LA Mayer Museum for Islamic Art

Summer in Jerusalem: Building, Books, and Paisley

Sharon A

It’s feeling like summer on the Jerusalem streets.

The sun blazes down from a cloudless blue sky.

Walking during the day, shade can be hard to find.

Though with the new construction rising higher and higher above the Jerusalem streets that situation is changing.

Finding a parking space in Jerusalem is more of a challenge. These men had blocked off spots to save at their construction site on a busy street.

On our moving day, a big challenge was finding a spot for the truck to park to be loaded. Out early on the street, I was upset to see broken glass on the ground by the garbage dumpster probably from a discarded frame of ours.

But by 8:10 am, it was gone.

If I hadn’t been out before 8:00 am I would never have known that this man had cleaned up the area. Plus, he seemed surprised when I thanked him.

Cleaner Jerusalem streets and lots of construction will greet visitors to Jerusalem this summer.

The old ivy is long gone, as the Beit Hanasi entranceway gets renovated.

The President’s Residence visitor tours are back. The new red cord seems to be a physical reminder not to walk thru the president’s garden but stay on the path.

The WaterGen machine is a recent addition. I was able to drink 4 kinds of water – made from the air, from the old cooler, bottled water, and from the caterer’s ice-filled cooler. When it’s hot, water is good for you, right?

The garden stage area in the back of the Beit Hanasi garden was being set for ceremonies of awards to reservists soldiers this week, and the next day for three projects from the IDF, the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the Ministry of Defense, and the Israel Defense Industries. 

Reservist one is open to media, but the special Project Awards stay secret.

I went to Beit Hanasi for the swearing-in of the two new Supreme Court Judges. There were more than the usual number of photographers, but much less media coverage. I decided not to get on the floor with the guys.

So I was able to get the 5 newest judges’ reactions to President Herzog’s joke.

The ceremony itself is very brief. The new judge reads a short statement and receives his certificate from the President, the Minister of Justice, and the President of the Supreme Court.

It’s their speeches that fill the time, while their very proud families fill out the audience along with the Judicial selection committee.

President Herzog had connections with not only the newest judge but her family also from their days in New York at Ramaz School. Surprise, the other judge he did not have connections to talk about, that could have been the first time a Herzog was not connected to an honoree.

Here are the women currently serving on the Israeli Supreme Court,

and the two newest Judges of the Israeli Supreme Court are Yechiel Meir Kasher and Ruth Ronnen.

Education and opportunities for women was an RJS feature last week.

This week the popular Hebrew Book Week is back from June 15 to 25.

It is hard to even give away some Hebrew books. Especially encyclopedias, no one will take them, so they get left out for the Jerusalem street cleaners.

The love of books starts with the young. Beit Avi Chai is having special programs for children and families this week. One story session is to be in English for the children’s Hebrew Book Festival.

But much more than books can be found on the Jerusalem streets.

Paisley: A Princely Pattern is the name of the new exhibit at the Museum for Islamic Art, with a purple paisley pattern now featured on their wall.

The 11th Jerusalem Design Week will be held on June 23-30, 2022, at the nearby Hansen House with installations on the street light pole already going up.

The Jerusalem Symphony and the Jerusalem Beer Fest are advertising for July events. Summer in Jerusalem, the holidays are over, but plenty to do.

Or just stroll and take time to notice the flowers in bloom, thriving in the hot summer sun. However, there was little time for that this short week.

After ordering two closets (for those who do not know Israeli apartments usually have bare walls and you need to get something to put your clothes in) I had to stop for a second and get the sign over the exit door.

It says in Hebrew – Go in Peace! under a view of the Kotel, Western Wall.

The end of the school year events and summer weather were mainly what was happening on the Jerusalem streets this after the holidays week.

Hope you can come soon and see for yourself, summer in Jerusalem.

11 Ways to Enjoy August in Jerusalem

Sharon A

I wonder if everyone slowed down this past week during the heatwave.

Days were so hot in the blazing sun, all I wanted to do was hide in the air-conditioned room and stay off the Jerusalem streets.

But it’s Rosh Chodesh Elul today and the weather person on the radio announced it should cool down to “regular” hot for the week ahead.

Season after season, there are some Jerusalem streets, no matter the hour, I want to stroll and share with you, like this one in Yemin Moshe.

It is fascinating that the new steps look the same after a major repair.

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New sections of King David Street renovations are challenging — they not only surprise drivers but also pedestrians.

The first section of King David Street’s renovation between the YMCA and the King David Hotel is passable now.

The new street is made to look old.

The classic view of the King David Hotel lit up at night – always impressive.

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Summer vacation and people are walking and shopping in Mamilla Mall.

Tourists are enjoying the view from the Montefiore Windmill Promenade. Groups are back on those Segway tours again.

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On hot summer days, the fountain in Teddy Park has been a favorite.

But on this warm summer night, the water was off in the Lions’ Fountain.

Israel has long been known as the land of milk and honey.

This summer at Jerusalem’s Islamic Museum, however, it’s all about coffee.

On a hot summer day, the extensive exhibit offers a good way to keep cool. Who knew of a coffee cup to protect your mustache?

We watched the preparations for the show to open with art,

and artifacts collected from around the world,

an impressive variety of items and displays.

All this is from the small beans originating from Ethiopia.

Not sure that young children would appreciate the rooms of coffee paraphernalia, but there is fascinating historical information on a display that took decades to curate.

