Jerusalem street photography

May in Jerusalem back to normal seesaw of life

Sharon A

Are we really back to “normal” or just a lull until the next round of fighting?

The sounds of planes flying over have become a norm.

The weather was pleasant, and people returned to the streets of Jerusalem, Israel.

It was time to be back again in Jerusalem’s Old City to see what’s happening.

Entering through the Jaffa Gate, it was good to see people walking into the Old City.

Flags are still flying between Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day, Yom Haatzmaut, Independence Day, and Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day.

The Tower of David Citadel rises iconically above the walls.

However, the old entrance inside Jaffa Gate is also impressive.

The columns of the ancient Cardo, a Roman-era street, stand tall in the Jewish Quarter.

There was a new water fountain for anyone who needed a drink on their way.

I was going to a special ceremony at the Kotel, Western Wall Plaza.

New soldiers were inducted into the Israel Defense Force, with thousands of family and close friends in attendance.

From my vantage point with the Kotel in the distance, there was another, much smaller, brief ceremony.

Under the white tallit, young children were blessed as the new soldiers fell into formation.

It was hard to find family in the large crowd. I tried many times.

The ceremony opens with lighting a memorial flame.

A few short speeches and Biblical readings, and each unit swears allegiance.

The ceremony ends with a prayer for safety and Hatikvah.

Hours of standing, waiting for a short ceremony, with pride and concern at the same time.

As the ceremony ended, the weapons were secured and not taken home.

Young women were also volunteering for combat duty.

I go out of my way now not to show their young, beautiful faces

One face in the crowd I knew well over the years, Chazan Shai Abramson.

He was the chief Chazan in the IDF, and now, in reserve duty, sings at special events.

(I have no idea who this other man is; he was standing nearby.)

On the way home, out of the Rova, Jewish Quarter, I noticed the construction fencing of the Tiferet Israel Synagogue had been removed. The last of the Old City synagogues destroyed in 1948 was nearing completion.

Inside Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue as rebuilding begins

After years of watching the renovation, this was in 2019. I look forward to a tour inside.

Two white domes seen from the roof of Tower of David the Hurva Synagogue and the Tiferet Israel newly rebuilt

Its white dome is higher than the more well-known Hurva Synagogue on the right.

As we approach Jerusalem Day, this year on May 15, 2026, the Jerusalem decorative street lights are ready in blue and white.

Shai Abramson led the IDF choir in the prayer for the IDF at the Great Synagogue. It was years ago, at the memorial service for the three boys. Israeli teenagers abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists in June 2014: Eyal Yifrach (19), Gilad Shaar (16), and Naftali Frenkel (16).

Hoping it does not take another tragedy for Israel to unite again.

Jerusalem celebrates Israel at 78

So back to normal. The regular seesaw of life

Please keep sharing what’s really happening.

Hope to see you soon on the Jerusalem streets.

Two Trips from Jerusalem On Hot Summer Days

Sharon A

It’s hot.

I know the Middle East is supposed to be hot in the summer.

It’s perfect weather for hanging the washing out to dry on the line, and my cactus plants are thriving. But with these very hot days during a heat wave in Jerusalem, Israel, my preferred routine of walking about during the day has come to a standstill.

I try to venture out at night after it cools off – a bit.

Therefore, a little detour, and instead I want to share two short trips out of Jerusalem.

The changes to the entrance of Jerusalem are impressive. Especially to anyone who remembers those old red rusting vehicles that once lined the hills along Route One into Jerusalem.

On that old winding narrow road stuck behind a slow truck chugging its way up – now that was a lesson in patience.

Even these old relics have been given a fresh coat of paint and moved to make way for more lanes of the new highways into and out of Jerusalem.

We were on a bus to a media tour of the Urban Warfare Training Center, located inside the Tze’elim Training Base in southern Israel. It is built to look like a typical Arab village with its minarets. The base has a new terror tunnel and more.

