A cool evening in the Old City,
with Klezmer music playing,
one dancer,
two dancers,
up on top
of the walls of the Tower of David,
as the sun sets
looking towards Har HaZeitim, the Mount of Olives.
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem, Israel.
attractive tourist destination
Jerusalem International Arts and Crafts Festival
Once again at the end of summer,
there are lots of festivals on the streets of Jerusalem, Israel.
One of the most impressive is
חוצות היוצר ירושלים
Khutsot Hayotser, the International Arts and Crafts Festival,
which may be hard to transliterate from Hebrew,
but it is hard to miss, right across from the walls of the Old City.
This event has grown for the last 40 years.
At least once a year the Arts & Crafts Lane comes alive.
There is an Israeli Pavilion with 200 Israeli artists and exhibits,
Thousands fill the festival grounds
and some entertainers really stand out.
Mayor Nir Barkat was there on opening night and posed with potential voters.
Making the rounds, he stopped by Hadassah College’s Neverland booth.
Each night of the festival a major Israeli musical performer stars,
and last night Barkat introduced Shlomi Shabat to the Sultan’s Pool audience.
No Israeli event would be complete without food.
It was hard to push your way through the crowded main food court.
Families found places to sit, eat, rest and listen to music.
The International Pavilion had booths from Asia,
South and Central America, Europe, Africa and United States.
Bulgaria had a prime location, but their stuff still was still stuck in customs.
India was well represented.
The nice lady of South Korea had a variety of fans.
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Guatemala,Turkmenistan and Madagascar,
Angola to Zimbabwe and more: so why not Canada?
Popular African musicians were among the many international entertainers.
This huge event will host tens of thousands of Israelis from August 5-17.
The Israeli news Channel 10 was there live for opening night.
But as usual,
no matter how large or how many people are out on the Jerusalem streets,
if there is no violence,
it’s not worthy of the mainstream media’s attention.
August Summer Festival Time in Jerusalem
During August in Jerusalem, Israel, the weather gets hot during the day,
and lots of people travel north or leave the country.
But there is so much to do in the capital:
the annual Beer Festival,
the International Puppet Festival and Jerusalem Klezmer just to name a few.
School is out.
Summer camps are over.
Keeping children happy and safe occupies most everyone,
and that includes parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the office staff.
Free admission and special activities for kids at the Israel Museum in August
brought out thousands of families.
This optical illusion was so much more impressive from the front.
These performers at first looked like a statue,
but this really needs a video to do it justice;
they were impressive no matter how you looked at them.
Keeping track of who you came in with was a problem with the large crowds.
This percussionist was working hard.
His loud music and great rhythms kept everyone’s attention,
and some had a better view than others.
Not all acts were loud, this mime didn’t make a sound,
and had his audience quietly participating, but with lots of oohs and aahs.
Mirrored reflection was also quiet and a great photo op.
Any day at the Israel Museum,
the distinctive dome of the Shrine of the Book is impressive to see.
But at least one night this week the kids will be left at home,
as the museum hosts its popular Wine Festival.
I got to the Maccabiah Opening, but this year missed the street ball in Kikar Safra.
There is still plenty of time for the miniature trains, as they did not open on schedule.
If all this is not cultural enough for you,
how about Shakespeare in the Park?
Richard III will be presented in English in Bloomfield Park, (near the Windmill).
Who has time to go out of town
when there are so many events happening in Jerusalem?