Hot News and Not News

The World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency meetings

 brought delegates from around the world together in Jerusalem.

The High Court rulings against Emmanuel School parents brought 100,000 protesters.

 High temperatures resulted in record electric usage and fires outside of Jerusalem.

 

Summertime favorite Gan Sacher was nearly deserted in the heat,

but as the sun was setting,

 strong afternoon winds finally brought temperatures down

and visitors returned to the streets.

 

An official Israeli government limousine took Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann

and his entourage through the center of town in a loud procession.

On  Jaffa Street

traffic was light and the pavement hot.

In nearby Safra Square

basketball

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

is very hot.

As a few people shot baskets during the day, 

 a group of people filed by on their way to the entrance of the city government building.

 Only a few of the people passed security and made it to the entrance of the Mayor’s office

to personally protest the closing of the Ulpan HaOleh, Hebrew language school for new citizens.

Protesters went to one of the Deputy Mayor’s offices,

where they found Pepe Allou.

City hall is not interested in the ulpan or in new olim, new citizens.

While the demolition of 22 illegal homes is international hot news,

the end of an important educational system to thousands of people is not news.

After months of ignored letters, emails, and phone calls,

water was offered to those people locked out of the Mayor’s office. To cool things off?

Hot and Busy

While it is hard to avoid the Flotilla and Dubai-related news headlines,

the real Jerusalem streets are hot and busy.

Across the city, proud families pack in hot,

crowded rooms to watch end-of-year school performances,

and graduations from all levels of education crowd the calendar.

School is out soon, and parents are busy organizing the children for summer activities.

  Want to forget the heat at the beach?

A new beach opened

in Jerusalem in the Liberty Bell Park.

Beach is hof yam in Hebrew, this volleyball court may have sand,

but there is no water in sight.  To get away from the heat,

 these kids seem to have found a better solution.

The streets are filled with kids out of school

and tourists and visitors.

 A regular scene at the Kotel, the Western Wall, but especially this season

is a bride and groom coming for photos

where total strangers normally join in the celebration.

Traditional Jewish weddings include the breaking of a glass

to remember Jerusalem.

Monday morning a police officer was killed by terrorists in an ambush

not far from Jerusalem. He was to be married in September.

Instead of wedding arrangements, the family had to arrange a funeral.

The international media may have been too busy to pay much attention,

 but Shuki Sofer will be remembered,

in Jerusalem strangers come together in celebration and in mourning.

Demonstrations in the News

Someone is always demonstrating in  Jerusalem,

 

with a banner displaying their cause by day,

or at night,

alone

 

or in a large gathering.

Some displays are colorful

and up for a day or two,

while the tent for the return of Gilad Shalit

has been up a very long time, as seen by the number of days of captivity displayed on top.

Paris Square is a favorite scene for protests

 

and for news broadcasts to around the world.

Most people walk past and try to ignore the small group of people dressed in black

in Paris Square who regularly protest  “the occupation” on Friday afternoons,

but this week there was a pro-Israel counter demonstration.

After the hour-long protest ended,

police removed the barricades and a few young people waved flags.

The helicopter and extra police left, everyone seemed relaxed,

even the ladies in black.

But then a woman got up and started shouting at the boys with flags,

and one peacenik was heard telling a young high school boy that she hoped

he would return from his future army service  in a coffin.

Cameras started rolling as the yelling got louder,

 

   “Go back to America!” she screamed,

 an Israeli “peace” demonstration.

 The media is on the spot for any conflict, confrontation or violence, no matter how small.

Late Monday night saw a demonstration of a far different type and scale,

 100,000 or more people came together

 to pay their last respects to former chief Sephardi Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu,

may he rest in peace,

 but this demonstration may not have made your local news.