This is the IDF Code of Ethics we heard about.

The training center was built to train in a Middle Eastern “village” for the challenges of urban warfare, against an enemy hiding within civilian populations.

This was drawn by Bat Sheva, an IDF soldier whose job was to draw graffiti.

In one building there is a replica of a family home, down to photos,

kitchen clutter, Arabic newspapers on the table,

and toothpaste on the bathroom sink.

Simulators are used to practice scenarios the soldier might encounter.

It is used to train not only the IDF but also the US and UN forces have also practiced and trained on the sand and streets here.

As we were preparing to leave an old white bus pulled into the main square, which was also used as a set for the popular TV series “Fauda.”

However, this was not preparation for a TV production, but a group of reserve soldiers arriving to train on a hot day as the sun was setting.

We were not allowed to record and share the names or faces of the soldiers.

However the reservists who reported for duty were from all of Am Yisrael and requested anonymity as they reported again to serve as in the past.

The one soldier we were allowed to photograph was Brig. Gen. (res.) Bentzi Gruber. He gave the Code of Ethics presentation which concluded with a family photograph taken in Europe. Soon after it was taken, most of the family was murdered in the Holocaust, only his mother and her sister survived as “Mengele Twins.” For him, to serve in the IDF and fight in five wars was a privilege.

More RJS photos were posted on Facebook of that trip south.

On another day, the trip was through the new tunnel from Jerusalem to Gush Etzion and Alon Shvut to the Yeshivat Har Etzion campus and Herzog College.

Road work is far from completed and traffic still backs up. But anyone who remembers the old route through the refugee camp in Bet Lechem can only marvel at what has developed where there were only rocks and wild brush.

The entrance to the Yeshiva building is well-landscaped and the pond is enclosed now.

The Yemei Iyun, Bible study program, is in its 32nd year and for the past fifteen years has included classes given in English as well.

Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Brandes is the President of Herzog College, a leading teachers’ education school.

Around 4000 people attended in person this year, and deciding which sessions to attend is an annual challenge.

“How can we make Bible study exciting for kids in Jewish schools, and show them that it is still relevant to their daily lives?” was the topic covered at the Jewish Educators’ Day for English-speaking teachers.

 

“Head vs. Heart: Understanding the Needs of Our Students” by Mrs. Simi Peters, Rav Shmuel Feld, and Rav Yehuda Chanales, was moderated by Rav Reuven Spolter. 

“Empowering Students as Tanakh Learners” using online research tools was presented by Rabbi Dr. Zvi Grumet from the Lookstein Center at Bar-Ilan University. No more schlepping heavy resource books?

Hot or not, back on the Jerusalem streets, the Jerusalem Israel Festival begins in August, with advertising posters covering more than 6 floors of a building at the entrance of the city.

In the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, 25 large inflatable Monsters will provide an attraction for families with children on summer holidays.

The barriers are still around on various Jerusalem street corners, but it is good to know that there is more than protests happening.

Last month RJS shared that US Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie L. Hallett was at Beit Hanasi representing the US. This week it was announced instead of appointing a new Ambassador to replace Tom Nides, she will serve as chargé d’affaires in the US Embassy in Jerusalem. Best wishes to her!

For Tisha B’Av there are way too many programs to mention, beginning on Wednesday through Thursday night this year, with the fast ending at 8:09 pm.

Jerusalem buses to the Kotel, Western Wall will run through the night. The days may be too hot, so the nights are when people come out.

So many summer events are scheduled in August, from the usual big summer night concerts in Safra Square to Ice Skating in First Station, check the website for what else is happening in Jerusalem.

At the end of July, the new Jerusalem Museum will open the ‘Street Games’ exhibition at the Tower of David. Sorry to have to miss the opening events, but after Tisha B’Av is also a popular wedding season, and a wedding involving long-time friends is a priority.

