Time to make seder in the house,
then to set the table.
חג שמח
Have a great Pesach!
Happy Holiday!
culture
Passover in Jerusalem: Old and New
There are the old familiar images for Passover in Jerusalem, Israel,
garbage bins are overflowing, even though there are extra pick-ups;
shopping carts are overflowing;
and lots of large pots of water are boiling with steam rising.
But always there is something new.
Spring wildflowers have grown in the weeds,
a site where last year a brush fire left only scorched earth.
New warning signs at some major street crossings were painted on side walks.
But as most everything in Jerusalem, Israel, there was a bit of contention,
a corner near the Old City had the words only in Arabic,
but was painted over yesterday in Hebrew before I got there.
Then there are those construction cranes popping up like weeds
and many new luxury buildings.
But with any new construction
are the findings from ancient times that were hidden under the streets.
This Passover one very hot spot to visit is
the new Cinema City complex.
More than just movie theaters,
you can find all kinds of food,
and I assume plenty of it will be kosher for Passover.
For Passover and all year round, there is Moses,
not crossing the Red Sea, but with 10 commandments.
And posted all over are the new holiday signs,
happy holiday of spring in Jerusalem, Israel.
חג שמח!
Happy Holiday!
Have a great Passover all,
I really must get back to my cleaning.
Sounds of Music on Jerusalem’s Old City Streets
There seems to be a constant stream of festivals in Jerusalem, Israel,
and this week is the annual music festival, Sounds of the Old City.
Nighttime music festivals are not the best ops for photos,
but some of these backdrops and stages are indeed spectacular.
Starting outside of Jaffa Gate,
the Na’am Ensemble was the opening act,
followed by a performance by Gole Anar.
Most of the names of the folk singers are not familiar to Anglo audiences.
On the stage next to The Tower of David, the Alaev Family
included family members dressed in colorful Bukharan clothing.
There were over 11 mapped out performance locations,
the Dilijan Ensemble was #4 along the route.
A few locations were standouts,
like #3, down in the Tower of David moat!
The show with the music of Taverna band, hosted by Shimon Parnas,
was almost secondary to the site.
Built for protection so many years ago, who could imagine this musical scene?
Ketem Paz, a group of religious and secular artists,
who sing Yemenite melodies from traditional texts,
performed in the Open Cardo as the opening act.
What a stage!
Also, students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
were playing along the route.
Signs showed the way through the Muslim Quarter
and the shuk, market,
but as usual I got lost.
They need more and better signs.
By a photo in the free information booklet (available in English, Hebrew and Arabic)
it seems that I saw Lelot HaMizrach and not the Sahara trio.
Finally, I ended up in Muristan Square where
the Hebrews of Dimona were belting out
some old US favorites from the Four Seasons that even got the attention of even the very young.
Not everyone out at night was interested in live music,
and some were shopping in Mamilla Mall.
Thousands and thousands of people,
from around the world were on the Jerusalem, Israel streets.
But if there is no violence, just sounds of music, then it is not news.
Be warned though, that not only is the Old City closed to vehicles,
but some streets in Old City were even blocked for pedestrians,
like the street by the new still not quite open Waldorf-Astoria.
Sounds of the Old City runs from March 31 – April 3, 7-11:00 pm.