After the Holidays, What Now?

For months people have said “after the chagim

well, the time has now arrived and the holidays are over.

Yesterday the winter session of the Knesset began in Jerusalem, Israel,

only to shut down a few hours later, to prepare for elections in January.

Knesset

However, the lights were still on in the building when I went to sleep.

Over 40 rockets fired from Gaza fell already this week in the South.

There is the nuclear threat from Iran.

No one knows what will happen next on the Jerusalem streets,

but there certainly are many cameras on hand to record it.

Muslim Quarter

Sukkot holiday crowds pushed through the Old City to the Kotel,

 the Western Wall,  for Birchat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing.

photographers Jerusalem

Photographers were ready for action in the crowded Muslim Quarter.

photographers Jerusalem

Serious cameras were there to get close-ups of the faces.

Old City

Thousands of smiling visitors posed for their moment.

Meir Goldreicht

There were so many phones out taking photos,

Kosel crowd

 many were photos of the holiday crowds at the Kotel.

In the sukkah at Beit Hanasi, the President’s residence,

sukkah

not only people posed for photos,

seeing eye dog

but even this dog stopped and posed.

kids camera

There were children taking pictures

Shimon Peres

and official photos with President Shimon Peres as well.

Having your camera handy is a good thing, 

mime

as you never know when you will need it on the Jerusalem streets.

Jerusalem parade

At the Jerusalem Parade, marchers took photos with and of the spectators.

Nigerian tourists

Who knew so many Nigerians were camera crazy?

Jerusalem streets are narrow,

a car on the corner can make it impossible for a truck to pass.

cars

This looked like possible trouble, so I took a photo of the scene.

Not everyone wants me to take their photos, that is for sure.

pose for camera

 In fact, this man jumped out of his truck and started towards me!

I sure was relieved that all he wanted was for me to take his photo!

Most people are back to work.

School classes are in session until Hanukkah,

the universities start next week.

One might expect quiet streets, 

but yesterday there were crowds and shofars and cameras

bar mitzvah

and drums for a bar mitzvah boy’s celebration.

Gotta love those Jerusalem streets,

where you never know what or who you will find.

10 Special Smiles in Sukkot Holiday Crowds

While the mainstream media did an extensive job of covering

 the “riots on the Temple Mount,”  there was far less coverage of how

Jerusalem, Israel, was crowded with visitors for the Sukkot holiday.

It was impossible to count the huge numbers in the Old City,

 as Birchat Kohanim attracted crushing crowds.

Palestinian woman Jerusalem

This Arab woman may not have smiled,

but she did not fear revenge as she tried to pass through the crowd.

 Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s residence, held a sukkah open house.

crowd

 Thousands of people waited in long lines to see dancers and singers

perform in the outside gardens,

Shimon Peres

while Israeli President Shimon Peres sat and smiled on stage.

Thousands and thousands of visitors were on the Jerusalem streets, 

smile

but this stunning beauty made me think to share a few of the faces 

smile

and smiles that stood out in the crowd.

Jerusalem parade

For the Jerusalem Parade over 6000 people from all over Israel

and from 60 countries marched through the center of town.

There were only two participants from India,

but many countries had very large delegations.

Spectators, including many young children, were excited 

to see the costumes and receive small flags from around the world.

smile

This young woman offering a snack to marchers

received many smiles and thanks. 

For more parade photos see The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.

As usual there were countless meetings with friends

and family reunions during the holiday vacation week.

smile

How special to be able to smile when organizing a group

that does not show at the right place or the right time.

Many people stopped and smiled in the Kikar Zion, Zion Square, 

kids

as Chabad had young boys offering lulav and etrog to those who passed by.

smiles

There were so many smiling faces of children on family outings.

This mime on a street corner got attention, a smile and money.

There were too many concerts and musical events to mention,

but one of the last ones was Hakafot Hasheniot, the second Hakafot.

For the 31st year, live music and dancing

energized Gan Hapa’amon, the Liberty Bell Park.

hakafos

Hundreds without tickets had to stand in the back,

but some were still able to smile at the end of a long holiday week.

Both of Israel’s Chief Rabbis addressed the gathering,

as did Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.

Seven times men were called to the stage to dance with the Torah scrolls

and women were dancing and smiling too.

 More photos in The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook Hakafot album.

There were colorful characters

clowns

even clowns on the streets,

family smiling

but I especially liked the many families with big smiles.

That is it.

 Holiday time is over.

Now it is back to school and back to work.

Favorite Sukkot of Sukkot

The Sukkot holiday is over and as the tourists are heading home,

 I would like share a few favorite Sukkot from this year.

warning sign

In some neighborhoods there were so many visitors

that warning signs were posted asking for quiet.

In the Nachlaot neighborhood, 

Sukka

I found this tiny sukkah down a narrow lane

Sukka

and another one almost hidden up on a roof top.

sukkah

At the Kotel, the Western Wall Plaza, where there was a large sukkah 

as well as smaller ones for the huge crowds of visitors.

peres

The public was invited one morning to visit the sukkah at Beit Hanasi,

the official residence of Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Arriving inside the building after a long wait outside,

Israel president

 many stopped to peak in 

to the President’s Official State receiving room,

sukkah

before passing through to the sukkah.

sukka

As usual the President’s sukkah was not designed for eating,

but rather for showcasing the fruit and agricultural wonders of Israel. 

sukka

Many hotels had large sukkot, where thousands of visitors ate.

large sukkah

The large sukkah at Kikar Safra, Safra Square,

looked the same as in recent years, but

sukkah decoration

inside it was decorated with unique decorations using recycled plastic.

sukka

Sukkot ranged from the most simple,

sukka

to a ‘political’ sukkah on poles,

sukka

to this colorful beer bottle decorated bar sukkah.

Perhaps the biggest difference from last year was Jaffa Road.

Jaffa Street

Jaffa Road was lined with sukkot and crowded.

The Jerusalem light rail trains were running and filled with people,

last year they were going, but filled with sand bags on trial runs.

Jaffa Road

The city center was busy day and night.

sukkah

Our sukkah was a busy place too, I just wish it hadn’t rained

so hard during the main course at dinner the first night. 

sukkah

It was indeed a very happy Sukkot holiday in Jerusalem, Israel.

If you missed it perhaps, next year in Jerusalem?