Now only if the heat wave would end soon so we can venture out during the day again to see what else is happening on the Jerusalem streets!

An Inside Look at What’s New this Week in Jerusalem

Sharon A

It was hard to decide on only three of the special things from this past week. There was so much happening on and off the Jerusalem streets you may not have heard about, but should know.

Ok, only two were really inside and one very much outside.

  1. Who remembers the old President Hotel on Ahad Ha’am Street?

We stayed there once on an organized tour and I remember saying the 1-star status at the time meant there was a toilet in the room.

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I had heard it was being used as a new Social Space and drove by to share a photo a few weeks ago, but that didn’t get shared at the time.

Then I started out last week to see inside but got distracted by a loud noise.

Oh no, I thought, not another protest group marching thru the Jerusalem streets. But I was wrong. They were color war teams of a local youth group. I ended up following them in the opposite direction that day instead.

So finally, here it is!!

Remember this photo? Yes, the hotel was this run down – not Photoshop.

For a very long time mostly abandoned, as in this photo from four years ago.

However, now stepping inside I got a pleasant surprise. At the end of the hall, a dance studio opened in March, and the dancers were having a lesson.

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A wall mural was clean and neat and new.

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I looked through the metal grating and saw a bar space ready to open,

and an impressive colorful meeting area, smaller spaces around and above.

Tables were set up outside, but only a few people seemed to know about Jerusalem’s newest urban renewal by the reaction to my post on Facebook.

The side of the building that faces Keren Hayesod Street is still an eyesore and has been for years. It still needs work, but the lower levels are a huge improvement and it looks like they are working their way up.

I wrote about Urban Recycling in the past. Plus, we have appreciated the Social Space renovation at the old Shaare Zedek Hospital.

2. A much more well-known Jerusalem meeting space is the Israeli Knesset.

Walking to the Negev Hall for a meeting, I was so surprised to see Alan Clemmons, a former State Senator from South Carolina, to my embarrassment, I at first called him – Sam Clements.

The halls were filled with Knesset Members interacting with visitors.

The meeting I attended started late, as members were busy voting. But the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus held its opening meeting. I learned that with each new Knesset, caucus meetings have to be held anew, as they do not carry over from one government to the next.

Speakers from the government and opposition, as well as security officials, called on Israel to start defeating its enemies, in the event titled “How Should Israel Win the Next War?”

Held in coordination with the U.S.-based Middle East Forum, which manages the Israel Victory Project, it’s an initiative seeking to change the public discourse on the Arab-Israeli conflict. 

While the Jerusalem street where the Prime Minister lives is often closed, walking the Knesset halls one would never realize troubles outside.

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3. The 40th Jerusalem Film Festival opened in the Sultan’s Pool on Thursday night, with thousands filling the outdoor amphitheater stands.

Award-winning actor Dame Helen Mirren was on hand for the premier.

The British actress stood out elegantly dressed in white lace. Director Oliver Stone was also honored – wearing the red tie, also in the front row, as everyone stood when Israeli President Herzog and his wife Michal entered.

President Isaac Herzog was the first of several speakers.

Helen Mirren, the actress who starred as Golda Meir in “Golda,” got the most attention that night, for her brilliant performance in an excellent movie.

The Yom Kippur War was a difficult time, yet the movie has a few moments of comic relief and was well-paced. Even though everyone knew the ending, the film kept viewers entranced. An amazing depiction of a great woman at the most difficult time of her life.

The Jerusalem Film Festival, JFF40, runs from July 13 – 23, 2023.

Showing “Golda” as the opening event made this year indeed special.

Want to guess where else I was?

I have lots more to share for next time, so check back next week.

A clue–this sunset was not in Jerusalem but in southern Israel.

Everyone is trying to stay cool and hydrated, as it’s very hot this week on the Jerusalem streets. So very glad it did cool off to enjoy the movie, as most summer nights in Jerusalem have been reasonably comfortable.