when thousands of illegal “buildings” will be popping up in every open space.

For the Rosh Hashanah holiday, all regular soldiers were all on active duty,

with many stationed far away from home.

Thank you to the IDF for making it safe

 for the rest of us to celebrate all the holidays with our families.