In the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel
The Tower of David at sunset,
Shabbat shalom!
Jerusalem photos
Tu B’Shvat, Jerusalem Transitions
This week was one of transition in Jerusalem, Israel.
It started with the funeral of a former Prime Minister.
The blue and white draped casket of Ariel Sharon was
surrounded by floral wreathes in the plaza of the Knesset.
The gates were opened allowing the public inside.
As it got dark,
the crowd lingered after the announced closing time.
Holding an Israeli flag was a good way to get attention.
A few familiar faces were in the crowd.
This woman insisted on lighting a candle and looked so sad.
While this man became very emotional after he saluted the casket.
What impressed me most was how different it was
to the memorial of Yitzhak Shamir.
There was very little Jewish about this event.
The Knesset honor guard was in step when they changed shifts,
but no one was saying Tehilim, Psalms, out loud.
Thousands of Jewish Ethiopians came to farewell Shamir.
Here a colorful wreath was on display from an Ethiopian church.
Outside at night, in winter, with memorial candles spelling Arik Sharon,
but there were no family members present to accept condolences.
Shamir’s memorial was run to the minute,
while this one dragged quietly into the night.
For two days traffic was a mess.
A security blimp hovered over the Knesset.
Jerusalem was on high alert with dignitaries arriving from all over the world.
Meanwhile, this woman sat in a park not far away,
but that is a whole other blog post for Israellycool.
And then,
there was an amazing sunset,
some of it seen here over the Israel Museum.
The 65 birthday of the Knesset was celebrated,
with the public invited to a slew of activities.
The African protesters of last week went back to Tel Aviv.
The snow storm clean up will be going on for some time,
but it was warm enough today to go without a coat.
The lemons are looking ready to pick.
Fancy fruit baskets are ready to deliver.
In the flower shop I was asked to take a date to eat
in honor of Tu B’Shvat, The New Year for Trees.
The transition from the funeral at the beginning of the week,
can really be felt today
on the Jerusalem, Israel streets.
Spring, renewal, rebirth are in the air.
Tu B’shvat is coming.
Jerusalem’s Changing Landscapes
The landscape of Jerusalem, Israel, is constantly changing,
with new structures
towering over the old.
Just before the bad weather began in December,
workers were busy on top of new Cinema City Complex.
Remember the old photos of Gan Sacher, Sacher Park?
This is the scene now,
with those large trees cut back to tall stumps.
But it does allow a clear view of the roof and foot bridge
and the future train station at the Cinema City Complex.
Israel has long been known as land “flowing of milk and honey,”
but Jerusalem now seems to have become the city of ‘flowing mulch.’
While the snow has finally melted,
the mountains of tree trimmings are still being collected
and being churned up into mountains of mulch.
However, no fire-wood logs seem to stay around for long.
The protesters of prisoner release have gone from the streets,
and their signs are removed.
Bus loads of protesters have arrived from Tel Aviv to protest
the detention and deportation of illegal foreign workers.
The Jerusalem streets are constantly changing.