With the massive disaster in Japan, the brutal murder in Itamar,
and the Israeli navy seizing a ship full of weapons on the way to Gaza,
it is possible you did not see anything about the snow and ice in Jerusalem.
It seemed totally absurd,
the trees are blooming and the weather is warm,
but the skies and weather often change in a day or a minute.
Even though the aloe plants are in bloom
and there was a rose in the Old City,
and lemons
and oranges look ready to pick…snow was predicted for Jerusalem.
A major storm did not happen…too bad,
snow pictures of Jerusalem are really popular, but
in Kikar Safra , Safra Square, there was enough snow to shovel,
enough ice to skate
and get the skates out of storage.
The city’s new ice skating rink was quickly gaining in popularity,
attracting
many visitors
to check it out
and to take pictures.
It has also become the scene of an unusually high level of ethnic profiling.
Observers are picking out the Canadians in the center of the rink,
who look comfortable on the ice,
as opposed to the beginners holding on to the sides.
The days leading up to Purim holiday are meant to be festive,
children can be seen in the street wearing crowns, costumes and face paint.
Mourning for the murdered Fogel family goes on,
as does the holiday preparations,
and five minutes of silence for five years of captivity of Gilad Shalit.
Quite a week in Jerusalem.
Updated Rosh Chodesh Adar 5773, 2013
