middle east current events – Page 111 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Snow and More Snow and Black Ice

December 16, 2013rjstreets

Snow in Jerusalem, Israel,

I waited for it to come,

and wow, did we ever get a lot of it!

Now I will try to explain how much snow there was

and how crazy these last few days have been for so many of us.

What a mess it was when the white stuff started coming down.

After a night of pouring rain,

it started snowing heavily around 7:00 am on Thursday.

By noon, 10 cm had accumulated, wreaking havoc with school and work schedules.

At midday, the sky cleared briefly, with a white covering on the ground,

and I could see the Israeli flag was still flying over the Knesset building.

It then continued snowing most of the day,

and by Friday, Jerusalem felt as if it was under siege.

In the words of the prophet Ezekiel, on “tenth of tenth month” of Tevet,

the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem.

The fast day took on new significance this year.

Jokes were going around, but for many, it was not so funny.

Each day we were buried under new and increasing piles of snow.

Five days after the storm began,

our small side street was finally plowed.

Sometimes the snow let up,

leaving Jerusalem looking a bit like Switzerland,

but if you look, those are the roofs of Nahlaot in background,

covered in white with no red tiles showing.

Cleaning snow off cars with squeegees seemed like a good idea,

even if you could not get anywhere.

We left a good snow shovel in Maryland when we sold our house,

who could imagine needing it in Israel?

Friday there was no heat for thousands because of power outages,

so it was warmer outside in the sunshine than inside.

Fallen branches blocking side walks were a common sight.

Major intersections were plowed, I thought these piles of dirty snow

looked more like Boston than Jerusalem.

Real snow plow or not, this was the only one

I actually saw moving the stuff covering the road.

See that sign on the right?

This was to have been a weekend with special hotel deals for tourists.

I doubt many made it with the roads into Jerusalem

shut down for most of day.

There were more people out on these streets when they

were shut down for Obama’s speech last summer.

This woman with small children was out early,

but not many others ventured out into the winter wonderland.

Usually popular when it snows, Gan Sacher, Sacher Park was empty,

the folks with big dogs were the first ones in the park.

Each day I had to clean the steps of new accumulations.

When the room temperature became less than the temperature in the fridge,

I moved the thermometer inside to check on the food.

Fortunately we have gas to cook with,

since our power was off for four days.

It was a very quiet Shabat.

So now the snow has stopped, and it is time to get out from under.

People began to get together to dig out their cars.

It was time to walk to the store and buy some milk, eggs and bread.

Then on the fifth day of the siege after the snow stopped,

black-ice covered the Jerusalem streets in the morning,

with people falling and cars skidding.

At least there are plans being made for some schools to open tomorrow,

perhaps with late openings.

#IsraelUnderSnow

#JerusalemUnderSiege

#shelegeddon

#SnowinIsrael

or whatever you want to call it.

I wanted a lot of snow for viral photo material,

but forgot to ask for electric power and working computer.

So watch what you ask for, no matter how crazy it may be,

like half a meter of snow in Jerusalem, it just could happen.

More Jerusalem snow photos HERE

Oops, better push ‘publish’ fast, some of our power just went out….again.

Federation General Assembly Goes out in New Style

November 13, 2013rjstreets

The 82nd Annual General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America,

the GA, met in Jerusalem, Israel, over three days this week.

The first night Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was main speaker

at the Jerusalem International Convention Center – ICC.

I spent two days inside the ICC, following a program called

“The Global Jewish Shuk: A Marketplace of Dialogue and Debate,”

so it was great that the farewell ceremony was held outside.

These chairs and a small stage were set up for GA delegates

and many others in Kikar Safra, Safra Square.

Minister Naftali Bennett was the featured government speaker,

and he showed off his best English for the Anglo crowd.

Michael Siegal thanked Ronny Douek and

Susie and Michael Gelman for chairing the convention.

And then,

with Mayor Nir Barkat and Natan Sharansky at his side,

he led the crowd out of the government plaza

to the sounds of a real brass band.

