Israel Museum – Page 5 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Streets Cleaner after COVID-19 Closures

June 14, 2020June 14, 2020Sharon A

Creating. Innovating. Resilience. Responding to challenges.

Oh, with at least a dash of chutzpah too–all are important to living in Israel.

In Jerusalem last week the news highlighted the story that the old street Bezek payphone booths were to be converted to defibrillator stations. Mifal HaPayis and MDA have begun to place AEDs at crucial public places under a joint venture.

Israeli defibrillator posted on street with connection to MDA — Photo Credit: Iki Maimon

As part of the project, 600 initial advanced devices will be deployed with wireless communication to MDA’s 101 Emergency Call Center.

Also new on the Jerusalem streets, small refrigerators would host ‘food salvage’ – good food placed inside free for anyone in need to take.

The Knesset was finally back in business. Then it closed.

A member of Knesset was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Visitor Entrance to Israeli president residence being disinfected for coronavirus — Photo Credit: Tomer Reichman

At Beit Hanasi, a staff member has tested positive for the coronavirus, so the President’s house is getting a thorough cleaning.

I’ve lost count how many times our street has been cleaned.

But this is the first time I saw them spraying inside this passageway.

Check out the brand-new garbage bags in the old cans!

And they patched up parts of this path.

New traffic lights were installed at this dangerous pedestrian crossing.

Even the monastery in the Valley of the Cross was cleaning up this week.

The dry foliage is a serious fire hazard. So glad to finally see the dried weeds being cut.

Getting ready to host visitors in Jerusalem?

These socially distanced park benches are ready.

Or go for the extreme social distancing, alone with nature.

Slowly Jerusalem seems to be coming back from the coronavirus shut down.

The signs were still up for the end of March Brain and Art Week at the Cinematheque.

Many cultural events were canceled and some programs have moved online.

The 2020 Israel Festival has rescheduled for September.

The hilltop was dark after Shabbat, these usual Israel Museum lights did not go on.

However, The Islamic Museum announced its reopening.

“Trespassing” will be on display until the end of the month.

Tower of David image for BANAI exibit — Bachora and Meir Banai with their eldest son Shmuel – 1915 Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi Photographic Archives

The Tower of David Museum will be re-opening its doors this week on June 17 – and opening a brand new exhibition BANAI, the personal story of the Banai family while painting a much broader panorama with a saga going back to 1881 when Rachamim Bana came to the Holy Land from Shiraz, Persia.

Kikar Musica, Music Square, off of Yoel Salomon Street is offering live events again.

And planning for the future, Avraham Fried wants to perform in Sultan’s Pool at the end of August.

Two years ago, Fried was the featured entertainment at Rabbi Steinsaltz’s 80th birthday bash at the Orient Hotel. Oh, that was a busy week with June events.

The big hotels are still dark, but working on reopening plans with the new Ministry of Health guidelines.

The Jerusalem streets are getting back to business, slowly, but cleaner and better than before.

Jerusalem, Israel – Shavuot 5780

May 31, 2020Sharon A

I used to complain that Shavuot in Israel lasted only one day and was over too quickly.

Tens of thousands of people would stay up all night, learning and studying at various venues and then converge at the Kotel, the Western Wall, for dawn prayer services. Eat and sleep and the day was over, with not enough time for guests.

Well, not this year. With Shabbat immediately following, we ended up with a two-day holiday in Israel as well as those living outside of Israel.

I got what I asked for, and I’m happy to go back to one day next year when Shavuot falls on Monday.

In Jerusalem, the summer sun has dried the tall green growth in the Valley of the Cross.

Nature and seasons appear unaware of a pandemic and are unchanged.

While the Israel Museum on top of the hill suffers from the novel coronavirus affecting its closure, the weeds below in the valley have flourished.

Not far away is Jerusalem Cinema City, also trying to come back after COVID-19 closures.

On my first visit to Cinema City, I took this photo of a wall mural.

Where else but Jerusalem would you find Moses with the Ten Commandments on the wall next to the movie theater escalators?

While I was searching for that old photo I found this one taken the same day.

In this upside-down coronavirus time, would an IDF soldier walk so close to a stranger?

Has the time come when helping a blind man cross a busy street is not a good thing?

The official announcement:

Following the closure of educational institutions against the backdrop of the coronavirus crisis, and the gradual return to routine, it was agreed that students should receive educational continuity until the beginning of August. This will significantly reduce the financial burden of their parents and reduce gaps in Israeli society.

With an outbreak of COVID-19 among students and teachers at one large Jerusalem secular high school, it is closed again today. And before I could publish this today, another high school has announced closing for the week due to an infected teacher.

However, tomorrow senior citizen sessions are scheduled to reopen, in limited numbers with only physical and art activities in person. The rest will remain in Zoom.

The Jerusalem Film Festival announced plans to hold the festival in a regular format this summer following the decision by Israeli authorities to allow the reopening of cinemas in the country from June 14.

The event is now to run August 20-30, just over a month later than its originally scheduled July 16-26 time slot.

Meanwhile, in the theme of the Shavuot holiday, I thought to share a few short film clips from the King David Night Show at the Tower of David.

King David the warrior in battle,

and David the Poet.

