Protest Movements

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Millions of shekels worth

of baby strollers were moving

  along the sidewalks of King George Street in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon.

The “Stroller Parade” was a protest against, along other things,

the high cost of child care, baby formula and diapers,

and the press was there to capture it all.

The parade ended at the Gan Hasoos, Horse Park, site of one “tent city” camps,

where entertainment for the children was provided in the amphitheatre. 

Some of the young demonstrators were actively involved,

 others not so excited by the event,

and at least one moved at their own pace.

An impressive display of strollers…but for many people the cool breeze

that broke the heat wave was the best part of the evening.

And finally after almost 140 days, 

there is movement in the Israeli Medical Association protest.

 Shaare Zedek Hospital emergency room was standing room only

 Sunday night and well into the Monday morning hours.

 Most patients had to wait for hours before being seen by a doctor.

Patients are routinely assigned to beds in the halls.

More doctors and more hospital beds would be a good move for all.

Social justice demands have received full media coverage this summer.

Meanwhile, already in 2011, southern Israel

has had over 340 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza,

with several this week.     Yet…week after week,

Israel has sent hundreds of truckloads of goods and fuel into Gaza.

The tents in Jerusalem should be long gone by winter,

the doctor, hospital and housing shortages

will take a lot longer to fix than the price of cottage (cheese).

How long will it take for the world to move and protest

on the indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians?

 

More “protest” photos on The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.

 

Israeli Summer

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Prices are high and salaries are low… that is not news.

Last week a record number of Israelis left on summer holiday,

and fewer tourists came for the Israeli summer heat,

 but the streets are not empty, for there are demonstrations, protests and parades.

Some of the ‘tent city’ folks joined with the Gay Pride Parade

in Gan Ha’atzmaut, Independence Park.

 There have been comparisons to the “Arab Spring”,

but the policemen were sitting on the grass, not attacking the crowds.

The demonstration had colorful balloons and hundreds of tank tops, not tanks.

Cameras fill the streets, as the media is out to capture every minute of this one.

In Paris Square, a counter demonstration is small and loud,

but only a few security people seem to pay attention.

A new sign was posted specially for this Israeli summer event.

Noam Shalit, father of Gilad Shalit, came out of his protest tent

and joined the crowd to watch the Gay Pride Parade.

Main streets were closed, but many people were unaware of the parade,

so they got to experience the traffic jams of another protest in the Israeli summer.

The doctors’ strike continues,

 and the head of the medical association is on a hunger strike.

Since everyone is protesting this summer, I protest…

 that with so many police on the corner, not one would help direct traffic.

On Friday morning, thousands of mourners stood in the blazing summer sun for

 the funeral of the Baba Elazar who was murdered in his home in Beer Sheva,

but buried in Har Hazeitim Cemetery in  Jerusalem.

A year ago was the funeral of Rav Yehudah Amital z”l.

The month of Av has only just begun…

more Israeli summer to come.

Save the Nature Museum

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Doctors are striking.

Protest tents are popping up like mushrooms in the parks.

The price of gas, electricity and temperatures are rising.

With so many serious issues at once, it was easy to miss a protest meeting

   to save the Nature Museum in Jerusalem.

Thousands of visitors drive down this little street leading

  to the Moshava Germanit, German Colony parking lot,

and probably never noticed the main entrance to the Nature Museum.

This old Armenian house and sprawling grounds are home

to the Nature Museum in Jerusalem,

where thousands of children have been exposed to nature and animal life.

In spite of the heat, a crowd gathered in the afternoon on July 26, 2011

to protest its threatened closure.

Professor Ariel Hershfeld was the first of several speakers.

City council member Meir Turgeman, who grew up in the neighborhood,

was the last speaker and called for the city to listen to its residents.

It was hard to gauge the attendance at the protest, as the many activities,

entertainment,

and animals provided constant distractions.

The soft music of this protest was quite a contrast to the loud demonstrations.

Will Shalem College get the grounds for its new campus?

The grounds of the Hanson Hospital are near by and could be restored

to offer a new and improved neighborhood Nature Museum.

There was mumbling in the crowd of another Holyland

where the interests of business and money

win over the interests of the people.

More photos are posted  on  The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page.