With small US, Israeli and GA flags,

they walked along the Walls of the Old City,

past Jaffa Gate,

and up the narrow stone steps,

with more music and more flag waving along the route.

These children waiting to cross the street in the Old City parking lot

got an eyeful as colorful entertainers joined the GA participants.

The route took them to the new area at Robinson’s Arch.

My challenge is to share with you what it looks like now.

This metal platform is constructed up against the wall,

the same huge wall as the Kotel, the Western Wall.

These massive ancient stones have not been moved.

From this platform one can reach up to place a note in the wall

from an area where men and women are not separated and can pray together.

This is the new area, the large platform on the upper left,

that Naftali Bennett talked about at the farewell ceremony,

part of a temporay plan while Natan Sharansky

is trying to work out as a compromise

for Women of the Wall to have Rosh Chodesh singing

and other egalitarian prayer services.

A plaza open to the public was important for this group,

and the GA ended their conference here, as the sun was setting.

I passed thousands more tourists from around the world,

coming down the stairs to the Kotel, to the Western Wall,

to experience the ancient and holy place.

I started to walk home,

after two days of going to exhibit booths,

listening to speakers, meeting new people, running into friends,

and talking and talking, talking too much,

and taking way too many photos.

One woman told me as we were walking, and yes, more talking,

that once she got to Israel, she has not been afraid even once.

I am so glad she also got to know the real Jerusalem streets.

WoW, Rosh Chodesh Kislev at Western Wall

November 6, 2013rjstreets

Rosh Chodesh Kislev,

a new month on the Jewish calendar,

and in Jerusalem, Israel

time for another episode and photo essay of

the Women of the Wall (WoW) and the Women for the Wall (W4W).

As I went down the steps toward the Kotel, the Western Wall,

I met a young new oleh from France who asked me what was going on,

after trying to explain I gave up and just said

” It is Rosh Chodesh today.”

There was less over the top security this month

and the view below was different,

but every month I have gone there has been a different scene.

Early in the morning at the Kotel, the Western Wall Plaza,

there were thousands already below,

and many more people waiting to enter at the main security gate.

This man found a way to beat the line,

as he went under the barrier at the other entrance.

For the first time, part of the plaza area was cleared,

and equipped with a stretcher and medical equipment.

On this 25th anniversary of WoW Rosh Chodesh at the Kotel,

the police and security people were ready.

Security was lined up.

but there were fewer young boys than in the past,

and much less trouble.

One whistle-blower was in the men’s section, as he covered his ears,

he was not the only one trying to block that awful noise.

Sound was all that would get from the men’s side

to the women’s side with these security barriers.

Women of Wall sang loudly.

I am not sure who comes up with the estimates in crowd size,

maybe it is those watching from above.

But besides many women from the US who came for this event,

there were W4W and many female press,

mixed in with thousands of girls and security,

all packed in the small area together.

One thing there is no argument about,

WoW sang their Rosh Chodesh service as loud as they could,

loud enough so that the few men on far side could hear them.

Many women wore prayer shawls,

but there were also ear pieces and microphones.

Trying to keep the singing in unison required many conductors as well.

And there were many cameras, but no violence,

and so the international media has become bored and was missing.

WoW seems to love to play to the camera,

I mean, pray to the camera.

Thousands of young women and girls were at the Kotel.

Many come with serious intentions to pray at this holy site,

and some are not even Jewish,

but sincere tourists from around the world.

Say what you want about W4W and bringing school girls on Rosh Chodesh to fill the plaza,

but some of them do feel the seriousness of the site

in spite of the media circus.

For twenty-four and a half years WoW held their Rosh Chodesh service with little notice.

I sure hope at their 25th anniversary WoW banquet

the idiot who was responsible for arresting a woman in a talit last spring

gets an award for providing more publicity and recognition,

then any PR firm with a huge budget could dream of.

A new area has been set up near the Kotel for egalitarian prayer services.

Will WoW accept the compromise,

or will their male supporters be left in the back behind a divider?

Guess we will have to wait until next month to see what happens.

More photos from Rosh Chodesh Kislev HERE.