Jewish holiday celebration

Passover in Jerusalem, Israel, as always, was like nowhere else.

10 rockets rained in from Gaza to the south and Sderot.

In Jerusalem, it rained dirt for a short while; what a mess for the cars!

But it cleaned the air and with much less traffic,

everyone was breathing easier.

This 24/6 store was closed for seven days,

and bread bakeries were shut tight.

One restaurant was selling used books instead of food.

Passover matzah meals were enjoyed on the streets,

as families paraded in their matching holiday outfits.

A banner welcomed all to the National park that surrounds the walls of the Old City.

A small, peaceful protest about the Temple Mount

at Jaffa Gate was not newsworthy.

Arab protesters and rock throwers got all the media attention,

but I was impressed with this police officer,

armed for serious crowd control – with a bull horn.

I was not the only one this year to come to the Jewish Quarter after the big

Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing at the Kotel, the Western Wall.

Last year was such a mob scene.

Popcorn and fresh juice were for sale on the route through the Old City.

Bagel shops were closed,

but the shwarma bar was open, with its tables covered.

The image of the new  Hurva Synagogue

against a blue sky is always impressive.

People were dressed in so many ways for the holiday,

as they offered holiday greetings to one another.

Many Ethiopians gathered around their leaders,

who stood under their colorful umbrellas.

But theirs were not the only umbrellas on the Kotel plaza.

With so many people converging in a small area,

the streets outside of the Old City were blocked to cars.

While inside the Old City roads were also blocked,

these young Arab men making a delivery had no trouble getting by,

and this Arab woman also walked freely.

However, I was not allowed to use my regular exit.

We had to walk all the way around.

Look at the nice view of Jordan in the distance,

for nothing is very far away in Israel.

These people stopped to enjoy the view.

Another barrier,

 but this time ice cream trucks were ready for tired tourists.

And all day every day, tourists kept coming.

Then another closed road at Zion Gate,

but this car got through.

Finally outside the walls, a picture perfect time,

that rock throwers did not ruin for the hundreds of thousands

of visitors who came from around the world.

There was as always too much to do and too little time,

and too much to eat.

And this year some major supermarkets ran out of eggs.

Big news,

that the new Waldorf-Astoria Hotel opened its doors to the public,

but  that will have to wait for next time…

must go bake some cookies now before all the kids go home.