In Jerusalem, looking for good news the first week of June

Sharon A

Another week, another day to decide what to share about the Jerusalem streets.

This week had more challenges, personal and professional.

For sure, no one knows what will happen next on the Jerusalem streets.

However.

The beginning of the summer season is good for vividly colored sunsets.

The summer season has brought serious forest fires. Again.

We could smell smoke last night.

This is a new photo of past fire damage along Route One into Jerusalem, Israel.

Traffic was moving so slowly on the day I went to Ra’anana for a meeting.

Better to see the construction along the highway, from afar, where new communities are growing,

than up close in Jerusalem’s Talpiot.

Getting to Hadar Mall by car, bus, or on foot is not easy or safe.

When the light rail is completed it will be a day for celebration on the Jerusalem streets.

One section of Herzog Street has new lines painted. A miracle? No traffic for a minute to take a photo.

Sitting in traffic was also a time to take a photo of the new entrance of the Botanical Gardens.

One day, both areas should be popular when the light rail construction ends.

While there was enough unpleasant news to share, I want to do a bit of the positive.

This was a very pleasant surprise to find.

The Community Garden in Baka has really progressed.

New plants were planted and have grown.

The shaded sitting area has also been developed.

Baka community garden in Jerusalem with book library

The library in this photo from two years ago is still looking good.

I was glad I wandered away from a 6-year-old birthday party to take a quick look.

Last week was Jerusalem Education Week.

The end of the school year now approaches with endless events.

The annual Hebrew Book Week, June 9-18, will take place again in Kikar Safra, Jerusalem’s Municipality Square.

First Station, where the book fair was for many years, is another huge construction site.

Another week, we carried on.

Birthday celebrations and a bar mitzvah, where the father got out of miluim for the week.

Yes, along with protests, traffic nightmares, and pre-election pontification.

Always something happening on the Jerusalem streets.

It is possible to find the positive if you look around.

Hope to see you this year in Jerusalem!

Jerusalem, old and new, and inside and out

Sharon A

Jerusalem, Israel, is a city of contrasts.

A place of diversity, where the Jerusalem streets are constantly changing.

Jerusalem’s ancient Tower of David and the Old City walls are well known.

The lanes of Yemin Moshe have long been photo-worthy.

Now, with almost everyone having a camera on their smartphone, sights and scenes are widely shared.

The annual Jerusalem Unity Prize awards were presented at Beit Hanasi, the President’s residence, on May 24, 2026.

When Raviv Kaner began to sing, the phones began recording.

Awards were given to 5 communities and organizations for their efforts in promoting unity.

The last two awards were to individuals – Rabbi Yonatan Reiss, founder of the Chedvata network of haredi hesder yeshivot, was honored for advancing the integration of ultra-Orthodox young men into meaningful national service and Israeli society while maintaining strong religious observance.

The audience stood to applaud his award and work.

The final honoree, Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, also received a standing ovation for his longstanding efforts to strengthen relations between the Druze community and broader Israeli society and promote shared life among Israel’s diverse populations.

Also, a new book, “Heroism and Hope” by David Bryfman, was launched on Monday night.

Good to see a long-time connection doing well and launching his book on education in Jerusalem

Out on the Jerusalem streets this week, people were enjoying the weather.

Plus, the unusual quiet, with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, there was less traffic.

Most construction sites were not active for the holiday.

The International Writers’ Festival was less international than in the past.

But as I was going to check it out, another couple was getting engaged nearby.

Ah, the Jerusalem streets where one could find “A little light can dispel a lot of darkness.”

While much of the news is negative, here are a few of Jerusalem’s views you may not have seen.

Construction from every direction, in the distance,

and not so far away.

The light rail construction drags on, with too many images of closed roads to share.

But if you get out to walk on the Jerusalem streets, there are roses to stop and smell.

And the old lanes of Nachlaot to admire.

Hoping for you to see for yourself the real Jerusalem streets.

Not next year in Jerusalem, but soon.

Shavuot in Jerusalem, cheesecake and more

Sharon A

Tourists were back in Jerusalem, Israel, in large numbers for the holiday weekend.

The colourful umbrellas were back too, casting shadows over Yoel Salomon Street.

New decorations were near Ben Yehuda Street for the holiday season.

Oh, how I wish I had a camera for Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

The crowds at the Kotel, Western Wall, were huge as tens of thousands walked to the early morning services on Shavuot. The night before, the learning programs were too many to mention.

A map of sites was even available, with a list of speakers and their locations on the other side.

My week began on Monday morning at the Jerusalem Waldorf Hotel.

The lobby and flowers are worth a visit.

However, the Waldorf, with its Cheesecake Collection, was the first stop of the day.

With five kinds of cheesecake, it was hard to find a favorite.

Milk chocolate with sauce was good, as was the chocolate leaf I grabbed as we left.

On the Cheesecake Crawl, we had 7 stops ending at the Machane Yehuda Market.

The skyline has changed there in the past few years, drastically; it goes up and up.

One “Cheese cake – New York” – not quite as I remembered.

The Marzipan Bakery cheesecake looked like the one I had seconds of at the shul kiddush. Much better soft than frozen from the display case.

Before Shavuot, it was an honor and so much fun to join Jamie Geller, who led the Cheesecake Crawl.

One of the stops had been at the Moulin Dore, a new dairy restaurant.

The cheesecake there was good enough to want to come back on Wednesday evening for the restaurant opening and tasting – and wine.

The food was good. But the lines for the wine were too long as the garden filled.

We walked home to prepare for the Shavuot holiday, followed by Shabbat.

Israelis prepared for Shavuot with cheesecake and dairy meals.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy had a delivery of new shelters.

In Jerusalem, we do not know what will happen next.

But I am sure the Waldorf and the other Jerusalem hotels that were booked solid for the holiday were happy.

Hope to see you next year in Jerusalem!

Too much cheesecake should be our biggest problem.