Colors, Lights, and Highlights it’s Hanukkah Time in Jerusalem

The holiday of Hanukkah is a celebration of miracles and light over darkness.

How does one celebrate a joyous holiday under the cloud of a war when there are too many funerals?

Enjoying the colors in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens this time of year was a good way to start the week.

The lion on the nearby Jerusalem street was also looking bright and colorful.

The decorative holiday street lights were turned back on.

Posters for holiday events went up along the Jerusalem streets. Notice though it’s Jewish Film Week, the term festival is not used, as it seemed inappropriate in wartime.

Many activities for children are still being offered in the various museums and theaters.


Despite the war, the Sam Spiegel Incubator for International Cinema is to open on December 11, 2023.

It is located in the Beit Ha’am Complex off of Bezalel Street in Jerusalem, not far from Sacher Park.

This is the entrance to the Sam Spiegel building

across the plaza from the Ha’mal Otaf Salon for clothing.

Beautifully displayed clothing of all sizes, donated to be given for free, to any of the people displaced from their homes in the southern Israeli towns, who are being housed in Jerusalem, in private homes of strangers, and 70 Jerusalem hotels.

Volunteers work to make sure everything is organized and presented attractively.

Plus a special children’s corner has games, toys, and books in time for Hanukkah.

Walking by the Jewish Agency building I noticed for the first time that the menorah on the roof is for seven candles, not eight for Hanukkah.

However, there was a Hanukkah menorah, hanukia, outside Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence.

The attached sign explains that this is the hanukia of the Kibbutz Nir Oz dining hall.

Hanukkah at night–these lights inside highlight the numerous decorations on the window.

Jerusalem restaurants often have a hanukia in the window,

as does this beauty shop

and this store in Mamilla Mall.

The big hanukia of Chabad of Talbiya was back in Mamilla Mall with live music planned for each night.

After the hanukia was lit, the lively music was accompanied by singing and dancing.

With a smaller crowd than in past years, sufganiyot, traditional jelly donuts were plentiful.

You did not have to be Jewish to participate, these volunteers came from the US on a mission.

Two men came from Tel Aviv and were having a great time. They were sympathetic when I bit into a donut and realized it was a yucky chocolate in the center, not the anticipated jelly sufgania.

Here was a hanukia in a dreidel, not easy to photograph without reflections of the store signs. It was good to see people enjoying Hanukkah in one of Jerusalem’s tourist attractions.

The walls of the Old City were illuminated with a light projection near Jaffa Gate.

The plaza outside Jaffa Gate was sadly empty for a Hanukkah night. However, it was easier to get a clear shot of the new ‘I love Jerusalem’ hanukia.

Notice the Muslim woman out with her young children in Mamilla Mall. There are fewer Arab shoppers than usual, but even during this wartime, they still come, even after dark at night.

The Michael Levin Base was back at StandWithUs with the Solomon Brothers entertaining the lone soldiers and bnei sherut volunteers with their lively repertoire. Holidays for those without family in Israel can be difficult and being with a group is very important.

The special guest of the evening was Colonel Richard Kemp. If you do not know him, I am a long-time fan, take the time to look him up.

On the way home, I went to check out the lights at the YMCA. I think there are more this year.

People were out Friday in the warm weather, eating and talking at cafes, and preparing for Shabbat.

A hanukiah on the Chabad cars is a sign of the season, but there are way too many Chabad celebrations to attend them all.

Hanukkah Sameach

There were more parties, Hanukkah events, and musical performances, on the first night and every night.

Ready with the extras for our family Hanukkah party planned for tonight.

Best wishes for miracles and lights for Bringing the hostages home now.

With the courage of a lion, we will win.

Happy Hanukkah!

Did you See What’s Happening in Jerusalem in July?

As July begins, the days in Jerusalem do not feel shorter but are warmer.

The seemingly endless end-of-school-year events, when every grandparent, cousin, and neighborhood friend is called on to help watch the siblings who are not allowed to attend the nighttime extravaganzas, are ending.

The streets are getting more crowded as international visitors arrive.

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Tour groups abound inside Jaffa Gate,

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and near Zion Gate.

Mamilla Mall has new artwork ready, here my friend was tipping his hat to the new Einstein piece. If you missed the story of Einstein coming to Jerusalem check out Einstein House here.

There is still work to do on the new entrance at the Tower of David.

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New shops opened in the Old City.

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And this “temporarily” closed entrance to the Kotel Plaza is still closed.

But with the thousands of bar mitzvahs and other celebrations,

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the main entrance can be very crowded, and to get there

can be quite the experience with the sidewalk dug up.

There were bar mitzvah parties,

and more bar mitzvah parties,

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all day long on Thursday, so busy from early morning.

