March 2012 – Page 2 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Marathon 2012

March 18, 2012rjstreets

Months of planning and weeks of extensive preparations

went into the Second International Jerusalem Marathon,

but no one had control over the weather.

With heavy rains the night before and more rain in the forecast,

many spectators stayed away.

The runners of the full marathon raced through nearly deserted streets.

Security was out in large numbers,

but they often tried to find cover from the rain.

The marathon route went into the Old City through Jaffa Gate,

where loud music, entertainers and spectators cheered the runners on.

The rain stopped as the half-marathon leaders entered the Old City.

The sun was shining on the 10 kilometer race leaders,

but soon after hail started coming down.

Under grey skies, through wet streets,

15,000 runners, including 1500 from

50 countries from around the world,

came to run.

When the sun came out, so did a smile.

With streets closed to traffic, the only way to get around was to walk.

Some tourists seemed to enjoy walking instead of using their usual buses.

It would have been harder to run in really hot weather,

but in spite of the weather and Jerusalem’s uneven and hilly streets,

runners seemed happy to be in the race.

Running to raise money for good causes and charity or self-satisfaction

they came…neither rain, nor sleet nor hail,

nor threat of terror kept them away.

I took way too many photos and plan to put more on

The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/trjstreets

Meanwhile, to see more runners, check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8oysvWZ5FY&feature=youtu.be

15 Real Photos of Arab Girls

15 Real Photos of Arab Girls

March 13, 2012May 14, 2020rjstreets

As southern Israel is being pounded with hundreds of rockets launched

by terrorists in Gaza, the world is silent.

A few anti-Israel photos have been circulating for years.

The photo of a man holding a dead girl,

tweeted by a UN media employee that received so much attention,

is the same photo that I saw in 2008 under the caption,

“Israelis kill a lot of Arab children.”

This was the Google search top result for images of “people who smile a lot.”

I was not smiling and later began to take pictures of real Arab girls.

First, on the hot topic of Israeli soldiers and Arab girls,

only in a Bahrain street theater photo will you see a girl lying under a boot.

Israeli apartheid supporters might find it shocking that in Jerusalem,

Israeli soldiers walk on the same streets as Arab girls,

by the Walls of the Old City near the Jaffa Gate

and in the city center. Often they seem to not even notice one another.

Arab girls can be found on the ground,

sitting and enjoying public performances,

or just relaxing

in Jerusalem’s public parks.

Of course…the same goes for boys too.

Where else would a Muslim girl be seen alone in the park with boys?

And famlies enjoyed posing with this snowman last week.

An Arab girl might be dragged along by her mother,

but in Mamilla Mall, most girls can be found happily shopping, both day

and night with no sign of BDS, Boycott, Divest or Sanctions.

Sitting on the steps in Mamilla Mall while texting on their phones,

or sitting at a table alone,

shopping late at night at the Rami Levi supermarket,

or selling Rav Kav cards for the Jerusalem light rail trains…

these are real photos of Arab girls and young women in Jerusalem.

The world is ready to accept faked captions,

how about the truth?

Purim Favorites

March 11, 2012rjstreets

As the sun set in Jerusalem on Friday,

after days of dressing up and celebrating, Shushan Purim came to an end.

Even though Purim is over, I would like to share a few favorites.

Sometimes it is hard to tell what is a Purim joke

and what isn’t, but this sign in Mamilla Mall did get attention.

Mountains of candy are bought for and consumed on and after Purim,

Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk, is a favorite place to get the right thing.

In the Rova, The Jewish Quarter in the Old City,

this Fiddler on the Roof costume was a favorite of the afternoon crowd.

But in Mamilla Mall,

I liked the Israeli soldier carefully watching the duck.

The emergency medical crews were wonderful, responding quickly

to aid young men and women who had too much to drink.

Men were falling down and staggering alone in moving traffic;

it is truly a Purim miracle that no one was killed.

One young woman in the Old City was sitting on the street crying,

not a pretty picture with her mascara running down her face.

There was feasting and singing in the Old City,

but the sights of excessive drinking were depressing.

I wonder what went through the minds of unsuspecting tourists?

Then as I started home, I spotted this young yeshiva student making balloons

and giving them to passing children. What a simple and uplifting sight…

even more so when I realized that the young man is my nephew!

The clear skies were wonderful for photographs

and the warm weather was great for being outside.

Many who were out during the day

were surprised to find themselves sunburned when they got home.

And near the end of the day, my favorite:

even with drunken Jews on the streets of Jerusalem…

Arab families felt safe enough to shop and go for a stroll on the mall.