It’s that time of year in Jerusalem.
From winter cool and rain, flowers are popping up and out.
שבת שלום
Israel
Jerusalem: Trees This Tu Bishvat
When we were young in the US, Tu Bishvat meant a bit of bukser, dried black carob pods, which were nearly impossible to chew.
Celebrating in Jerusalem is so very different and so much more tasty and colorful.
In past years, President Rivlin hosted Tu Bishvat seders, but he is in Greece this year, being hosted by the Greeks in presidential-style receptions.
Tu Bishvat is also the date the Knesset opened in 1949. For the 50th year in present location, Tu Bishvat was celebrated in big way.
Parks and planting were my themes last year.
Teddy Park was lovely today, the fountain was going as two young men took photos.
In Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, renovations are slowly being revealed. I hope that in addition to these new cement tables and benches more trees will be planted, many were lost in snowstorms.
My dilemma was: what can be new this year, other than the using a different English spelling for ט”ו בשבט, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat?
Outside on the streets, dried fruits and nuts were on display well into the night before the holiday.
Fresh fruits top these luscious baked goods displayed in one cafe window.
With the warm and wet winter, almond trees were in bloom in time for Tu Bishvat this year.
Then this morning a friend wrote of a deadly threat to Jerusalem’s towering palm trees. The red palm beetle, a native of the Far East, has come here from Jordan and attacked our palm trees.
I had noticed that the palm trees by the Belgium Consulate were cut back drastically.
It was a bright sunny day, so I set off to see for myself. There were dead leaves hanging on these palm trees in Yemin Moshe.
The palm trees in front of the old French Hospital did not look healthy.
Last month when I was in Kikar Safra, Safra Square, I took this photo of the large flags on display. I noticed the palm trees at the other end of the plaza were surrounded by blue barriers used for crowd control. Now I regret not taking a photo.
Those towering trees were taken down in the middle of the night, after a diseased one fell.
Today men are finishing up their work and removing the stumps.
The last of the stumps of the towering palm trees is being ground into saw dust.
Kikar Safra plaza is filled with wood chips, where the palm trees once towered overhead.
The walking path from Kikar Safra toward Jaffa Gate has a palm tree protected by a fence, and the sidewalk is built around it. Trees are important enough to build around them.
Even before the State of Israel was founded, trees have been important. The JNF, the Jewish National Fund, raised money to plant trees to make the barren land green.
Tu Bishvat is called the New Year for Trees. This year we will need a lot of new trees to replace those that were lost.
But on this happy holiday, I can not end on such a sad note. It was a beautiful day to be outside. All around Israel, people are planting new trees.
The almond trees are blooming. The sun was shining after days of rain. I met friendly tourists from South Africa who assured me that South Africans really do like Israel.
So Happy Tu Bishvat!
I am going to eat some dates, this year they were plentiful and inexpensive, so we got a big box.
Long and Short of VP Mike Pence Jerusalem Visit
As always there is much happening
on these Jerusalem, Israel streets.
However, local news was overshadowed by
the arrival of US Vice-President Mike Pence.
Flags on main streets,
while large flags, lined his motorcade route.
The visit was for two days.
Video cameras were ready at the official welcome
by the Prime Minister’s Office early Monday morning.
An honor guard was getting ready for red carpet
greeting of the Tourist of Week.
The Vice-Presidential vehicle pulled in
and Vice-President Pence lined up with
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Head of State Protocol Meron Reuben,
surrounded by the watchful eyes of security.
After the White House press entered,
this was best photo I could get over the crowd.
The entire event took minutes,
and everyone went home.
Then in afternoon,
the Vice-Presidential motorcade arrived at the Knesset.
Before the Vice-President’s Knesset speech,
supporters with thank you welcome banners lined the road.
Security seemed a bit confused,
but did not complain about a positive demonstration.
Tuesday morning as I was walking near Mamilla Mall,
I finally got my photo, not only of the Trump bus,
but also one of the Welcome Pence buses.
Slow going from blocked streets and security,
was theme over the time of Pence visit.
But waiting in security line for the
Kotel, Western Wall,
I was able to see these two display boxes,
for the Pences’ visit, carried by security,
also go through security checks.
It is hard to describe the layers of security.
Routes to he Kotel Plaza were draped in white,
to block all views.
The entire area was closed to the public for hours.
Since the weather forecast was for rain,
tents and covers were constructed.
A small platform was constructed for media.
I took advantage of higher and closer spot to admire the birds.
However, the main event was eclipsed,
by female journalists who did not like being behind the men.
Once it was evident it would not be raining,
the white covering was removed.
As a short female photographer who is often blocked,
I was satisfied to stand on a chair supported by the barrier,
but others around me were furious.
More upsetting to me, was to see security blocking
the official White House press travelling with the VP.
They only had a few minutes to get in position,
we had been waiting for over two hours already.
On entering,
Vice-President and Karen Pence stopped to watch a video
about the Western Wall, giving
security and White House cameras time to get in place.
Pence looked at a large book of Tehilim, Psalms,
with the two rabbis from the Western Wall.
Blocking my shot (only can use the word now,
with so much insane security all around,
who knows how much trouble I would be in)
was a tall security guy in purple shirt!
I got the photo, plus
another 400, if you are interested,
but turned my attention to Karen Pence.
She was accompanied first to the display case,
then to another large Tehilim book,
by the two rabbis’ wives and Western Wall spokeswoman.
Karen Pence stood alone,
and spent a much longer time
with her hand on the stones of the Wall.
The entire time from when motorcade entered the plaza
until they raced away was 30 minutes.
From rooftops,
to the roads leading to the Old City,
vehicles and pedestrians were stopped.
A crowd gathered near Jaffa Gate as
Karen Pence stopped to do a bit of shopping,
before heading back home.
As I finally headed home,
the road to the King David Hotel was still blocked.
Oh, so different from Vice-President Biden’s 2010 visit.
After the motorcade passed on the way to the airport,
it was getting dark on wet Jerusalem streets.
Some roads were still empty
while others were filled with blocked traffic.
The predicted rain waited and began to fall,
but did not spoil the visit.
Lots of waiting for events lasting minutes,
the significance of which we can only guess,
not your usual week in Jerusalem,
or maybe it really was.