Purim in Jerusalem – The Real Jerusalem Streets

The Best of Purim in Jerusalem

March 12, 2023March 12, 2023Sharon A

Purim in Jerusalem, Israel, is so very strange every year.

Purim is celebrated the day after the rest of the world- on what is called Shushan Purim. The street sign for Queen Esther is not really upside down.

Shushan Street sign in Jerusalem, Israel

There is also a street called Shushan Street – it’s near Safra Square.

Things feel different as the rest of the world has moved on and in Jerusalem, we are just finally getting started with the upside down.

Clowning around and colorful clowns abound.

The demise of Haman was announced but not mourned on this sign posted on a message board at a local community center.

After weeks of preparation, Shushan Purim went by with too much happening to capture it all. Nachlaot and many Jerusalem streets were bursting with costumed crowds, but here are a few favorites…

Best little guy costume

and an even cuter littlest one!

Not only little dinos, but space men were popular this year.

NASA better watch out for these future astronauts.

Best big hair,

Best big blue mask,

the very best big ears,

and the best underwear for a hat.

Jerusalem synagogues were filled for the readings of Megilat Esther.

Beer, wine, and booze were found inside and outside on the streets.

Chabad again sponsored multiple Megillah readings at night and all day long on King George Street and around.

But also in Jerusalem community parks hundreds assembled to hear the story of Esther repeated at night.

And there were musical events before and after the Megillah was read. How nice to see that on the Jerusalem streets where protesters usually shout against the Prime Minister, people sat quietly together to celebrate Purim.

The Megillah is read by night and by day,

and more young women have undertaken the reading of the Megillah at special readings for women.

This year Jerusalem’s Shushan Purim day of celebration coincided with March 8 and International Women’s Day, so no new piece this time.

Therefore, I thought I’d share a women’s event held on March 9th at Shalva.

A Playback Theater experience with workshops especially for women.

Led by Toby Klein Greenwald and her expert drama and therapist cohosts, right after Purim, 100 women impressively participated in performance and movement and powerful improv workshops.

Plus, the Shalva building has many inspirational sayings lining its walls.

Where else on Purim would you enjoy such a lovely view while delivering a Mishloah Manot dinner to a friend, when stopped at a traffic light?

Purim is finally finished on Jerusalem streets.

Now the Jerusalem Marathon signs for Jerusalem street closings are up.

Tens of thousands of runners are registered to fill the Jerusalem streets on Friday, March 17, 2023. One of the finish lines is ready and the full marathon finish in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, is being built.

My Purim hair/costume is put away until next year.

Pesach prep has begun.

Always something positive happening on the Jerusalem streets, when are you coming to see it?

Jerusalem Days of Topsy Turvy and Upside Down

March 6, 2023March 6, 2023Sharon A

I was stuck, trying hard to find new words for another roller-coaster, emotional week in Jerusalem, Israel.

How about upside down, or how topsy turvy?

The commotion was too much of a downer at the start of the week, so I went to the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens for a bit of fresh air and sunshine.

Stopping to watch a white swan swim across the pond,

appreciating the small wonders in nature,

and seeing the brilliant colors makes it’s also hard to remember it’s winter.

But to be real, not all is so pretty and pleasant on the Jerusalem streets.

Barriers abound and block sidewalks.

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As the weeks go on, the barriers are getting bigger.

And they seem to be multiplying, and blocking the pathways.

Barriers are set early on Friday, ready for the after-Shabbat protesters at Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence.

Barriers have been placed around the fountain at French/Paris Square.

Then Wednesday, the street where the Netanyahus live, was closed.

The barriers in front of their home remind me of those in the park.

However, there was much more happening in Jerusalem this week.

My friend from the US noted there was no armed guard at the entrance to our synagogue in Jerusalem on Shabbat.

But security is on higher alert, as seen here in Gush Etzion last week.

However, road works, such as the second tunnel from Jerusalem to Gush Etzion, are finally reaching the final stages, after years of construction.

For the first time, the Speaker of the Senate of Canada was visiting the Knesset and flags were flying for the official welcome.

Sunday, Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger was in Jerusalem.

Buildings are going up and up all over Jerusalem. These towers tower above and off King George Street.

The center of Jerusalem off of Jaffa Road along the light rail tracks has come back to life again after pandemic closures.

New stores are opening in anticipation of returning tourists.

Old streets are being regentrified with new boutique hotels and shops.

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HaBoydem has opened a new larger space to sell its recycled clothing.

Shaon Horef – שאון חורף or Winter Noise was back Monday nights in February.

Winter Noise was on the street near where we lived and also in the 2014 Winter Noise. I used to go to all four Monday nights, but not this year.

This time I only got to the last one on the last Monday of February.

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These guys were my favorite as they walked into Harvey’s and sat down.

Oh, Jerusalem streets, where much of the year, one can often ask whether it’s Purim or not Purim.

The Shaon Horef of 2023 was well done, check out a few video highlights.

And it was held on Shushan Street, a perfect location before Purim.

The Purim holiday signs are up along the Jerusalem streets.

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Mishloach Manot baking and preparations have begun.

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Signs of Purim in the neighborhoods were up last week.