The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, BLMJ, is also back with a new exhibit.

BIRDS from ancient sources is new in the temporary exhibition hall where YEMEN was last shown. Another extensive collection of valuable ancient relics with detailed explanations, but not recommended for young children.

However, outside on the BLMJ grounds, the site has been developed for children to learn about birds – in a fun and creative manner. Inside this structure, there are multiple activities for children. The bench outside is good for tired adults who are sharing the experience. Early in the day or at sunset are the best times to view live birds.

A flutist was performing for the gala opening event I attended.

The viewing slots are placed at various heights to accommodate multiple museum guests. Remember on one side of Israel is the ocean and the other the desert, so birds appreciate the Jerusalem landscapes and cooler temperatures just as humans do.

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Here is the new Ice Skating rink at First Station. I appreciated the cooler temperature inside the tented area one warm evening. However, it has gotten mixed reviews. The intense heat was not good for the ice. So go early before you find unwanted pools of water.

More of those bikes to rent are ready at stands, but no helmets.

I have not seen any on the road, but I have seen plenty of rental cars. Beware this time of year when drivers new to Jerusalem streets are making dangerous U-turns after making a wrong turn.

Want to get a view above and over the Jerusalem streets?

The Tower of David has the new option to fly high from the Citadel.

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The Jerusalem campaign to lure Israelis to Jerusalem for the summer holiday days features Miriam Peretz in video and print ads, here she is smiling on a Jerusalem street ad sign.

Not sure where to go and what to do? Tour guides are waiting to help you explore attractions.

The Jerusalem Film Festival will be back later in August. The municipality will show outdoor movie screenings in the city center. The Moonlight Cinema Project is to run all August on weeknights…and there’s more – it would be too long to add all the musical events for youth.

But it’s time to start training for the Night Run, August 29, 2021.

I hope we are finally returning to life in Jerusalem, Israel.

Shakespeare is back in Bloomfield Gardens! Friends at Theater in the Rough are performing – Henry IV in Motion. You have 9 chances to share in the fun and adventure – August 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, and 24, 2021.

Will we see you all soon on the Jerusalem streets for these events?

Shavuah Tov and Chodesh Tov wherever you are, take care and say well.

Jerusalem under Corona Going Up

Sharon A

For months I stayed close to home, so when I ventured out it was a shock.

In Jerusalem, Israel, walking in the park and nature areas had been a daily relief from COVID-19 limitations. But seeing what had been done to the Jerusalem streets in my absence was amazing.

Israel Park with people

Some locations recently renovated have become popular out door spaces.

With the announcement of the renovation, expansion, and renaming of the Jerusalem International Conference Center for Shimon Peres, it was time to go again see what was happening.

It was exciting to see new stairs leading up to where the old parking lot was located. The past years access has been difficult with so many changes in the infrastructure. Every time you came for an event, there was a new traffic pattern and the old stairs were gone.

Jerusalem of old is going and the new is going down and up and up.

The old Kraft Stadium has gone down, just down as seen from the street.

But the housing across the road has gone up and up.

This new Abba Eban Street was one of the first in the neighborhood.

The old Foreign Ministry campus is now a luxury housing project going up.

The bollards are up on the new sidewalk in front the Netanyahu house.

But business in the area is down. This red antique van, parked near Balfour Street for a very long time, was in front of a closed restaurant.

The restaurants and bars are closed, but the bakery is open with patrons waiting outside at a distance, and many food places are selling take out.

Not so easy for a tailor to social distance and survive financially.

But walk up the street and there are new traffic lights and construction.

First time I saw a worker cutting stones on the spot.

The street by the Ohel Nechama Synagogue on the way to the Jerusalem Theater is being redone.

The Jerusalem Theater looks the same, however, it is closed. I just missed a dance class which took place on the plaza outside in front.

This is the new footpath and view from the Jerusalem Theater plaza.

The footpath leads to the new parking lot for the theatre. Seems the builders added a couple of extra floors and now construction has stopped and the action has moved to the court room.

The area around the Jerusalem Theater is very different. Be warned the first time you go to give yourself extra time to figure out which direction is up or down or around.

The Museum of Islamic Art, as are the other museums, is closed and in financial trouble with no visitors. An auction of 200 items from the private museum’s storerooms was halted due to negative publicity.

But there should be more concern for the small business owner who can’t legally open their doors.

Walking around the Jerusalem streets, building after building is going up.

Bus stops have been moved, streets were redone with commercial parking.

The construction fence is gone, and now there’s a new theater in Liberty Bell Park near the rollerblading skating rink and new parking lot.

New seating areas with wooden benches and shade grace more Jerusalem streets since the novel coronavirus crippled the tourism industry.

New paths with fancy wood garbage bins have been installed in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, along with lots of new landscaping.

But walking around Jerusalem, it was good to see some of the familiar sites.

The stairs in Yemin Moshe look the same as before the novel coronavirus.

And the Lion Fountain was back on! No children were splashing and cooling in the water as in past years, but the big lion had the same one drop drip from his chin as before.

So much had changed on the Jerusalem streets over the spring and summer.

The Tower of David is closed to the public for a major renovation. I will share that big project next time. Meanwhile, I will end with a clip from the King David Night and Light Show. Can’t wait to see what they do next!

Hope to be able to share the real Jerusalem streets with you in person soon.