Did you hear a loud noise on Monday morning?
It was the collective sighs of relief filling the streets –
the long summer holiday was over
and over 2 million Israeli children went back to school.
Trips to museums for water play were replaced with starting Kita alef,
which in Israel is a more exciting event than many university graduations.
The school children living in the southern Israel town of Sderot
had another rocket fired at them from Gaza as they started to go to class.
More than 440 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza
since the year began, averaging around two a day!
Last week Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing,
was performed in English in Jerusalem, Israel’s Bloomfield Park.
The shows were free and open to the public.
Shakespeare, widely agreed to be perhaps the most clever writer ever,
could he have imagined what is happening now?
Arab families were seated on the grass to watch.
A few meters away on the plaza, Muslim women sat on a bench
and then followed to see the photos of a beautiful bride in white,
as a Jewish couple were preparing to get married.
While hundreds are killed each day in Syria,
this was the scene in the Jerusalem park.
School has started, however university does not begin until October.
Arab girls in Israel will be attending classes,
not banned from an education like in Iran.
And of course, they can drive themselves to the park or to school,
not like the women living in Saudi Arabia.
Kikar Zion, Zion Square, is still a safe place to walk during the day.
It was a long hot summer,
but the evenings are now cool for the late night summer music programs.
Last week the music and lights were at the Jerusalem Theater,
and this week Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, will showcase Reggae Music
and Safra Square will host the last August free public concert.
First there was the Wine Festival, then Beer Festival,
and now this week for the first time an Ice Cream Festival.
Always something happening on the Jerusalem streets.
