Passover – Page 3 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Streets Go Virtual for Passover Pleasure

April 12, 2020Sharon A

Jerusalem, Israel this time of year is usually one of the busiest.

Pesach, Passover, has many other names, including the holiday of spring, and the holiday of freedom. Streets are usually full of people, rental cars, tour buses, and holiday pilgrims.

This year the yearning for freedom from home isolation was felt around the world as the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic kept people inside their homes.

This year with Pesach and Easter coinciding streets should have been packed.

Instead, they are empty.

Three years ago this was the scene at the Kotel, Western Wall for Birkat Kohanim, Priestly Blessing.

Ten men prayed together at the Kotel and recited the blessing today.

A tiny microbe has done what wars, stabbings, suicide bombers, car-rammings and other forms of terror could not accomplish.

However, if nothing else, Israelis are resilient.

Moving off the streets and online, here are five suggestions to experience Jerusalem over this holiday week.

Instead of sharing places to go and things to do in Jerusalem, Fun in Jerusalem is offering at home ideas.

2. The Tower of David Museum has virtual tours free for this week, check out one introductory tour HERE

Or take time and explore the site for other tours HERE

3. The Jerusalem Cinematheque is closed. Last month when I went to a special performance, already concerned about the virus, I heard a woman coughing. Quickly I went in ahead of and away from her. Hard to believe that was just over a month ago and one of their last events.

However, the Cinematheque is offering a wide variety of entertainment links, from first-rate old US movies to ‘Peter and the Wolf’ performed by the Royal Ballet and Metropolitan Opera mega productions: HERE

4. The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem is also at work getting more content online: HERE you can see the video from Yemen exhibit.

5. Experience the Western Wall Tunnel Tours from home:

Sadly the exciting Jerusalem night shows are on hold.

But here is a bit of the introduction to the Tower of David Night Show.

And the City of David Sound and Light Show Finale.

Hoping all stay well, wishing you a healthy holiday.

Let’s keep in touch virtually, until we can see you again soon on the Jerusalem streets.

18 New Signs of Spring in Jerusalem

April 9, 2019April 13, 2019Sharon A

Spring in Jerusalem, Israel.

One day it feels like winter and then the next day feels like summer.

These are signs of spring, besides the birds chirping before dawn.

After unusually heavy rains, the spring weeds have reached new heights.

A favorite sign of spring was in a Gan Ha’atzmaut, Independence Park, of a group of young children playing and the sounds of their laughter.

New signs have been posted for tourists, as this one near Yoel Salomon Street.

Another new festival for spring at the old Hansen House.

On Jaffa Road, the sun came out. Temperatures warmed. People left their jackets and sweaters at home and were wearing short sleeves.

Good Deeds Day programs were held in several locations. Hundreds of volunteers and organizations were honored at Heichel Shlomo.

While thousands more volunteers participated in a program at First Station.

The Tower of David new exhibit for spring,”The Mount” has new street posters.

A favorite any time, but especially at night, the Tower of David was venue for the Forbes Women Under 30 Summit gala opening event in Jerusalem.

The following day felt like spring in JVP Media Center for the Forbes Under 30 participants. Entrepreneurs, mostly women, from around the world gathered in Jerusalem to learn, network, and initiate innovative ideas. Photos HERE

The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem BLMJ has new signs for new exhibit. New ancient sites are constantly being discovered.

There are new story hours for free in municipal libraries. Special art tours and tours of Kikar Safra are being offered, some at noon in English.

A list of 40 communities hosting communal seder meals has been published.

New signs for Kosher for Passover food popped up all over Jerusalem this week. This butcher shop had new sign for its new location.

Kikar Safra, Jerusalem Municipal Square, had large signs for its holiday matzah baking.

In a large tent, tables were set up for public to make their own matzah.

Dozens of poles were ready to move the dough to be baked.

Four ovens were set up to bake the matzah quickly.

A woman asked for one, and received a matzah to take home.

A group of young boys prepared enough matzah to fill a large bag.

Each piece was inspected carefully to make sure it was good for Passover use.

Oops, this one did not make it.

Another sign of spring in Jerusalem, the rental cars arriving.

Signs are up over Jerusalem streets for spring celebrations.

Passover, Easter, Orthodox Easter, Good Friday, Maundy, Ridvan Festival, Lailat al Bara’ah, Nabi Shu’eib, all these spring holiday fall in the same week this year.

Happy Spring Holiday in Jerusalem.

Looking forward to seeing thousands of spring holiday visitors on the Jerusalem streets.

For more, check out Fun in Jerusalem Passover Guide HERE

The Secret of Israel’s Success

April 11, 2018Sharon A

Another Passover has passed over.

In one week we went from burnt bread on the streets,

to pieces of crushed matzah.

Tens of thousands celebrated with outings to Jerusalem parks. Hopefully, each year more and more visitors will clean up after themselves.

The best of Passover included the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. Parking a car was a problem, as it was such a popular site.

Fresh pizza made out of potato flour, instead of wheat, was available in First Station and at many other locations over Passover. Now it is back to regular flour.

Over the holiday week, the furniture, dishes, and equipment were removed. Now even the sign is gone from what was recently Cafe de Paris. This was the site of the Moment Cafe and a tragic suicide bombing in 2002. It also was one of our favorite kosher pizza places as tourists years ago. Now we hear that this corner location across from the Prime Minister’s Residence, where US secret service agents would hang out on breaks from duty guarding presidents, is to become an apartment building.

Have you heard the name Avera Mengistu? Do you know where Avera is?

Next to the Prime Minister’s Residence, where the Shalit family set up their encampment, is a new protest tent.

Avera has been held captive in Gaza for over 3 years, over 1308 days. His family and friends are trying to raise awareness and get Avera, who suffers from mental disorder and was a civilian who somehow wandered over the border, home safely.

In the rain yesterday, there were people still under that shelter and there were protest marches in a number of cities. Today for first time I heard his brother interviewed on the radio.

“WELL DONE, you’re almost at the finish line” was a sign I saw on my way to Gan Sacher on Passover. It was for the full marathon runners as they came near the end of their run. Now that the Passover things are put away and the cleanup is almost over, it feels like I reached the finish line.

However, there is no down time in Jerusalem, Israel,

and the large Israeli flags are up on the Jewish Agency Building.

New flags are flying near Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence.

The upcoming Yom Ha’atzmaut, Independence Day, Israel at 70 celebrations are meant to be bigger than ever.

Rehearsals for the opening ceremony at Har Herzl have begun.

Soldiers with flags practice to march for perfection for the live television broadcast.

The huge staging area is under construction.

These are the young men and women proudly serving in the security services to defend the State of Israel.

The secret of Israel’s success?

According to expert strategist Yaakov Amidror, Israelis have a “bad habit” by living life and not stopping with every tension, until the first ammunition is used on other side. The secret is to continue to act as if nothing is happening around us, to live and work and enjoy regular life, to plan and celebrate Yom Haatzmaut.

But when force is needed, as in past wars, to count on the IDF to be prepared and defend us, and to make wars as short as we can.

Israel at 70, going forward and strong.