The streets were filled with schoolchildren dressed in costumes, however, some of the cutest did not want to be photographed.

So you will have to come back next week for Purim favorites.

There are too many Jerusalem Purim events to list, at the Israel Museum, the Tower of David, the Train Theater, Safra Square, and more,

but you can find Purim events in English on the Jerusalem website.

Purim week is always a time of upside-down, topsy-turvy.

Hoping this Purim will be celebrated in a good way, so check back next week to see.

פורים שמח

Purim sameach!

11 Firsts the Week before Purim in Jerusalem

March 13, 2022March 13, 2022Sharon A

The time before Purim in Jerusalem, Israel, is usually filled with surprises, like seeing teens going to school in pajamas, children with painted faces, or adults dressed in costumes walking down the street.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met in the Kremlin with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week on Shabbat, which was certainly a first.

Firsts. Also, highs and lows filled the emotional rollercoaster week as we watched reports from Ukraine.

The official welcome for Israeli President Isaac Herzog on a state visit to the Republic of Turkey at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the official complex in Ankara was a significant first.

The Herzogs were hosted by the Jewish community on Thursday morning at the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul.

While at the Presidential Library in Turkey, accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic of Turkey, Emine Erdoğan, Michal Herzog gifted a number of Hebrew books to the library during the visit.

Certainly, there were other firsts in Turkey and the international scene, but now back to Jerusalem the week before Purim.

This was not the first visit of Mike and Karen Pence to Jerusalem. Three years ago as US VicePresident they received royal treatment. This time their visit to Hebron got more attention than to the Kotel, Western Wall. Former US Vice President Pence received an award from the Friends of Zion at the beginning of the week.

Pence with leaders of Western Wall Heritage Foundation

I never found out what video they were shown last time at the Kotel.

Karen Pence at Western Wall on visit to Jerusalem

But the photos of Keren Pence I took that day are still a favorite of mine.

For the first time, I got a good view of the Jerusalem Gateway Project from above with a look at how they are working around the old cemetery. The housing projects in the distance have expanded considerably.

2. First time I got a tour of the Jerusalem Report, courtesy of editor Steve Linde and the Jerusalem Post, and saw editor-in-chief, Yaakov Katz, at work in his office.

3. First time seeing the new art displays are back in Mamilla Mall.

4. The new Paris Fountain at French Square was revealed. It is not the same fountain, similar and larger.

The area will look very different than before, larger and with seating and landscaping. They started planting flowers today.

Twenty years ago, at this spot was the Moment Cafe, where a suicide bomber blew up himself, killing 11 people. Today a new residential building has been completed and the cafes have closed. Families have come every year to remember their murdered relatives and friends, with posters, flags, and memorial candles.

5. For the first time this year, a special box with spaces to hold 11 candles was in place. I have not seen that elsewhere and there are way too many of these memorial plaques at other terror sites.

Not a first, but unusual, to have thunder and lightning storms over the Jerusalem streets. Thanks to Facebook memories I saw in March, the weather extremes changing by the hour are an annual occurrence.

6. The lightning flashes are too fast to capture. However, this storm went on long enough for me to get a few shorts to make a stormy night video.

And from the video to get an image of one of the lightning flashes to share.

After the storm, Mamilla Pool was half-filled. Lovely photo, though a few minutes later I had to run home in heavy rain, not such a pretty picture.

7. I have seen several tourist buses, but this was the first welcome back sign in a very, very long time. Today I stopped to talk to a couple from Luxembourg with a tour guide and a group from New York City who had been here all week. The women were shopping before going home tonight.

8. Love signs are up along the walking/biking path at First Station

and this heart-shaped sculpture is now in First Station, moved from near the Jerusalem Old City Walls at Tzahal Square.

9. Who does not love those first buds and signs of spring?

Ok. Perhaps those suffering from seasonal allergies are not that excited. At least all the rain is washing away the pollen.

But oh the variety and colors lining the Jerusalem streets.

Even sprouting up from the ancient rocks, a favorite sign that winter is waning.

These purple ones are very common to see on many Jerusalem streets.

10. But this was the first time I saw a sign for ‘Purple in the Armon’. The south has the Darom Adom, Red South for fields of red wildflowers. The Jerusalem event is to promote the local hill filled with purple lupines.

But Purim? Not new, the Hansen House has hosted continuous events and plans for Purim, and on Shushan Purim, it sounds like a place to stop and see.

These new signs at first I thought were for Purim but later realized are for an educational conference in Jerusalem after Purim.

Also, signs are up for the sports EXPO held before the Jerusalem Marathon. It is back at Cinema City, similar to the EXPO before the races in October.

And, a nice winter view of the Knesset, which is now closed for a two months intercession, from the newly developed walking path.

11. And to close, another first. An RJS video recap of some of the sights and sounds on the Jerusalem streets of the last week before Purim.

More upcoming Purim events in Jerusalem – Purim in Disguise

Safra Square on Shushan Purim – Friday, March 18th this year.

Certain early events have already been postponed due to the changing weather. So check back next week for the real story of what happened on the Jerusalem streets for Purim.

You never know what you will find on the Jerusalem streets.