20 Signs of Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem

The end of 5774 is in sight

and signs of the new year are everywhere.

image Rosh Hashana

The municipality has posted signs wishing a good year to Jerusalem 5775.

This morning, there are dark circles under many eyes of those

who stayed up late for Selihot prayers, and then woke up early this morning.

The Selichot prayers are scheduled almost non-stop,

and there are even tours to see those who recite the special prayers.

image Hebrew sign

One is to be held in Kikar Safra, the Jerusalem Government Square.

image free bus sign

These new signs are for free buses to the Old City,

I had to try one and not walk every time.

Many pre-holiday parties include “raising a cup” to toast the new year,

image truck inspedtion

which makes it a perfect time for road stops to test vehicles and drivers.

image Israel police

But not all police were busy with ticketing or crime this week.

So much to do this short week before Rosh Hashana,

food shopping is crazy and time is stretched to limits.

Emek St Fair walking dogs lots of them pushing a baby

This man is often seen on skate board walking dogs,

but for first time I saw him pushing a baby stroller.

I wondered ‘his own, or some family short on time?’

image people in sukka

Friends who are visiting had time for brunch.

Signs were up for sales, but this restaurant got the first sukka photo for this year.

Every organization is looking for end-of-year donations,

image zedukah

this woman held a sign asking for charity in the Old City,

image homeless man on streets

and this man on Jaffa Street had no sign.

He just held an empty cup.

But there are much prettier sights this time of year,

image limes

like these new limes on the tree ready to be picked,

image Yemin Moshe Jerusalem, Israel

  and wonderful flowers, not just outside on the streets,

but inside

image Jewish holiday table

getting ready for holiday tables as well.

image small park in Israel

Public parks have been cleared and private gardens are ready,

since shmita, the year of not working the land, begins at Rosh Hashana.

 The notes in the Western Wall,

image notes in western wall

were overflowing before the holiday clean up,

image notes western wall

but no one was going to peek at this message wrapped tightly in blue thread.

image chairs at kosel

New chairs were delivered, all ready for the holiday crowds on the plaza.

image blowing shofar at Kosel

It is shofar time,

image soldiers IDF

and after 5774 years

image women at kotel

עם ישראל חי

Am Yisrael Chai,

bus sign Shana tova

Shana tova.

Women of Wall Accept Compromise, Really?

Every Rosh Chodesh that I have gone to the Kotel, The Western Wall,

has been a unique experience.

 After my first  Women of the Wall experienceWoW,

the stench (of the refuse thrown on me) stayed with me for days.

But nevertheless I went back to see for myself what was happening,

and each month has been different.

This time, walking through the Old City,

soldiers near Wailing Wall

there were

Wailing Wall photo

security people, 

Kosel image

stationed at every

Israeli soldiers

single stop

israeli security

on the way to the plaza,

security at Kotel

and also watching from above.

Women of the Wall at Kosel

The plaza was filled with thousands of people.

WoW at Western Wall photo

Inside the women’s section in the back were WoW,

image security, WOW

with more security around them.

Like last month,

a loud-speaker system made the men’s prayers loud enough for all to hear.

The Women for the Wall, W4W, had a good turn out.

western wall image

In the crowd of thousands, many who were saying tehilim for Rav Yosef,

wailing wall image

and many were clearly married, not just seminary girls.

Rosh chodesh , women wearing kipot

WOW wore varied head coverings

women's prayer group image

and several wore tefillin.

As before, they used a microphone, and when they sang loudly

 there was noise from some of the girls trying to drown them out.

image woman wearing tefilin

At this Rosh Chodesh prayer service,

man at Wow service

the men stood behind the partition.

While tehilim were being said, WoW were quiet.

image Women of Wall

After their service they sang hatikvah.

image haredi boys at Western Wall

which brought shouts from some of the girls and the boys watching near by,

but they were quickly stopped by security.

woman at wailing wall

It was an emotional experience for some.

WoW at western wall

As the The Women for the Wall left, a police line kept the groups apart.

security at Al-Quds

Then WoW left the area the same way as they did the last month.

Reporting that this time they had to “sneak out,” is just another example

of a news source getting it wrong.

After WoW and W4W had already left,

trouble at western all

 this couple on the right walked through the plaza.

A small group of “religious” looking  young men, 

started shouting at them.

western wall trouble

One was taken away by security.

There have been headlines that Women of the Wall

accepted a compromise offered by Natan Sharansky.

Most people would love that to be true,

to keep The Kotel  a peaceful place,

and not to be a battle ground.

women of wall

 Now it is clearly used as a backdrop for a political agenda

woman with tefilin

 and a power struggle.

 Anat Hoffman says they are not leaving

and next month is WoW’s 25th anniversary,

so I guess there will be at least one more chapter to this story. 

More photos from Rosh Chodesh Marchesvan on 

The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook Page.