Jerusalem Great Synagogue

Sounds of Selihot fill Jerusalem Streets

Sharon A

This past week was a very busy one for most everyone, with annual fall events returning and new ones planned after two too quiet years.

While driving north we admired the beauty of the land of Israel.

At times it was hard to distinguish between the blue of the sky and the sea.

In the land of milk and honey, natural beauty abounds.

We learned about honey for the Rosh Hashana holiday

and also about bees at Neshikha in Kfar Hananya.

After we returned to Jerusalem, I made time to get to Takhana Rishona, First Station, on Thursday night,

where Silo, located off the parking lot, was hosting an event.

The Woodstock Revival crowd seemed pleased with the music.

Now hoping the crowds come back for the September 29th Ethiopian-Israel Festival for families that start at 4:30 pm.

However, this week’s highlight in Jerusalem was the annual Selihot service, very late at night after Shabbat.

Remembering back in 2015, Ohel Nechama Synagogue was so crowded with Yitzhak Meir leading a musical Selihot that I could not enter.

The Jerusalem Great Synagogue was where I ended up that year before going to the Old City for a memorable night of beautiful and inspirational music that filled the Jerusalem streets.

Thousands were back at the Great Synagogue this year, after two years of being closed for corona, for Selihot 5782, with an impressive choir and amazing acoustics.

I featured the impressive sound of the Great Synagogue with a series of short clips of other places I visited.

It was hard to leave, but the biggest show in town was still to come.

Deputy Mayor Arieh King introduced the Jerusalem municipality’s Selihot held in the large auditorium of the Jerusalem International Conference Center.

Idit Silman was one of several politicians running for the next Knesset at Jerusalem Selihot but she did not go after the media attention as did others.

Yitzhak Meir was the star attraction, drawing thousands, with those without tickets disappointed and frustrated outside the building trying to gain entry.

Meir was on stage accompanied by a group of musicians. His beard was longer and his tallis bigger than it was the past.

In 2015, then-President Reuven Rivlin had Yitzhak Meir lead the Selihot in the President’s Synagogue on the Beit Hanasi grounds.

Sephardi Jews started saying Selihot at the beginning of the month of Elul, and continue every morning for the entire month prior to Rosh Hashana. The first night of Ashkenasi Selihot began after Shabbat, with some in Jerusalem starting as early as 10:00 pm. Selihot with Yitzchak Meir began at 12:30 am.

The full 2 hours of Yitzhak Meir is available on YouTube HERE

Nights of public Selihot continue until Yom Kippur, one at Kikar Safra.

Selihot are held not only at synagogues but even at Jerusalem community parks.

As I walked home, one group was just finishing and more sessions are scheduled at the public park space near the major intersection.

The sounds of Selihot and music filled the Jerusalem streets.

Happy New Year! Chag Sameach!

Jerusalem by Night and Day

Sharon A

How was your week?

I found following the news, this past week has been more challenging than usual. It is hard to figure out what is real and what is fake news. Old images from video games were posted as current events in Ukraine, plus not knowing what will happen next. It is just so unbelievable.

Last week RJS shared the photo of the former Putin Pub a few hours after the name Putin was removed from the popular Russian bar on Jaffa Road.

Today, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the third conversation between the two leaders in the past day. Bennett took a flight to Russia on Shabbat to meet with Putin and took Zeev Elkin along to translate.

No way I would dream to predict what will happen next, but I will share what happened last week in Jerusalem, Israel, that you probably missed due to the world situation taking over our hearts and minds.

The new lights on the Jerusalem Great Synagogue brighten it at night.

I was on my way to the Yeshurun Synagogue where a special service was being held in memory of Esther Pollard z”l.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion was one of a long list of speakers. The entire program was broadcast live and available on YouTube. It was in Hebrew, but Jonathan Pollard spoke at the end in English.

Jonathan Pollard rose from his seat to shake hands with the Mayor.

The synagogue main hall is one of the larger venues in Jerusalem.

The same night, also off of King George Street, was the second week of this year’s Shaon Horef.

The Winter Noise street festival was held on Shatz Street this week.

Again with video animations on buildings and live music, food and drink.

But what was special this winter night was the grand opening of the renovated Gerard Behar Centre and Beit Ha’Am.

There was a silver-studded doorman on the red carpet.

And a golden ballerina inside where invited guests were munching on fancy hors d’overves being passed around on platters in the lobby.

A very exciting event for Jerusalemites and visitors, there’s now a well lit parking lot on the adjacent Menora Street. How long was this street off of Ussishkin Street impassable as a construction site?

Also, this week at the Isrotel Orient Hotel, was the renewed regular meeting of

The Jewish Agency Board of Governors. In the past I had always attended at least one session. The Jewish Agency staff in Eastern Europe is working overtime with the Ukrainian/Russian crisis. This year the Jewish Agency governors were too busy to have meetings open to the media. They still have not selected a successor to Isaac Herzog to be the new Chairperson.

The visit of the new Chancellor in Germany to Jerusalem was a much more public event. Most of his short visit was spent at the King David Hotel on King David Street.

When Bennett met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the hotel for a press conference and lunch, security was very high.

After Scholz left, the German flags were still lining the Jerusalem streets, but the armed security personnel were no longer posted on the street corners along the route of the motorcade.

As I mentioned last week, it was good to see people out along the walls of the Old City and tourists back on the Jerusalem streets.

Paris Fountain came back this week, but construction is far from over.

The Jerusalem Marathon signs for the March 25, 2022 races are hard to miss. Runners can be seen training for the Friday morning run all over town. Should be interesting to see what happens as March 25 is also the day when the clocks change.

The weather is also up and down, cold and wet, hot and sunny. But a new Spring Festival in Jerusalem, Eat & Show, has been announced on Jerusalem street signs.

Of course, if it’s after Rosh Chodesh Adar, Purim preparations are well underway. Purim for families in Jerusalem is a list too long for now.

Celebrating Purim on Friday again is not my favorite thing.

However, I did put a few favorites together in a short video to share some of the highlights of this past week, from quiet parks by day and dynamic music and dance by night.

The skies are finally open again.

Take care and hope to see you soon on the Jerusalem streets.