Night view of Jerusalem, Israel from the Tayelet
after winter rains the air is so clear.
שבת שלום
Shabbat Shalom
Jerusalem
Highs and Lows Felt in Jerusalem
Last week was a week of good and bad news,
now it looks like this is one of highs and lows.
Real Jerusalem Streets is not just about the good stuff,
but what is really happening.
On days like this it is hard to know where to start
and what to post, there is so much to say.
Arab media has been inciting with scare headlines
like “Settlers are Storming Al-Aqsa” for months.
First of all no one is “storming”
if anything a few are walking slowly and under threat.
Jews have to be careful how they move their lips,
as no Jewish prayer is allowed.
MK Shuli Mualem went on the Temple Mount and was assaulted.
Today there was a deadly attack against people waiting for the light rail.
The border police officer murdered in the terror attack in Jerusalem
was named Chief Inspector Jidaan Asad,
he was 38 years old and had a young son.
The terrorist who drove the van into the crowd had published posts
glorifying previous attacks against Jews on his Facebook page.
There was to be a day of rage on Friday,
but the heavy rain this week has kept many inside.
On Shabbat afternoon a huge rainbow arched over the Old City.
Stone-throwing children have been a problem for months,
maybe now police will try and put and end to it.
There were new protest signs this week.
But the Mayor would rather you hear about
the many artistic and cultural events,
including another Einstein on AZZA this Friday.
Streets will be shut for university lecturers to hold forth to the public – for free.
But my high of the week was the Masa Israel Journey Mega-event,
in the Jerusalem Convention Center’s main auditorium.
Certainly it also was a high for the Prime Minister.
Thousands of young people from around the world,
some dancing in the aisles,
excited and happy
to be in Israel for a year volunteering.
School trips to Jerusalem from around Israel have been canceled,
but if you want to end on a high note,
check out this post from Israellycool
earlier in the week and watch the short video at the end,
עם ישראל חי
Am Yisrael Chai
Good News – Bad News from Jerusalem
Good news first.
I was in the US for birth of a grandchild,
his name is Yisroel Tzvi,
and he already is trying to figure out this world.
In the last two weeks I’ve had no computer time,
no down time and little sleep.
I hope you missed the updates from RJS these past two weeks?
As always it is an adventure to fly El Al
and arrive back to Jerusalem, Israel.
But as I arrived home I heard terrible news:
Rabbi Yehuda Glick had been shot
and seriously injured
in an assassination attempt.
I posted on Israellycool asap,
and you can see the background story and updates
In June at the Begin Center,
Yehuda Glick sponsored his first LIBA conference,
where I was shocked to learn that Jews are allowed
only 20 hours a week on the Temple Mount,
while Muslims have almost free access.
Today access to the Muslim masses was limited,
though tomorrow restrictions are to be lifted.
Helicopters are flying overhead,
and in Jerusalem that usually means trouble.
Much has been written about “Price Tag” attacks,
today there was graffiti painted near a church.
Months ago this photo was taken across from the Begin Center.
It did not fit the media spin of “Price Tag”
so it was never reported.
On my next photo walk in the area
I saw that it was whitewashed.
Abu Mazen is spinning the story of one of his followers
shooting a man in cold blood
into “Israel is bad,”
another thread in his narrative;
while Yehuda Glick, a great guy with wonderful sense of humor,
is hanging on to life by a thread.
Join in praying for the recovery of
יהודה יהושע בן רבקה איטה ברנדה
Will this world be easier to understand when Yisroel Tzvi is older?