The Real Jerusalem Streets

“A Coup Will Topple Qaddafi If We Just Keep Our Hands Off”,

so proclaims a Washington Post headline dated April 13, 1986!

Middle East expert Lisa Anderson, then associate professor of political science at Columbia University,

advises the Reagan administration, “He’s ripe for a coup, my guess is that he’ll be gone in a year.”

Hmm … just which year?

Almost as hard as the Middle East “situation” to predict, has been the weather in Jerusalem.

One day it is hot enough to get everyone outside

and bring out the summer drinks,

and then it changes and is wet and cold.

Tourists descending the steps to visit the Kotel, the Western Wall on Tuesday afternoon,

had no idea that minutes before the entire area was cleared for a ‘suspicious object’.

When and where these incidents occur is impossible to predict.

This week doctors are holding a two-day “warning strike”

and holiday schlepping and spring cleaning are in full swing.

Where else is “schlepping” an official medical diagnosis and house cleaners get paid twice as much as doctors?

It is impossible to predict the outcome, as anything can happen.

As anything can be seen on the streets, wonder if the mate to this shoe will found with spring cleaning?

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been held in Gaza for more than 1745 days,

as much as his family wants his freedom before Passover… it is impossible  to predict.

There are some things easy to predict,

most people will get together with family and friends Passover seder night.

Schools are ending soon for holiday and with all the preparations,

plus having the kids home… stress levels will rise.

In an earlier post about the food festival in the Old City,

were these  “Eat at Joe’s Diner” type of electric signs.

They have been removed

and traditional signs are in place to direct the holiday crowds.

However,

 meters of new lights are being installed around the walls of the Old City.

Safe prediction… some people will love them and some will not.

And certainly, no cleaning, schlepping or cooking will not get done sitting here…

Have a good week!

Purim is behind us and the marathon finished.

             Thousands of shekels were spent on newspapaper ads and banners by Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael,

  the Jewish National Fund, to inform us of their world leadership meeting in Jerusalem.

Surely there are better uses for all that money,

though not for the social workers who just ended a 23-day strike, they just want a living wage, not charity.

Wonder if any of the special KKL-JNFdelegates

found time to visit the food festival in the Old City?

Beside the regular food vendors outside Jaffa Gate,

each night this week

there were a host of other food stands,

 including one,  full of beans.

Signs in the Armenian Quarter clearly showed

that not all the food in the festival was kosher.

Just in time for the festival,

the renovation project near Jaffa Gate is nearing its completion.

Before the food festival began, there was much talk about having signs for the kosher food.

However, the new electric signs directing to the Muslim Quarter,

the Jewish Quarter,

and the Armenian Courtyard are what really stood out.

Most signs in the Old City until now,

 if you could find them,

were more artistic and in keeping with the character of  the old stone surroundings.

As many restaurants throughout the Old City were serving food to festival visitors,

on Tuesday night, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman

was smiling before the cameras at a cooking demonstration.

What next?

 An arts festival will be running all week …

The clocks are changing to Israel daylight savings time tonight, 

 and the arguments pro and con have begun again–it sounds like things are back to normal,

 and it is time to start cooking for Passover.