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I could not find the two families I was looking for,

and I did not go down to the shaded egalitarian section.

Walking out I marveled at the new go-to cars, going nowhere.

The salesman at the Armenian tourist store agreed it has been a long time since we have seen so much traffic and so many people in Jerusalem.

What else was happening?

The Shavuah Hasfer, Hebrew Book Week extended into Reading Month.

Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence hosted a special event sponsored by Beit Avi Chai on the 150th birthday of Hebrew poet/writer Nachman Bialik.

President Isaac Herzog spoke as did Beit Avi Chai’s David Rozenman.

Beit Hanasi has invested in new barriers – as the protests continue.

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center was the site of the First Pulse of Israel Conference. Itamar Marcus gave his presentation by video, as he was in the US speaking to Congressional committees on the antisemitism and Holocaust denial found in Arab media.

One slide was of journalist Muhammad al Burni, from Jordan, “I want to note a very important point regarding the fabricated Holocaust, truly fabricated” was the quote.

The mostly older audience heard from a new generation of pro-Israel success on Tik Tok and other social media to reach young users with the truth about Israel.

Journalist Sara Haetzni-Cohen, with a child on each side, received an award for her leadership role after the protests and destruction in Lod.

Going home that night I walked thru the Hansen House to see Design Week.

As usual, I marvel at the creativity and use of tech in the old leper hospital.

The Muslim holiday of Eid al Adha was also last week, and thousands of families came to the Old City of Jerusalem to celebrate and pray.

In July the festivals do not end – the Jazz Festival and Film Festival, and more,

and a new exhibit on food at the Islamic Museum in July.

Night is coming at shuk, Machane Yehuda market

Plus, the Machane Yehudah Market, the Shuk is celebrating its 100th year – with music and food to fill the narrow streets in and around with people and parties – more than usual.

Time to come and see the Jerusalem streets, constantly changing.

Jerusalem Day 55 – Yom Yerushalayim

Jerusalem Day, Yom Yerushalayim 50 was a big year with extravagant programs including a drone show, which was new and exciting at the time.

Last year I was in Tel Aviv for Yom Yerushalayim. Not so much fun having to sleep on pillows on the floor as bombs fell near the loft Airbnb I had rented – with no bomb shelter.

Jerusalem Day Israeli flags dancing in street

This year I am again missing the chance to march in the Flag Parade and show you the families celebrating and dancing in the Jerusalem streets.

After Shabbat thousands of young people were dancing and singing with a huge Israeli flag, and many smaller ones.

Yom Yerushalayim has been celebrated for more than one day this year.

The music was blasting from Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, ALL Thursday night. Huge stages were erected, as usual for the WhiteNight, all night long partying, but this year sounded and felt much louder. Other locations also had major live music productions but without as many complaints.

However, even earlier in the week, there were celebrations!

On King George Street, StandWithUs opened its new expanded education center with a flashing video in the new theater space.

The gala reception and program were held outside, behind the YMCA.

But warm feelings inside for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at StandWithUs.

Gorgeous, but cool nights on the Jerusalem streets early in the week.

In the never know what next, I had no idea what this guy was doing,

or who these guys were that wanted their photo taken.

You could feel the energy, people were back on the Jerusalem streets.

Mamilla Mall was alive again, with international tourists and Israelis.

The banner for ‘Yom Yerushalaim 55 years’ was outside of Jaffa Gate.

And inside Jaffa Gate, beigelles were ready for the tourists to buy.

The police station was ready, draped with holiday flags.

Large groups of students on holiday trips filled the Old City lanes.

The Western Wall Plaza near the Kotel was filled with group activities.

From the rooftop of the Aish building, I like to check the progress of the dome rising over the Tiferet Israel synagogue construction.

And of course, from the rooftop, to take multiple photos of the scenes below.

Including Ir David where the new restaurant and cable car station are to be.

On a clear day, you can see over the Dead Sea into to Jordan.

I went to see the Charge d’Affaires of the Kosovo Embassy in Jerusalem Ines Demiri accept an award from the Israel Defence and Security Forum.

People with Israeli flags kept walking by while Ines posed with Jerusalem Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum near the Kotel, Western Wall.

We walked out of the Jaffa Gate toward Jaffa Road, so she could go home and I could get the photo of the giant Jerusalem flag near Tzahal Square.

Oh, what a lovely time of year to walk on the Jerusalem streets!

Especially seeing friends finally able to return to Jerusalem again and join us to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim in 5782.

Jerusalem Old City Walls

Remember for 19 years 1948-1967, Jews were unable to walk in or live in the Old City, the closest was a view was from Notre Dame.

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach!