The Real Jerusalem Streets

This week’s international visitors included former US president Jimmy Carter and his group of Elders;

delegates to the annual convention of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, JPPI; and

 the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, who met in Jerusalem to discuss the Agency’s  future.

Also, this week the government announced that housing in Jerusalem is a priority.

Around the world the real estate market continues to suffer,

while in Jerusalem real estate prices just keep going up and up.

If you would like to buy here, it helps to have lots of money.

You could have spent 40.2 million shekel  to buy a large apartment in the Mamilla project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, any property in Jerusalem,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no matter what its appearance, is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, euros, or shekels.

 

Luxury construction goes on in Jerusalem,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and construction equipment can be found on many streets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cranes and workers can be seen if you look up,       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and rubble if you look down.

 

With space so limited, new building is often on top of the old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful rooftop gardens can be the result,

however,  many of these luxury buildings stand empty much of the year.

 

 

For the real Jerusalem streets these good days are not so good,

as the average Israeli salary is around 6000 shekel per month.

A new housing project for secular young people is now being planned for Costa Rica Street,

with the announced bargain price of 1.2 to 1.7 million shekels per apartment.

 

The dry weather has provided many good days for the construction business.

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A much-appreciated break in the heat wave made it possible to sit outside

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                                                 and walk more comfortably.                                      

   This man stopped his painting, smiled and said  “Good days.”

There may be too much rain from Indonesia to Chicago, but in Jerusalem,

as seen in the Valley of the Cross, it is DRY.

Now what is needed are some good WET days.

 

Too many buildings, too much stone and not enough color this week?

The walls of the Old City have been illuminated pink at night as thousands of people are preparing for

  the Susan G. Komen Israel Race for the Cure, Thursday, October 28th in Jerusalem.

 

Tourism in Jerusalem reached record numbers over the holidays.

Some locations like Rachel Imenu Street were so crowded with visitors,

that the bus traffic was often hard to believe.

The Greek Consulate is located on this beautiful, tree-lined street, and with the Monday visit of the

Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, there were more diplomatic cars parked outside than usual.

Did everyone else go home so he was the only visitor in Jerusalem?

No, on Friday in the Old City, the crowds were at times overwhelming.

While school boys in the Jewish Quarter played at recess,

thousands of international tourists shopped nearby in the Christian Quarter,

and tried to stay cool and hydrated in the heat.

Busloads of people came to see famous tourist sites, like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

There was no media or security visible at the entrance to the Arab shuk.

 

 

 

 

 

Muslims, old and young, went to prayers

moving swiftly through the crowded path.

 

The roof tops

and basketball court in the Muslim Quarter were quiet,

while below, yeshiva students were inside learning.

Some signs welcomed all,

while others might not be so welcoming.

Many locations in the Old City were pleasant,

well-known and familiar,

but only a cat might want to hang out in a tree.

Many Israelis headed for the beach as temperatures rose to summer time heat wave levels,

but mid-day at Jaffa Gate people were coming and

going freely in spite of the heat.

 

Tuesday was the Second Annual Interfaith Ethics & Tolerance Symposium at the Jerusalem Ethics Center,

at the Konrad Adenauer Conference Center at Mishkenot Sha’ananim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director of the Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman was one of many speakers.

He told the crowded room that the world needs tolerance or as he prefers, respect for all religions…

Too bad he wasn’t one of the visitors last Friday in the Old City,

he would have seen the real Jerusalem streets on a regular Friday morning.