In Jerusalem Transition Time and New Beginnings

Sharon A

It’s transition time in Jerusalem, Israel.

The calendar page has turned from a very hot August to a more temperate September.

It’s the middle of the Hebrew month of Elul and we are approaching the New Year 5784.

The nightly musical concerts in the Sultan’s Pool will soon end, with the potential of cold nights and rain.

This week saw the rise of the Blue Moon over the Jerusalem streets.

Though not blue, the full moon appeared bright pink before rising further from the horizon into the sky. The second time for a full moon in August was what qualified it as a Blue Moon.

In the past, I chased Supermoons. But I have come to think every full moon over Jerusalem is impressive.

Every week, we see new construction going down and down,

while old structures are being renovated throughout Jerusalem.

Azza Street made the headlines again when the Netanyahus got new security bollards installed in front of their private residence. As you can see from a previous photo, it is hardly palatial from the outside.

It is amazing how many times you can walk past a property and not notice unless there is a new blue sign telling its history posted in front.

The public better take notice of the parking regulation signs that have gone up along Jerusalem streets.

And the newly painted parking restrictions, where people would have used this space to park.

And watch out for those new vehicles roaming the streets at night, not sure what they are called, going through Teddy Park toward the fountain on a pedestrian walkway.

The ice rink was closed one August evening last week, but the time was been extended into September.

The Ferris Wheel in First Station was being repaired and not running that night. Usually, it’s filled with young children at the end of their summer holiday time in the evening.

Chairs were set for the End of Summer Festival at the Jerusalem Theater. A guard blocked my entrance, saying no entry without a paid-for ticket. I remembered that they were free in the past.

However, he let me go into the lobby to see the art exhibit which was to change the next day.

I will have to go back and see what new art work lines the theater lobby walls for September.

I think some of the best colors and sights are found in nature as the seasons change.

So one more view of the Blue Moon rising above the trees and Old City.

One more renovation image with a Jerusalem small store getting a major makeover.

But the biggest transition is that 2.5 million students are back to school. The signs are up as the school begins for 5784 – and without the usual teachers’ strike.

Even businesses wish good luck and success in Kitah Aleph, or first grade.

I love the huge big deal made as youngsters enter first grade!

I wish all the students and teachers well as the year begins!

The transition from the start of school to the start of the New Year Selihot and tours begins next week.

The Jerusalem Museum at the Tower of David announced a Selihot event that includes a tour of the Tower of David, connecting the new museum with the Old City, and ends with saying Selihot at the Kotel, Western Wall.

Tens of thousands will be on the Jerusalem streets late into the night for the sounds of Selihot.

Will you join us this year in Jerusalem?

See How Jerusalem is Changing From Above and Below

Sharon A

Oh, Jerusalem.

Besides Jerusalem of Gold, Jerusalem is said to have another 69 names.

Now maybe it’s time to add a new one Jerusalem of Change.

Oh, how the Jerusalem skyline is changing.

Those cranes seen above the Jerusalem streets rotate by day as they change structures to new heights.

Then there are the new stones constantly changed that provide employment.

And the flower beds constantly changing. Who financially benefits from all those millions of flowers?

The new pedestrian bridge over the Hinnom Valey has proved a popular end-of-summer attraction.

Not all change in Jerusalem is easily visible, such as with the new Shaare Zedek Oncology Buil

The lobby is clean and bright and new, but notice the sign is for 5 floors.

Most of the building is underground, with a green atrium space in the center of the building.

The changes in the former President Hotel on Ahad Ha’am Street are apparent.

The first floor of the Social Space with fascinating old and new miscellaneous items is changing daily.

Liberty Bell Park has been the scene of multiple nighttime events, besides regular public sports.

Loud live music at night can be heard on surrounding Jerusalem streets, plus the Skatepark has had a “facelift’ and is well used daily.

On August 22nd, the Mystorin Theatre took over sections of the Skatepark with RAAMSKATE.

I confess it took me a while to figure out what was happening, all their work is out of the box.

But this time “out of the park’ – the skatepark that is, was more accurate. RAAM = Ramesses!

The dancers, actors, and skaters merged with music and lights from many directions.

