July 2012 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Waiting for Windmills and Romney

July 26, 2012rjstreets

It is summer holiday now,

the Knesset is out of session until the middle of October.

In Jerusalem, Israel, when one says after the holidays,

it usually means a wait until after all the Jewish fall holidays,

not just two weeks in the summer.

We have waited a long time for the Montefiore Windmill

renovations to be finished

so that it can go into operation as a working flour mill again.

At the beginning of the week it clearly was not finished.

After all the waiting the Windmill finally got its blades,

but the main dedication will have to wait until the end of August.

I got to hear Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

when she was in Jerusalem, Israel, 10 days ago.

Gee, we were waiting then too.

US presidential candidate Mitt Romney is coming soon,

but I have not heard of any chance to hear or see Mitt Romney,

unless you have a spare $50,000 to give him that is.

In the miserable heat this week it was hard to work or think.

It was even hard to find anything amusing,

but these “walking” signs got me to laugh out loud.

Wonder what they are doing now?

We finally got our windmill.

Maybe they can advertise that we are waiting for an invite to see Mitt.

Oh well, the heat wave just broke and there is a cool breeze.

Now that is what we all have been waiting for.

A Protest for all Seasons

July 24, 2012rjstreets

Looking back at last July’s protest season,

I was surprised to see how much of this year’s is similar and yet is so different.

Then I realized that protests are not only held in the hot summer season

but there were also protests in the winter.

The list of protests on the streets of Jerusalem, Israel is a long one.

The ‘Free Jonathan Pollard’ protest banners across from Bet Ha’Nasi,

the President’s Residence, were removed before President Putin’s visit,

so they were long gone when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to town.

Not long ago, even the social workers were protesting on the sidewalk

outside the National Labor Court for a decent salary.

This year’s social protest demonstration drew a fraction of last year’s crowds

as it marched to protest the lack of public housing on July 14 in Jerusalem .

When protesters blocked a major street and made loud noise late at night,

some people were so unhappy that they came out to complain.

Sadly, the way to get media attention has become more drastic

and the copy-cat aspect is even harder to comprehend.

The media loved the ultra-Orthodox rally against an army draft proposal,

but did you hear about a protest against racism?

In February, a lone man with an Israeli flag and a sign reading,

“no separation in nursery schools” for Ethiopian children

took over the same corner near the Prime Minister’s Residence

that Gilad Shalit’s family occupied for so long.

A tent was set up to protest against racism in Israeli society.

I even saw Gilad Shalit’s brother there once,

as one of the thousands of people who have come by,

including Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Pepe Alalu.

The tent structure grew to this before it was removed by court order.

Holidays have been noted and observed.

Groups are learning ways to be more inclusive and tolerant.

As we observe this week before the Tisha B’Av,

it is a perfect time for everyone to try harder to get along.

There will be more protests, but it is time to end discrimination.

10 Favorites at Museum of Science

July 17, 2012rjstreets

Many think of Jerusalem, Israel, and see images

of the Old City and the Kotel and other ancient sites.

But near the Knesset and the Israel Museum is a special public place

founded with the Hebrew University and the Jerusalem Foundation,

which is a dynamic, innovative and attractive tourist destination.

There were so many things that I liked on my recent visit to

The Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem,

it has been hard to get down to a short list.

1. Before you even go inside the building,

the color and the energy are impressive.

2. Once in the front door, the diversity of the staff is clear.

All signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English,

as the museum targets all the diverse populations of Jerusalem

with special educational activities.

3. With so many hands-on exhibits, it was hard to pick one photo,

4. No soft padding for little visitors, but real structures to explore.

5. Before there was a book about Israel as a start-up nation,

there were popular Hebrew children’s story books.

I love to see that from simple stories, science and culture can be linked

so that a scientific principle can be learned while having fun.

6. This week it has been especially hot in Jerusalem, perfect timing

to explore the dynamics of water on the museum grounds.

7. There is so much energy, you can feel it as you walk the halls.

8. The museum staff is available in every section to guide and explain.

9. An Innovation display show cases 50 of Israel’s top contributions

to modern technology. I love that Israelis developed

the “pill-cam“ from Israeli army missile technology.

10. I really enjoyed a chance to visit to the off-limits,

special workroom where everything in the museum is made.

There was much more that I found impressive,

like the special science encounters to encourage girls,

youngsters with special needs, and

the Arab population to appreciate science and technology.

I studied Chemistry in college and worked in bio-chemical research,

this visit reminded me of how much I enjoyed those lab experiments.

Next week there are special events planned

for the 20th anniversary of

The Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem.

Since this is only a small bit of what there is to see and do,

better to come and check it out for yourself

and be sure to see the new exhibition “Footprints of Light.”

An idea of Prof. Peter Hillman which started out in a small room

on the Hebrew University Givat Ram campus has grown to

a Museum has already attracted over 3,500,000 visitors.

However, one warning:

Adults beware of possible exhaustion.