culture

Thousands of people attended the opening of the

Jerusalem Festival of Light in the Old City last night.

It is one of my favorite events to photograph

so I arrived at Jaffa Gate early, before sunset .

There were three colored trails to follow,

I started with the “Orange Trail”

 which went past The Tower of David and through

 the Armenian Quarter along the Armenian Patriarch Street.

Workers were finishing up the large art piece “Faces of Jerusalem.” 

A series of lights called the “Light Line” lined Misgav Ladach Street

and ended at the harp-shaped, “The Visual Piano.”

It was hard to photograph, but impressive to hear and see.

At sunset, both the lights at the Kotel, the Western Wall, 

and the views of the area are a favorite even without art light displays.

In the Rova,  the plaza of the Jewish Quarter,

 there was a fascinating piece called “Meeting Composition.”

  It changed with the motion of people under it.

From the Jewish Quarter I picked up the “Blue Trail.”

Last year I was so impressed with performers using  fire torches 

that I watched for a long time and took dozens of  photos.

Last year they were on a small side street,  

but this year they were a main attraction in Muristan Square.

Determined to see all the routes, I did not stay to watch, 

but started on the “Green Trail.”

There was a light coming from the Mosque of Omar,

but the sign says “For Prayers Only”.

The “Green Trail” went through areas of the Old City

where  I usually do not go, certainly not alone at night.

So when the green lights stopped here, I stopped…

until an Israeli woman passed me and said to keep going to Damascus Gate.

Really good advice!

While recently the Damascus Gate has been in the news as a site of protests,

tonight it was lit up as a giant pinball machine.

Along the walls on the way back to Jaffa Gate were “Light Benches”

and this piece which can only appreciated in video. 

At the Jaffa Gate the “Cupola” was bright inside and out.

Inside there was a couple dancing to the music,

while people were looking up

and many were taking photos.

Jerusalem, the light of the world.

These are just a few of my favorites from “Light in Jerusalem.”

I have to leave you some surprises, as the event runs until June 14.

If you cannot make it to Jerusalem, Israel this year…

more photos posted on

The Real Jerusalem Streets Facebook page