Jerusalem

14 Erev Yom Kippur Sights in Jerusalem

rjstreets

The busy holiday season is well under way.

Before Rosh Hashana the heat and dirt

made it impossible to go outside,

car covered with dirt

and a few reminders are still around.

Shemitta is over

flower bed jerusalem Israel ready for planting

and public areas are ready for replanting.

selling decorations for Sukkot

Vendors of colorful Sukkah decorations have popped up all over.

But first, Yom Kippur is this week,

and huge crowds gathered nightly at the Kotel, the Western Wall,

for selihot prayers.

shul at Beit Hanasi

Last night there was a full house at the synagogue on the grounds

of Beit Hanassi, the Israeli President’s residence.

 for a musical selihot service.

Music at First Station

A large crowd was at First Station, Tachana Rishona,

Piyut time in Jerusalem

for a special Piyut Festival event,

but piyut and Klezmer music and selihot can be found

in many more locations as well.

First Station photo exhibit

First Station has a new display of old paper newspapers

with 70 years of history at a glance.

Lego Land

Lego Land at First Station was quiet,

since there are no more summer late-night outings with the kids,

and it is back to school for ‘meet-the-teacher’ nights instead.

Jerusalem Israel hebrew sign near Knesset

Kikar Safra, government square. is hosting

a huge sing-a-long for the start of the new year,

headlining popular singer Ehud Banai.

women Islamic Museum

There is a new exhibit on women at the Islamic Museum,

and the Tower of David and others are set for the openings of

the Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art.

Plus, tonight is an open house at the

Jerusalem Bloomfield Science Museum.

fall community festivals in Jerusalem

Neighborhood festivals are continuing,

Sukkos event

like this one on Derech Bet Lehem, Bethlehem Road.

Holiday visitors keep arriving from around the world.

Sukkos Jerusalem parade

The Jerusalem Parade, celebrating its 60th year,

will take place on October 1st,

and preparations are well under way for this international celebration.

Sukkot is always such a busy time with so much happening.

halah

Now it is time to finish preparing for Yom Kippur.

Israeli bus with Yom Kippur holiday greeting

The buses are well into the mood,

displaying a greeting to be sealed for a good year.

גמר חתימה תובה

Wishing all a good, healthy and peaceful year.

 For a few more sounds of the season:

click HERE

Jerusalem before Rosh Hashannah

rjstreets

The week of preparations for Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem, Israel,

begins with a very late Saturday night.

selichos Jerusalem

Hundreds tried to pack into Ohel Nechama Synagogue

for special musical selichot service at 11:30 pm,

led by Yitzhak Meir.

It was too crowded and hot for me,

Jerusalem sehilchos

so I went to the Great Synagogue,

where over a thousand people,

came to hear the Chazan who always draws a large crowd.

western wall prayer

Then on to the Old City and the Kotel, Western Wall,

where groups of men gathered to read the Selihot prayers.

Selihot at western wall

Thousands of people were there.

Remember this is already after 1:00 am,

and people were still arriving as I left.

old city sleichos

But walking through the Rova, the Jewish Quarter,

I heard singing and music.

I followed the sounds to a small synagogue where another

Carlebach-style minyan was going on and on.

There were other large crowds

on the Jerusalem, Israel streets this week,

but you probably did not hear about them.

security

This bus blocked Emek Refaim Street,

Yad2 street fair

for a neighborhood street fair sponsored

 by Yad2, a second-hand selling group.

crowd on Emek Refaim

Huge crowds turned out and the streets were full.

Young and old were able to stroll and shop,

to the music of many different musicians playing along the street.

costumed dancer

A man inside this inflated costume performed all kinds of contortions

as a Klezmer Band played in the background.

child entertianer

This puppeteer had an impressive collection of puppets

and put on a show that involved children in the audience.

entertainer at Yad2 fair

Many street entertainers performed,

two people in costume

it was a colorful event that went on for hours,

but I had to leave.

Muslim man and woman going to Emek REaim street

I was walking over to Hansen House

for a special event.

A much smaller crowd gathered in the courtyard,

of the Old Leper Hospital,

under renovation as a cultural and tech center.

Hansen Hospital courtyard

Six impressive Israeli StartUps presented.

Lishtot, a way to test water quality in two seconds,

won the StartUp Open 2015 competition

of the Global Entrepreneurship Network.

Lishtot will represent Israel in the global contest to be held in November.

And then,

Ols City view during sandstorm

the skies filled with dirt,

with particles too small to be called a sandstorm,

but a miserable haze,

where the Old City Walls were difficult to see.

Hot and dirty air is keeping me off the streets today.

Tower of David

But, before Rosh Hashannah I would rather go

back to photos from earlier in the week to end,

Maillma Mall art work

on a much more pleasant note.

שנה טובה

Happy New Year.

Statue of musicians in Mamilla Mall not enough,

here are links for two short videos

of Old City selihot.

 Chziki Sofer not only sings Carlebach, he sounds like Reb Shlomo.