The last two awards were to individuals – Rabbi Yonatan Reiss, founder of the Chedvata network of haredi hesder yeshivot, was honored for advancing the integration of ultra-Orthodox young men into meaningful national service and Israeli society while maintaining strong religious observance.
The audience stood to applaud his award and work.
The final honoree, Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, also received a standing ovation for his longstanding efforts to strengthen relations between the Druze community and broader Israeli society and promote shared life among Israel’s diverse populations.
Also, a new book, “Heroism and Hope” by David Bryfman, was launched on Monday night.
Good to see a long-time connection doing well and launching his book on education in Jerusalem
Out on the Jerusalem streets this week, people were enjoying the weather.
Plus, the unusual quiet, with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, there was less traffic.
Most construction sites were not active for the holiday.
The International Writers’ Festival was less international than in the past.
But as I was going to check it out, another couple was getting engaged nearby.
Ah, the Jerusalem streets where one could find “A little light can dispel a lot of darkness.”
While much of the news is negative, here are a few of Jerusalem’s views you may not have seen.
Construction from every direction, in the distance,
and not so far away.
The light rail construction drags on, with too many images of closed roads to share.
But if you get out to walk on the Jerusalem streets, there are roses to stop and smell.
And the old lanes of Nachlaot to admire.
Hoping for you to see for yourself the real Jerusalem streets.
Tourists were back in Jerusalem, Israel, in large numbers for the holiday weekend.
The colourful umbrellas were back too, casting shadows over Yoel Salomon Street.
New decorations were near Ben Yehuda Street for the holiday season.
Oh, how I wish I had a camera for Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
The crowds at the Kotel, Western Wall, were huge as tens of thousands walked to the early morning services on Shavuot. The night before, the learning programs were too many to mention.
A map of sites was even available, with a list of speakers and their locations on the other side.
My week began on Monday morning at the Jerusalem Waldorf Hotel.
The lobby and flowers are worth a visit.
However, the Waldorf, with its Cheesecake Collection, was the first stop of the day.
With five kinds of cheesecake, it was hard to find a favorite.
Milk chocolate with sauce was good, as was the chocolate leaf I grabbed as we left.
On the Cheesecake Crawl, we had 7 stops ending at the Machane Yehuda Market.
The skyline has changed there in the past few years, drastically; it goes up and up.
One “Cheese cake – New York” – not quite as I remembered.
The Marzipan Bakery cheesecake looked like the one I had seconds of at the shul kiddush. Much better soft than frozen from the display case.
Before Shavuot, it was an honor and so much fun to join Jamie Geller, who led the Cheesecake Crawl.
One of the stops had been at the Moulin Dore, a new dairy restaurant.
The cheesecake there was good enough to want to come back on Wednesday evening for the restaurant opening and tasting – and wine.
The food was good. But the lines for the wine were too long as the garden filled.
We walked home to prepare for the Shavuot holiday, followed by Shabbat.
Israelis prepared for Shavuot with cheesecake and dairy meals.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy had a delivery of new shelters.
In Jerusalem, we do not know what will happen next.
But I am sure the Waldorf and the other Jerusalem hotels that were booked solid for the holiday were happy.
Hope to see you next year in Jerusalem!
Too much cheesecake should be our biggest problem.
One day, sirens sounded, and people headed to shelters off the Jerusalem streets.
Then, Pesach, Passover, ended with a ceasefire announcement.
Put away the Pesach pots and pans and dishes, and boom, back to normal?!
April weather had been unusually cold.
But the next day, when the sun was shining, people returned to the Jerusalem streets.
Overnight, the blue and white Israeli flags were seen flying in the breeze.
Seeing the new flag on the car mirror was a sure sign of the season of the Yoms.
For Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Martyrs’ and Remembrance Day, the official state opening at Yad Vashem on Monday night was recorded. With the constant missile attacks since Purim, Homeland Security regulations had limited the size of events and the need for adequate shelters.
Hundreds of guests outside in the Warsaw Ghetto Plaza did not happen this year.
Leading up to Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, President Herzog hosted families of fallen soldiers at an annual event supported by the IDF Widows and Orphans and Yad L’Banim organizations.
Fallen soldier Moti Shamir’s mother told how he would stand with his Holocaust survivor grandmother for the siren each year. Shamir’s daughter, born after he was killed on October 7, sat on her mother’s lap.
So many new stories with over 350 widows and 900 orphans since October 7, 2023.
Each of the eight families shared stories of their lost son, daughter, or sibling.
They also brought an item to share; one family showed the Herzogs a shirt.
One mother shared a story of a policewoman and a stuffed toy.
Yom HaZikaron begins tomorrow night, Monday, April 20, 2026.
The Michael Levine Base Ammunition Hill ceremony has people sitting outside. This year, it is recorded. There were doubts about the safety of 1000 people seated outside with no adequate shelter.
However, for Yom Hazikaron, there are many smaller community-centered commemorations throughout Israel.
What a week this was with the transition of going back to school after 6 weeks.
The biggest event to end the week was the 15th International Jerusalem Winner Marathon.
The races were originally planned for before Passover and then rescheduled for April 17, 2026.
Decisions were made down to the last tense minute, to run or not to run.
By Thursday evening, thousands had come to Cinema City to pick up their race kits.
Remember, people signed up to run in Jerusalem before the ceasefire was announced.
The marathon EXPO was held at Cinema City, and people were shopping.
It had one new feature this year that was popular.
All the runners’ names were posted on a sign, and they could take a selfie.
Can you see that there were fewer names at the top of the blue row for the full marathon than the other, shorter, much more popular races?
The green section is the 10-kilometer race, which had so many runners that it was divided into 3 start times.
Red was the half-marathon; all registered full runners could participate in that race.
There was no full marathon this year due to the hot weather forecast.
In previous years, the marathoners came here as I went to the starting line.
The barriers left along the street were very different this year.
All start times were moved up an hour, and the first runners took off in the dark.
The air quality did get very bad, and running later was a health hazard.
The entrance used by full marathon runners to enter the park was closed.
The full marathon finish line was empty when I got to the park.
The VIP tents on the side were not open this year.
However, the marathon finish was popular this year. Almost everyone took photos.
Only runners were allowed in the park, not their supporters, due to security.
The organizations’ booths were not allowed to set up in Sacher Park.
Homeland Security had limited numbers and encouraged runners to leave as quickly as possible after their race.
The Remember Roey running group managed to get a small table set up.
This year, many running groups were in memory of fallen soldiers.
Many of the organizational groups were smaller, with international runners unable to come.
Less celebrating, less congregating, and less music – no full marathon, but the races went on.
At the starting line for the 10-kilometer races, it was very crowded.
Thousands of runners lined up and waited for their start.
The enthusiasm was not muted by the weather or war.
Preparing for this marathon was done in a sprint.
Supporters were out at the crazy earlier hours.
All runners at the finish line were winners.
Without the booths, food, and family and friend supporters, runners were filling the park, able to rest after their race.
The 15th International Jerusalem Winner Marathon was held, with tens of thousands of runners participating in the shorter races. Only one case of heat exhaustion was reported.
On the way home, I saw this smiling duo coming toward the finish line.
Remember the first full successful marathon?
A woman was killed nearby by a bomb less than 48 hours before the start.
