May 2011 – Page 2 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Lag B’Omer 5771

May 23, 2011rjstreets

The children of Israel are certainly blessed on Lag B’Omer.

How else can you explain that

thousands and thousands of children

crowd around open fires

late into the night;

either cooking

or just admiring their medurot, bonfires,

which fill city parks

and open spaces around the country–

without getting serious injuries?

After collecting and saving every scrap of wood since Passover,

in one long night it all is transformed into smoke.

Givatayim and Tel Aviv topped the list with the highest levels for bad air quality.

The next day the windows are re-opened and schools are closed.

Museums and mall productions are popular outing destinations.

Usually in Jerusalem, when you see a noisy gathering

with police presence

and banners, it is a protest rally.

On Lag B’Omer though, this group was forming a parade,

that was followed by a police security officer,

to a city park for a carnival, one of many around Jerusalem.

As fires are being filmed all around us,

what a beautiful day, when sparks do not cause harm.

Outrageous

May 18, 2011rjstreets

Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand who is visiting Jerusalem

is recovering from an injury and presently unable to climb stairs.

The grounds of Beit HaNasi, the President’s official residence

are accessible for those with disabilities,

however it is reported that on an official visit she had a difficult time

because of the stairs inside.

Many places in Jerusalem can be difficult if you cannot do steps.

The Kotel, the Western Wall can be accessed by wheelchair

but until a proposed elevator is built,

getting there from the Jewish Quarter requires going down many steps.

Some sidewalks are narrow,

very narrow.

The new Mamilla Mall

and the central square in the Rova, the Jewish Quarter, are passable,

but too many sidewalks

are blocked,

or non-existent,

forcing wheelchairs and similar vehicles into busy streets.

None of this is news in Jerusalem,

for too many restaurants, synagogues and public buildings

are not accessible to the disabled.

In Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day

when thousands and thousands of people gathered

…there were NO additional bathrooms provided.

Those women patient enough to wait in line had to navigate steps.

Some women required assistance,

requiring men in the toilet area to help them in and out of a waiting wheelchair.

Outrageous…

there is no excuse for this situation in the center of Jerusalem!

It may be hard to avoid going in the street in some locations,

but one should not have to be royalty to have their basic needs accommodated.

Outrageous!

Update: April 17, 2012,

New bus stops make walking easier,

now we need better public toilets in Gan Sacher for Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Catastrophe and Tragedy

May 15, 2011rjstreets

Amin al-Husseini, the exiled Muslim Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, recruited Arabs for Nazi Germany,

and in May 1948,

he called for the Arabs residing in Israel to leave their homes and flee to neighboring Arab countries.

Thus began the ‘catastrophe’ which today is celebrated as Nakba Day.

Space within the Old City of Jerusalem is very limited.

The Arab town of Silwan

is really just down the street from the Kotel, the Western Wall.

The Jewish Quarter of the Old City was attacked in 1948

by the invading Jordanian forces and destroyed.

Jordan did not allow Jews access to the Jewish Quarter for 19 years. Until June 1967,

the only view available to Israelis of the walls of the Old City was from across a vast No Man’s Land.

Many Arabs still live in the Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem, but the tragedy is that after all this time,

so many others are still in refugee camps–all second-class citizens

in all the Arab countries to which they fled.

While in Jerusalem, either by day

or at night,

no matter what their attire,

an Arab man can freely walk alone

or with his family.

Even on the recent Fridays of the “Days of Rage” in Egypt, Libya and Syria, men of all ages

did not encounter security or check points in the Old City on the way to prayers.

Public parks are used for playing soccer with the kids

or school outings.

Space may be limited and tight, but if Arab leaders would stop inciting hatred,

stop spending their money on weapons and invest in education,

peaceful co-existence could be achieved.

When 900,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries in1948, they were forced to leave their fortunes behind,

they resettled around the globe and built new lives.

Today, hundreds tried to get through the border to Israel today from Syria in the North…

where would you rather be?