A view of Old City from the Tayelet,
from Jerusalem, Israel,
שבת שלום
attractive tourist destination
Torah: Bond for Eternity
Last week an amazing event was held at the Kotel,
the Western Wall.
Tens of thousands of people crowded
into the Kotel Plaza and well beyond to get a view.
They filled the stairways and the Old City streets.
They came as 75 Torah scrolls were dedicated,
one for each Israeli killed last summer
in Operation Protective Edge.
Laurent Amram from Montreal
started Kesher Lanetzah, a Bond for Eternity,
with a vision that stated
“We cannot get them back, but we can perpetuate their names.”
The international fund raising campaign
was a huge success with the last two Torah scrolls
coming from International Young Israel Movement
based in Jerusalem, Israel, including one
from the Leo V. Berger fund.
However,
before IDF Chief Hazan Shai Abramson sang
and President Reuven Rivlin wrote one of the last letters,
and while all those honored to carry a Torah
into the Plaza for the ceremony stood ready and waiting,
another photo-op was happening in the Women’s Section.
There, near the Kotel, a number of dignitaries had gathered,
to mark another Torah’s journey.
New IDF Chief-of-Staff Gadi Eisenkot,
Chief Chaplain Rafi Peretz,
and President Reuven Rivlin,
took turns holding a small Torah scroll with a navy blue cover.
That Torah scroll was the one that Rav Shlomo Goren held
on that fateful day in June 1967,
when after 19 years, the Jewish people were
able to return to the Old City and the Kotel.
כי מציון תצא תורה, ודבר ה’ מירושלים
For Torah will go forth from Zion,
and the Word of God from Jerusalem.
May this be a good start to the new month of Elul.
חודש טוב
Jerusalem This Summer
It is August, in Jerusalem, Israel,
and it gets hot.
Sure we are in the midst of summer in the Middle East,
but during this past week’s heat wave,
this cat photo sums up how I felt much of the time.
Many Israelis are away.
Overseas visitors have arrived for their Israeli holiday time.
Rush hour like traffic can be any time of day or place.
Not many people noticed,
but four new ambassadors to Israel presented their credentials
to President Rivlin at Beit Hanasi,
the official residence of the Israeli President.
Some will notice that this Katamon street was paved,
but only after the workers checked their messages.
With daytime temperatures so high,
most people come out in the evening,
going to malls,
and parks all over the Jerusalem area.
Especially on Thursday nights,
there are too many things to do.
I hope to get to the month-long events soon.
Contact Point at the Israel Museum
last Thursday was unique in so many ways,
besides being from 8:00 pm to 3:00 am.
In the Pop Culture gallery, pillows were placed on the floor,
and a microphone was positioned in the center of the room.
On the wall was a projection of a man
who was elsewhere in the museum.
The Man on the Wall talked with the audience,
as people got up to ask him questions at the microphone.
I still cannot get over what a small world it is here.
I saw a woman and her daughters whom I had met a few years ago.
As we spoke near the microphone,
another woman got up and came over to say hello to her.
They had known each other years ago.
People coming together from so many places around the world.
I almost deleted this photo because of the blue lights.
Later I saw visitors to the Museum standing in line
to have colored lights wrapped around them.
They became one of the unusual exhibits for the evening,
“randomly” lighting up the galleries.
This is one of three 3-D copiers that were on display.
It took me a third look to realize that this one was making a small statue.
Outside there was live music and
the sculpture garden was lit up with colorful lighting.
Even the Shrine of Book was a canvas that night,
as strobes lit up the sky.
The diversity of summer events
can be seen in these signs for big summer festivals,
with festivals as diverse as International Puppets and Wine.
There are more new signs for Hansen House at night,
the City Center for shopping and a new movie theater complex.
So different are the streets to last summer and bombs from Gaza.
Last summer First Station at night was dark, sad and empty.
Last night cars circled and stalked for a parking spot,
it was full of people and music.
Not far away at the Kotel, Western Wall,
an overflow crowd of thousands gathered,
for a special dedication of Torah scrolls,
75 of them,
one for each fallen soldier and civilian killed last summer,
in Operation Protective Edge.
So much more is happening in Jerusalem, Israel,
but, it will have to wait for next time.
For many the first day of school
is what they are really looking forward to,
and the “Shalom Kita Aleph” posters are up and ready.
Nice to be able to leave you with Torah and education
as important features of this past week.