A week with more than the International Jerusalem Winner Marathon

It was a real marathon week again in Jerusalem, Israel!

Jerusalem was busy preparing for the 13th International Winner Marathon.

But other international events were happening that received less media coverage.

The new National Library of Israel has become a popular tourist stop for locals as well as visitors.

The view from near the main entrance has become a favorite photo op for almost everyone.

Taken from the conference room, the birds have found spots to get the best views.

Bird’s eye view of the Knesset building across Kaplan Street.

USC Shoah Foundation Executive Director Robert J. Williams and NLI Chairman Sallai Meridor signed an exclusive partnership on March 4 to include testimonies from more than 52,000 Holocaust survivors and hundreds of survivors of the October 7 terrorist attacks in an ongoing “Bearing Witness” historical documentation project to be archived at NLI.

Images of the murdered are projected on the screen in a room off the main entrance.

Photos of the hostages are on chairs in the main reading room positioned by the other entrance.

As I was leaving a large group of Arab high school students were arriving at the National Library of Israel where Arabic is used in all the sections.

The Southern Californians were not the only international visitors to sign official documents.

To conclude the Israel Allies Foundation Annual Chairman’s Conference, 20 global parliamentarians met with Israel’s Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel. The coalition of global leaders presented a signed resolution denouncing Iran-sponsored terrorism and war crimes against Israel.

Another delegation was not political and did not sign documents, they sponsored a special Bat Mitzvah celebration for 22 bat mitzvah girls who lost a close relative to terror.

United Mashadi Jewish Community of America (UMJCA) women’s solidarity mission participants from Great Neck, New York, brought gifts and joy to the families who have known so little since October 7.

OneFamily once again brought smiles to the faces of all attending the Jerusalem event.

Much more on that story another time.

The International Life Science & Health-Tech Week in Israel 2024 was held at the Jerusalem Convention Center. It felt like the good old days before COVID-19 again in Jerusalem with a live conference.

The report by Omer Gavish of Israel Advanced Technology Industries was mostly positive.

One participant was on screen from Dubai, along with close to 2,000 people over two days in Jerusalem.

The usual booths, interactions, and great food added to the upbeat atmosphere. One startup for every fallen on October 7 is the goal for the future.

The main event of the International Jerusalem Winner Marathon began with an Expo at Cinema City.

After registering online, runners arrived to get their shirts and numbers for the Friday morning races.

Ok, not all the signs worked in English,

and some of those without words were unclear as well.

But the full marathon finish line in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park was ready ahead of schedule.

With so many shorter races, it is impossible to be everywhere, or even at most places on Friday morning.

But Mayor Moshe Lion was at the finish line to give the medal to the first-place full marathon winner.

With 40,000 people and 500 photos to select from, I decided to do a separate post for the Jerusalem Marathon. However, some photos were posted on Facebook on Friday.

Was wonderful to see so many people on the Jerusalem streets this past week.

See Jerusalem as July Ends

It was another week of trying to stay cool in Jerusalem, Israel, with summer temperatures unusually high for most of July.

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Building and construction went on in spite of the temperatures that kept me off the Jerusalem streets during the day.

Disappointing that the new Israel National Library might look finished from the outside, but the special program planned there next week has been moved to another location. Looking forward to finally seeing the inside!

Outside the Ramada Hotel, the announcement board was unusually empty.

However, inside on the Tuesday before Tisha B’Av was a special event sponsored by the OneFamily non-profit organization Welcoming Women.

Not any woman, but women from all over Israel who had experienced the loss of a family member as a victim of terror – and not just Jewish women.

At the same time the Women’s Empowerment Day was beginning young teens from the US were preparing to leave the hotel. They participated in JCC Maccabi Games held this year in Israel. The games are an Olympic-style sporting competition held each summer and state they are the second-largest organized sports program for Jewish teenagers in the world.

I wondered if the young sportswomen I spoke with, from Florida to California, had any idea of the history of the hundreds of women arriving.

