No matter how you spell it,
Khutsot Hayotser or Hutzot Hayozer,
the annual Jerusalem International Arts & Crafts Festival
is a huge end-of-summer Jerusalem, Israel event.
It fills the Mitchell Garden,
with a massive stage and seating in the Sultan’s Pool,
and bustling alleyways in the Artists’ Colony.
Arriving before sunset,
the Tower of David can be seen in the background,
above the booths where 200 local artisans
display their works for sale.
For over 40 years,
a night-time Israeli family-fun tradition,
showcasing a wide variety of art forms.
At the extensive food court,
it is hard not to find some unusual and new food to sample.
Glass and wood, leather and ceramics, and metal work
are featured popular craft items.
This year, workshops were offered
by the Bezalel “White House” project,
organized by the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design,
with opportunities to learn from
talented students of the design school and purchase their handiwork.
But this festival is international too,
with exhibitors from Argentina and Armenia,
to Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe,
with Madagascar
and Mexico in between,
plus Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
At one of several booths for Chinese wares,
there were smiles for photos,
while a llama stood on guard for Peru.
These Korean dolls were colorful and delicate.
Entertainment specially designed for children
and some shows to complicated to explain
went on after dark and well into the night.
In addition,
every night, popular Israel musical acts
filled the huge Sultan Pool stage.
Every night tens of thousands of Israelis
celebrate the end of summer in Jerusalem, Israel at the fair.