In past years, the seemingly endless list of Festivals began after Shavuot.

The Light Festival in the Old City in particular was popular, filling the streets at night.

Remember when Damascus Gate was lit like a giant pinball machine for Jerusalem Light Festival?

My all-time favorite light projection was also at the Damascus Gate.

This morning the Temple Mount was reopened after a two-month closure.

Muslim worshipers crowded through the Green Gate to enter.

Non-Muslims lined up to go up the ramp to Mughrabi Gate.

This video is from years ago. Will the Old City return to the old “normal”?

For Shavuot services at the Kotel this year, tickets were required to enter. A limited number were distributed by lottery. Each ticket had the name and ID number on them. Late at night after Shabbat was over, there were people on the plaza and near the Kotel, but not in the large numbers we were accustomed to in the past.

Shavuot cheese cake for Israeli security with President Reuven Rivlin — Photo credit: Mark Neyman (GPO)

One of my favorite images from Shavuot 5780 was of President Reuven Rivlin serving cheesecake and lemonade to security forces on the eve of the holiday. It was a year since his wife Nechama passed away, and he said it was something she would do, so he did it in her memory. The cemetery at Har Herzl where she is buried is under construction now and even the presidential family could not go on her yahrzeit.

The sun is shining and temperatures are pleasant out on the Jerusalem streets.

Jerusalem is planning to temporarily close thirteen city center streets to traffic, hoping people will come back to dine at the outside tables. Ads have been placed to get Israelis to come to Jerusalem. With international tourism halted, Jerusalem’s tourist-based economy needs desperate measures with so many businesses suffering and forced to close.

What will happen next? We will have to wait and see.

The numbers of construction cranes seem to multiply overnight.

Hope to see you all in Jerusalem soon.

Jerusalem Style March Madness Pictures

March 4, 2020Sharon A

On Jerusalem, Israel streets, a general sigh of relief can be heard at the end of a year of campaigning madness and frozen government.

On Monday, March 2nd, the third Israeli election in a year was held.

The Jerusalem street outside our polling place was not a pretty sight,

nor easy to access. Memories of Knesset 19 voting at our location were recalled.

Inside there were fewer parties this time around and fewer letters to pick from for Knesset 23.

The votes were cast. Calculations are being made.

The magic number of 61 is not yet achieved.

The Knesset has 120 members, to form a government a majority is needed.

News sites and others sat glued to their monitors.

But I decided it was time to go for a walk and see the trees in bloom.

New flowers were popping out of old stone formations.

I was not the only one walking when the sun finally peaked out from between the winter clouds.

The grounds below the Israel Museum were lush green after this winter of rain.

Many drove south to see the fields of anemones for the Red Darom Festival.

I was content to walk the paths right here in Jerusalem to see the red wildflowers.

Sunday is a workday in Israel. So with schools, businesses, and offices off for Election Day, many families had a “Sunday” experience family day.

I decided to wander up the hill and go to the Israel Museum.

Near the Israel Museum archaeological section entrance is an interesting exhibit on hieroglyphs and emojis.

An example of ancient picture writing showed “offerings of wine” and beer.

Picture writing was very important in ancient Egypt.

This piece of stone caught my attention for the “heart” symbol, much more realistic than the shape most often used today in modern picture writing.

Are we going back to the days of symbols to communicate?

In the museum, one can view the new Rodin & Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit called “Expressive Genius.” The statues and drawings of the two French artists explored the human form, capturing the diverse population of Paris at the end of the 19th century.

Wandering through the vast halls and galleries are period rooms like this one dedicated by the Rothschild family. Also, displayed are reconstructed synagogues from around the world that fill entire rooms.

I found a familiar face, Golda Meir by Andy Warhol.

Did you know there were art pieces outside besides those in the main garden?

What I did not know was that the Israel Museum, though open on Election Day, closed an hour earlier at 4:00 pm.

The Hebrew Love is probably the most well-known sculpture in the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden.

I was looking for the special ‘Masks for Purim’ the museum is offering. That meant checking out what was happening in the Children’s Wing.

I did not find what I was looking for, as the program was ready yet.

But this little guy was so cute. They do start young to appreciate art and color.

Outside near the museum, this color will be gone very soon. Other graffiti nearby has been removed, like every year before the Jerusalem Marathon runs here.

The full Jerusalem Marathon runners will run into Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, to the finish line which will be constructed here. As you can see there is still much work to be done before the March 20, 2020 races. Tens of thousands of people are expected to assemble in the park, both runners and supporters.

Lines were painted on this newly paved road that leads to the finish line.

Jerusalem Marathon signs were posted along the route as well.

But first Purim! “Every day is Purim in Jerusalem” announced these signs.

Love Jerusalem where Purim madness is a 3-4 day holiday!

From March 10-13 this year, in Kikar Safra and the center of town, there will be celebrations.

Hopefully, the coronavirus scare will not hinder all these planned activities.

I thought that this description in the Israel Museum was interesting.

I don’t know anyone who believes that emojis can become real food and drink.

Pictures of food and drink.

Pictures and Purim.

However, my giant chocolate chip cookies are ready for Purim.

Next week planning to share the best of Purim in Jerusalem madness pictures.

The cookies, however, should be long gone by then.