It was standing room only for the day filled with exceptional speakers.

Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi started off the day inspiring as always.

To end her talk she asked the women to bless the person next to them with a version of the priestly blessing using the names of Sarah, Rivka, and Leah.

Physical health tips were included in the day, beginning with healthy brunch options and ending with a dairy dinner, with education and laughter interspersed.

The Women’s Empowerment Days have been held before Tisha B’Av for a number of years, except during the pandemic. Hundreds of women have benefited from the group bonding experience.

And how many more received support from the opportunity to speak with someone who has had a similar pain of tragic loss?

More photos from OneFamily Women’s Empowerment Day.

The next day, for Tisha B’Av the sun went down, and the Jerusalem streets were cooler. Once again I decided to walk around the walls of the Old City.

To start the route goes by New Gate, so close to Mamilla Mall that most people do not realize it. There are new night events held inside New Gate sponsored by the Jerusalem Municipality on my to-do list.

Before passing Damascus Gate, participants were stopped by security to walk together and not spread out. Walking was a slow process this year.

Along the way, we walked by road work and construction near Damascus Gate. Since this was such a quiet walk, with no shouting or singing or violent epitaphs, it was a no-news event you may not have heard about.

Families and people of all ages walked around the Old City Walls.

At Lion’s Gate, there were speeches, but not with the usual well-known names as in the past, and not in the same location.

Though people did sit on the Jerusalem stones near Lion’s Gate, the road was not blocked by hundreds of people as in the past.

One reason I go is for the incredible views from the road of the Mount of Olives over the ancient cemetery, on the way to the entrance to Old City.

The views of Jerusalem at night are special on Tisha B’Av when one mourns the destruction, and now sees the new lights, at the Kotel, and all along the Western Wall.

There were reports of a fox running thru the stones of the old destruction, but I did not find one in any of my photos or videos from this year. I did notice people below in the midst of the stones.

I did see people sitting and sleeping on the ground of the Kotel Plaza, alone

or in groups in the Old City near the Kotel,

or in the Cardo, the Roman main street so long ago before they destroyed the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem on Tisha B’Av in 70 CE.

A replica of the Temple’s golden menorah was lit on Tisha B’Av night, in front of the Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter.

Some of the streets of the Old City were very quiet.

However, all night long on Tisha B’Av, people came and went thru Jaffa Gate.

Thousands of people passed thru Mamilla Mall, but all the shops and restaurants were dark and closed in respect of the fast day.

Not sure I will go again, but this year, I put the various gates and scenes on a short video to give you a feel for the mood and night walking around, which really is a short distance.

I met some fascinating people along the way; a woman and son who recently moved to Jerusalem from the US, a 3-generation family from the Golan who came for the night and planned to drive back, and a young married couple from Utah on their last night in Israel before returning home who were trying to find someone who spoke English to explain to them what was happening in Jerusalem.

More Tisha B’Av photos of the night, during the daytime I stayed inside!

Now that the three weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av are over, the weddings, concerts, programs, and festivals begin again as July comes to an end.

The Wine Festival at the Israel Museum is back again this week.

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In addition, a special Under 20 European Olympic competition is to be hosted in Jerusalem at the beginning of August.

Once again there are things happening on the Jerusalem streets.

Jerusalem Making Memories and Building

What a week it was in Jerusalem, Israel!

A week of ups and downs, in the weather and news and events, hard to remember only a week ago was Hanukkah.

The blue sky and light clouds started the week off on a positive note.

Three (very) young musicians were taking advantage of the last day of the Hanukkah time off from school to play for people in Mamilla Mall.

Oh, the Jerusalem streets appear in a constant state of construction. King David Street road work goes on and on. When will this building be only a memory?

The gates were finally open to this Ivory Coast property the city has taken over after a long period of vacancy.

The Beit Hanasi, President’s Residence’ gates were open to welcome new Ambassadors to Israel this past week with the IDF honor guard.

