Jerusalem photos – Page 107 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem: Roses, Riots, Politics and What Next

May 6, 2015rjstreets

I am always concerned about what to share

on the weeks between holidays and special events.

The Jerusalem roses are in bloom.

Construction on the new main road to Jerusalem, Israel,

is a massive on-going project.

Would anyone outside of Jerusalem care

that the regular mailboxes are no longer going to be used?

Tourists trying to mail a letter tried these

British Mandate post boxes in Yemin Moshe.

They gave up and went to find a Post Office.

Old and new, progress?

Restaurants open and close so often

I could fill a book with those photos.

But Cofizz, the 5 shekel coffee and food place on Ben Yehuda,

has changed the center of town.

Cofizz is always busy, while the place next door has empty seats.

Copy cat places have mushroomed,

from King George Street to Yaffo Street.

It is easy to get a 5 shekel ice coffee now.

There were riots and plenty of press on that.

But, did you hear that there were thousands out Friday morning

for a biking event that went around the Walls of the Old City,

up to and through the Zoo in Malcha

and back to First Station?

Israelis are far away in Nepal.

But at home did you hear about

the 12 teenagers who met with President Reuven Rivlin in

Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s residence?

5 high school students are to go to US to an Intel Science Competition,

and another 6 are to represent Israel in an EU science program,

and 1 is to attend a special science camp in Germany over the summer.

Israel ranked 11th for the happiest nation.

It seems hard to imagine if all you see are media reports of “the conflict.”

Karen Bass and Alcee Hastings are two of many US Congressmen on tour

in Israel this week to see for themselves

what is happening.

Everyday is not a picnic in the park,

A Muslim woman driving a man is unusual,

but a Muslim man praying on the streets is not.

For the past few weeks,

all pieces of wood on the streets, large or small,

have been collected for

Lag B’Omer bonfires.

Meanwhile,

we wait to hear if there is a new government.

Old and new, always something on these streets.

9 Favorites of Israel Independence Day

April 24, 2015rjstreets

Yom Haatzmaut 5775, Israel Independence Day 2015

will be remembered for its wild weather.

It was stormy and windy, rainy and cold in Jerusalem, Israel.

But the favorite flyovers starting

with large helicopters flew in spite of the dark clouds,

while these planes found a time with some blue sky.

Before noon, smoke rose from the mangals (grills).

A few adventurous families arrived at Gan Sacher, Sacher Park,

prepared with large blue and white plastic hammers and more.

One family came all the way from New Jersey to

help out with a mangal for the

Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin.

With fewer people in the park this year,

these sellers of foam spray had to use it up themselves.

Dark clouds were not going to keep these girls away,

nor those with the lone soldiers group.

Their Israeli flag was easy to find,

along with lots of good food.

What a little rain?

There was no questionn but to go ahead and celebrate.

The afternoon flyovers added to the fun.

There were tall people with kites,

little people with bubbles and flags,

and lots of blue and white.

And if not that was enough,

these vans going around with music blasting

would stop and share their music and dance.

But then,

just as people were groaning that they ate too much,

and getting around to cleaning up,

a rocket was launched from Gaza landing in southern Israel

and exploded.

Friday morning in Jerusalem,

the lines in supermarkets are long

and supplies of chicken are short.

They keep trying to kill us.

They fail,

We eat.

שבת שלום

Shabbat Shalom.

New for Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom HaZikaron

April 21, 2015rjstreets

“As long as in the heart, within,

A Jewish soul still yearns,

And onward, towards the ends of the east,

An eye still gazes toward Zion.

Our hope is not yet lost,

The hope of two thousand years,

To be a free people in our land,

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.”

On the eve of Yom Hazikaron,

On Israel’s Remembrance Day for Soldiers and Victims of Terror

flames are placed high above on many buildings.

It is a Day to Remember every year.

the young lives lost in too many wars.

There will be 23,320 Israeli flags placed,

one for each of those graves in cemeteries

located throughout Israel.

This past year 116 people were added to the list.

Year after year much is the same,

as the sadness of Yom Hazikaron,

is then transformed at nightfall into the celebrations of

Israeli Independence Day.

I love the flyovers.

Even the dress rehearsal of the planes

attracts attention.

But you have to be quick to get a great photo

and this year a bird got in my way.

Flags and planes are not the only symbols,

as you can see from this large Star of David hanging on the Chord Bridge.

In Israel, and especially in Jerusalem,

where there are so many ceremonies,

it can be hard to decide which one to attend.

Some are prayer services.

This new Koren Yom Haazma’ut Mahzor,

with over 900 pages

is a far cry from the xeroxed pages that we

used to use for Yom Ha’azmaut services.

This quality volume not only has all the prayer services

with full English translation and explanations,

but also includes services for

Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day.

Included in the 248 pages of essays,

are both original writings and some English translations

of works first published in Hebrew.

The essay “Six Knocks” by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik,

was written for Yom HaAtzmaut 1956,

but all you need to do is change some of the names

and it could have been written today.

This post began with the Koren translation of Hatikva.

It is difficult, even with photos,

to explain,

year after year,

what happens in Israel on these holidays.

Perhaps this volume will help those in the Anglo world

to better understand the words of Hatikva.

Full disclosure,

I was pleased to see that so many people

I know were involved in preparation this book.

חג שמח