Loud and colorful with plenty of smoke and extras to entertain the public.

People came to the free event and watched from around the “stage” and were invited to join the dancing.

First Station in Jerusalem has changed over the decades, and certainly in the past ten years.

The old carousel is one visitor attraction for the younger crowd.

The market stalls and restaurants are busy, sometimes more than other times.

In this too-hot August weather, the Ice Rink at First Station was a place to cool off. Though many Israelis are less than agile on the ice, one man dressed in Haredi fashion went by too fast to capture in a photograph. I wondered where he was from originally – perhaps Canada?

The Hutzot Hayotzer Arts Festival has ended, but the live concerts in Sultan Pool change every night.

Going by in the early evening you can get a glimpse of the stars and bands rehearsing to get a preview.

In nature, the season is slowly starting to change, as the pomegranates reveal.

Finally, the August heat wave is giving way to cooler nights.

The crowds at the Kotel, Western Wall for Selihot on August 24, as seen in photos published by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation seem not to be changing until Yom Kippur.

Threats from without and within as the new year of 5784 is rapidly approaching.

But the Jerusalem streets are ready for the start of the new school year – asking, “On the way to class?”

RJS joins in wishing all a safe and good new year, to go in peace.

Time Flying by in a Hot August in Jerusalem

Sharon A

Time is a strange thing.

It seems to go too fast or too slow, depending on the situation.

Jerusalem, Israel, is in the midst of an August heat wave. However, as the sun goes down, some nights have cooled off as usual.

But one night the humidity hit 82%. For Jerusalem, that high humidity is usual and was not appreciated as I walked home.

Still much has been happening on the Jerusalem streets for summer fun.

Jerusalem streets are covered with everything from colorful fake balloons

to candy canes and much more for tourists to admire and photograph.

Surprised to see lights on at night in the one-day-to-be Knesset Museum.

The Museum of Tolerance was dark one night

but opened with a photography exhibit during the day.

In 2021, the Jerusalem Foundation, with the support of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation, created SidraTarbut, CulturEvents, a summer festival blending together film, dance, theater, and music.

Over the months of August and September, Jerusalem is to have 40 days of events and artistic offerings throughout the city offered free of charge or for a small fee.

The initial impetus for the series was the economic and social crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the success of SidraTarbut in the summer of 2021, the Mandel Foundation decided to support the festival for another two years. 

Performances and events are adapted to neighborhood residents, taking into consideration each community’s interest. It ends with Selihot in 10 Jerusalem neighborhoods and a special Selihot at the Tower of David on September 21, 2023.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation announced 17 special Selihot times, and if you can’t attend in person, they will be available online live. They also posted photos of the first night with thousands attending Selihot.

Evenings are when most Jerusalem summer events happen.

RAAMSKATE by the always unique and creative Mystorin Theatre Group is to be in the Liberty Bell Skate Park on August 22, 2023, at night.

In Bloomfield Park, Julius Caesar continues as on opening night Shakespeare. Theater in Motion moves each night in the same park.

The Jerusalem Street Orchestra, however, changes locations for each performance, with the second evening performance in Zion Square.

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The orchestra, excellent though not professional musicians, is conducted by Ido Shpitalnik and entertained a large appreciative crowd in Zion Square.

A video better to show what was happening in Jerusalem at sunset.

Monday nights in August and until September 11th, are for Israeli dancing outside the Jerusalem Theater, again a video seemed better than photos.

But as someone asked – where are the young people?

Do they know the dances? Are children taught them now?

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Hansen House has a new exhibit that is said to be good for children, I went to check it out but it closes at 6:00 pm, too early for me when it’s so hot.

To really keep cool on these hot days, there is ice skating at First Station.

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End-of-summer event signs are up, including a Night at the Tower of David.

Jerusalem Theater is again to have an End of Summer Festival August 29-31.

Oh my. The signs are up a Beit Avi Chai for welcoming Kitah Aleph students. Time to buy school books and clothes and new shoes again?

The beginning of the month Elul means some students are back in classrooms. The end of August means the new school year is approaching for all, for some not soon enough, and for others too soon.

I am waiting for this heat wave to end and to be able to walk during the day to see what else is happening on the Jerusalem streets.