Jerusalem: Exhaustion in August

Most of Israel may be on holiday in August, but in Jerusalem

things begin to heat up and not just the weather.

After the three sad weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av,

 mourning turns into serious celebrating,

with wedding season and festival time. 

During the first week of August,

"photo Israel Museum"

 the Israel Museum hosted a successful Israeli Wine Festival.

Festivals once again range from,

" picture sign in Hebrew", "Image J Street", "photo Hebrew sign "

an International Puppet Festival to a beer festival at the end of the month!

Schools are out and summer camps are over,

so it is time once again to keep the kids busy.

"khutsot Hayozer"

Khutzot Hayotser, The International Arts and Crafts Fair,

near the Old City in the Sultan’s Pool, with its

"photo arts and craft fair"

 huge stage for nightly entertainment has been held for almost 40 years.

Running from August 6-18 and  similar to recent years,

"picture kites", "photo J Street", "image Art festival"

food, local artists’ works and international crafts are for sale.

A relative newcomer to the August festival season is the Balabasta Festival,

 held on Sunday nights in August in Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk.

"photo shuk", "image machane yehuda market"

Some businesses closed early,

"fruit market picture"

but others were well stocked.

Balabasta seemed more small child-friendly than it was last year,

"photo puppet show"

with puppet shows,

"photo balloons"

balloons,

"juggler"

balancing acts,

"juggler"

a juggler and a 5:00pm advertised start time.

By 6:30 pm, the laundry was hung and the alleyways were getting crowded.

"puppet"

I caught a familiar face from last year

as he was coming out of a store,

"puppet'

and he quickly gained new fans.

"music"

There was music of all kinds

"art with seeds"

and art of many types,

"photo art"

culture in Jerusalem is so varied it can be hard to define,

and to take it all in can be exhausting.

It is probably impossible to attend all the Jerusalem festivals,

but if you want to try, here are a few more  suggestions and

 more Balabasta photos on The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.

Feeling Festive

Over 130 missiles, rockets and grads were fired from Gaza

into southern Israel last week and major cities were hit.

People were killed, injured, shocked, and left homeless.

Meanwhile, 81 US congressmen arrived in Israel and left rather quietly.

With a Hamas request for a cease-fire came a security alert in Jerusalem.

But it is festival season in Jerusalem:  how did the real streets respond?

The last night of annual wine festival at the Israel Museum was held,

though many were not in a much of party mood after hearing

that 8 Israelis were murdered in ambushes that afternoon near Eilat.

Infected Mushrooms performed on Thursday night as scheduled.

The massive stage in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park remained in place until

 for a free concert for young people which lasted until midnight.

The Friday Arts and Crafts Market on Bezalel Street was open for business,

  while the tent protest was nearby and the light-rail had its first public runs.


The 26th Kite Festival at the Israel Museum got off to a slow start.

At noon the water over the Dome of the Book

was the only thing that could be seen in up in the air,

but later in the afternoon breeze there were dozens of kites

and hundreds of families enjoying the annual festival.

The annual Puppet Festival is over,

but the Children’s Film Festival has just begun at the Cinemateque.

The end of August also means that it is time for

The International Arts and Crafts Fair.

 The International exhibits and sales, food, music and performances

fill the area known as the Sultan’s Pool below the Old City walls

and Khutzot Hayoser, The Artists’ Colony comes to life.

It will take more than a security alert to get people to miss

 this popular end of summer event

or to keep them out of Mamilla Mall.

The 5th End of Summer Celebration has begun at the Jerusalem Theater,

with various performances taking place outside on the plaza.

If these events are not enough, 

 the Beer Festival is to be held next week in the Old Train Station.

The security alert may not be readily perceptible on the Jerusalem streets,

but it could be felt in synagogue service this past Shabbat,

with the quiet attention of worshipers during the prayer for the State of Israel

and especially for the prayer for the safety of its soldiers,

and the loud unified response by the congregation of

  “Amen.”