12 Jerusalem Scenes with Israel Under Fire

Israel is under fire.

Southern Israel has been getting hit for over 10 years

and people always said “wait till the rockets hit Tel Aviv!”

Well, rockets from Gaza have hit Tel Aviv.

Again and again people run to bomb shelters after the sirens.

 Operation Protective Edge is going into a third week.

In Jerusalem, Israel we have had “only” a few sirens,

image washing hanging out

so the daily routine like hanging the washing goes on.

image getting ready for school

Fall school supplies are ready in shops, though there are very few shopping for the fall.

Some tourists are cancelling their trips,

 ElAl has room to spread out on their flights and thanks those who fly with them.

people eating out doors

But people are still eating falafel on King George Street.

image light rail and Jaffa Street

 Jaffa Road towards the Old City,

image Jaffa Road

and towards Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk,

looks the same minus lots of Arab women shopping,

but it is the month of Ramadan and they are fasting month and it is hot.

 I did spot one interesting couple,

image Arab girl, photo Muslim couple Palestine

I had to get a good photo of those shoes.

Everyone knows someone who has been called up for duty,

and my son-in-law has been on the Egyptian border

on reserve duty for over two weeks.

Like so many other young mothers, my daughter is trying to manage

with her children out of school, work and appointments…

and how to get to them all to a bomb shelter

when there is a siren warning of incoming rockets.

inside Jerusalem Cinema City

Jerusalem Cinema City is one popular option for an outing,

being that most of it is safely underground.

children doing water play

But the Bloomfield Science Museum and

Israel Museum

 Israel Museum also provide fun and educational activities.

And in this crazy upside down time,

image outdoor party

last week as planes flew over head in Abu Gosh,

a caterer held a tasting for a dozen August weddings.

image party over

We ate it all and keep planning the wedding.

At the same time it is hard to not think about

image Israeli soldiers

and thank all our Israeli soldiers,

as friends went to Ashkelon to be with their wounded son,

and another funeral begins.

Meet you at Mashbir

For years “I’ll meet you at Mashbir”, meant the corner of King George

and Ben Yehuda Streets in the center of Jerusalem.

But, after several years of construction,

the landmark department stored has relocated on Jaffa Street,

 and is open for business.

Escalators are placed in such a way that one has to walk

across the bright and inviting shopping areas

to reach the next set.

The top floor restaurant is still under construction.

Diners and others wanting to avoid the temptation to shop may use elevators.

The view of the light rail train from the glass elevators

and Kikar Zion, Zion Square from the windows,

 remind you that you are still in Jerusalem.

Be careful… if you are told to meet at Mashbir.

The old building is now an Office Depot outlet.

“I’ll meet you at Office Depot?”…

it’s going to take a while to get used to that.