The full honor guard and IDF band were all rehearsed and ready for the arrival of the new US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides on Sunday.

As he got out of the official limousine to the red carpet welcome, drops of rain started to lightly fall on the official reception.

Were his eyes closed for the playing of Hatikvah or did I just catch a blink?

Like all dignitaries, Ambassador Nides signed the official guest book. His son at his side, and the President with his wife at his side.

But unlike other new ambassadors, after lighting candles on the last night of Hanukkah at Beit Hanasi, Nides joined in the singing of Moaz Tzur while the audience was more restrained, despite Herzog’s encouragement.

The last day of Hannukah was a busy one with family parties and trips. Mostly trips in Israel due to the corona restrictions limiting travel.

But PM Bennett was able to welcome the Prime Minister of Greece and the President of Cyprus to Jerusalem for important meetings.

Also on the last night of Hanukkah, Rabbi Aharon Katz was asked to light the candles to start the opening of the World Championship Flag Football games at the Ramada Hotel.

Close to 900 people from 23 countries participated. The US won both men’s and women’s gold medals as expected and Mexico placed second in both. Where else do you find football players wearing a kippa than Jerusalem?

Mayor Moshe Lion made a grand entrance when he arrived late to the event, which ended with a loud and live band rocking the ballroom. For many of the participants, it was their first time in Israel but very limited due to the corona restrictions. Hope they have good memories and come back soon to see much more of the Jerusalem streets.

On a very different note, another meaningful program was held at the Jerusalem Theater on Wednesday evening as the weather turned cold and windy.

Artist Jacob Jay Garfinkel’s work lined the theater’s lobby walls with his photographs, special images of an item from a loved one lost too soon. His only son Elon z”l died at age 43, and this grieving father initiated an endeavor with OneFamily to make memories with victims of terror.

Families arrived to see the images posted on the walls.

A large crowd gathered for the opening night program as it started to rain.

The Minister of Culture and Sport Chili Tropper and Deputy Mayor Hagit Moshe sat in the front row and spoke. Miriam Perez, one of the grieving parents, sat in the crowd on the steps, wearing a royal blue jacket.

Friends and relatives of the Garfinkels were also in attendance.

Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, the father of Rivka Holzberg z”l spoke on behalf of the survivor families who participated in the Heirlooms: Memory and Cherished Objects.

This photo of OneFamily organizers includes Chantal and Marc Belzberg.

Jay (full disclosure: we have known the Garfinkels for many years) spoke movingly about his son and his work and the process of minimalism in photography.

His work very much broke a tenet of keeping emotion out of the photo.

Perhaps without reading, but beside each picture in Hebrew and English was a text of powerful explanation.

Gaston Perpinal, 15, of Ra’anna, immigrated with his parents from Argentina. A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself at a shopping mall in Kfar Sava, killing him. Gaston was the driving force behind his parents’ moving to Israel. Six months after their Aliyah, he was murdered. With the objects of his youth gone, “there is one way in which I keep Gaston’s memory alive. A tattoo…”

The images were also on display up the stairs on another level.

One more caption by the photo of a uniform – AIMAN.

Staff sergeant Aiman Sharuf, 20, a border policeman from the Druze village of Ussifiyeh, was one of 14 persons killed on October 21, 2002, when a bus was blown up in a suicide attack by a terrorist driving an explosives-laden jeep near the Karkur junction. Aiman’s uniform still hangs in his bedroom in the apartment of his parents. His mother never washed it because “I want to smell it, and it still has his odor.”

Each of the 33 “simple” photographs in the exhibit packs not only powerful memories but messages of lives cut short.

Signs like these line too many Jerusalem streets, they remember the victims of terror murdered at various Jerusalem locations.

The sign has been placed on the wall of the new building that has risen on the site of Moment Cafe where a suicide bomber blew himself up in 2002, killing 11 people.

From terror and tragedy, making memories, and building on the Jerusalem streets. Hope you can see for yourself – and soon.