Israel – Page 66 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Musical ending for KING DAVID at Tower of David Jerusalem Israel

On with the Show In Jerusalem

August 16, 2020Sharon A

Jerusalem in August is usually not the most popular place to be.

It’s hot. It gets humid at night in Jerusalem.

It’s summer vacation time when residents go north to find cool waterways and nature trails. In past years, tens of thousands of Israelis flew overseas to foreign destinations for a holiday. With COVID-19, nothing is usual this summer.

But even during a pandemic in Jerusalem, the attitude is that the show must go on.

The Western Wall Plaza is divided up to meet the latest prayer limit restrictions and, as you can see in this image taken after Shabbat, the sections were filled.

Families are doing their best to keep children busy and safe. With hats, sunglasses, and masks it can be difficult to recognize friends.

Last week the clouds over Jerusalem were impressive.

For two days in a row, there was no rain, just massive clouds over the city.

Those white billowing clouds can make for colorful images at sunset.

By day even weeds growing wild make for a colorful image.

These are the slow days or the end of summer. Instead of attending crowded festival events and conferences with hundreds of participants, walking these nature trails in Jerusalem has been a daily activity. There is a man sitting and reading alone in the distance. There are a few runners, occasionally a person sitting alone on a bench meditating, even a young couple sitting together, with the girl wearing a hijab covering her face with her hands.

I refrain from taking photos of people to respect their privacy. But this guy I had to get.

Days of walking slowly, not rushing to a scheduled meeting, one can look and see a bird perched.

Look up, there are building cranes in most directions over Jerusalem streets. These working on the National Library and Jerusalem Gateway seemed to be in sync.

Oops, the water company was on site for a water leak.

The next day it was repaired and all was back to normal.

However, not all is quiet. The protests near the Prime Minister’s Residence continue. Members of the IPO played a concert and various culture groups also joined protesters.

Theaters have not been allowed to reopen. However, the 59th Israel Festival, originally set for June, has rescheduled for September 3-12. The “show must go on” for the annual Jerusalem event with local and foreign artists, events, and performances.

The 2020 Jerusalem Jazz Festival is planned for September 8-10.

The Jerusalem Municipality is holding a series of events at Jerusalem’s bars and nightlife businesses. Every Monday, during the month of August, the Shaon Horef events are happening.

Jerusalem School of Rock student performers were out entertaining the public. One of the many Jerusalem street actors passed by and danced to the beat for a bit on his way up Hillel Street.

A warm-up for August 20-21, the two-day family-friendly smoke-free, second annual Jerusalem Community Woodstock event. Featuring the best of the Woodstock era bands with music, food, camping out

The jamming to the “greatest music in rock history” is planned at Silo, a vegetarian eatery, off the First Station parking lot. At this Jerusalem Woodstock, don’t expect to find mud, smoking, or drugs.

The Israel Museum finally reopened after being closed for months due to corona.

The first visitors came on Thursday with masks, tickets, and special security.

The water is back on and flowing over the Shrine of the Book.

The Bloomfield Science Museum is to reopen this week.

Planning for the future, The Jerusalem Theater opened its 2021 membership season.

Here are some on my favorite Jerusalem flowers, the בוגונויליה – Bougainvillea.

Want to get out of Jerusalem and see more Israeli flowers?

See the latest wildflower walking tours HERE.

And to end on a positive note, the night shows at the Tower of David were fully booked! So they added more. Only Friday nights the lights and sounds are silent.

Rosh Hodesh Elul is Thursday and Friday.

Only one more month in the Hebrew year תש”פ.

In Jerusalem, the streets and shows are slowly happening again.

Wherever you are headed this week take care and stay safe.

The skis are opening up to tourists.

Hoping to see more visitors again on the Jerusalem streets.

Jerusalem Riding the Waves of August

August 9, 2020Sharon A

From Jerusalem, there is good news and bad news.

Rollercoaster days with ups and downs.

Highs and lows with COVID-19.

Beautiful, happy weddings and sad, sad funerals.

Crazy times with closings and openings.

Yet 140 new Olim arrived from France. We know that others are arriving daily without a big reception, to go into a two-week quarantine, before starting their new lives in their new home.

The seasonal international tourists are missing from the Jerusalem streets.

The Pianos Festival went online this year.

However, the seasons and nature are consistent.

The days are growing shorter with the end of August rapidly approaching.

The well-watered grass in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park is ready for guests.

The Jerusalem Mayor’s office announced the removal of public telephones. But Jerusalem has added food trucks in various park locations. Friday morning, pizza was available in Gan Sacher.

Drive-in movies are being shown at the First Station parking lot. Regular theaters are still closed to Corona restrictions.

Shaon Horef, the Winter Noise Festival held on Jerusalem streets on Monday nights in February, got lost in the news of approaching novel coronavirus. Now Jerusalem is trying for Shaon Horef on August summer nights with music and performances on various streets.

The parks are sponsoring Sport and Fitness for retired folks.

Among the other options are biking, flower arranging, yoga and Pilates, and Segway tours.

Not sure who was having more fun here, the father controlling the flying toy or the kids who sat to watch.

Parties for the youth are planned in the Jerusalem parks.

And Jerusalem parks are, as always, perfect for a first date, another sign of this season.

The Jerusalem municipality has offered to host weddings at various scenic locations:

the Promenade at Armon Hanatziv,

the Bloomfield Gardens near the Montefiore Windmill,

and the Liberty Bell Park. They are also some of my favorite Jerusalem locations.

Protesters sitting on Jerusalem street near the Prime Minister's Residence — Photo credit: Shifra G

Those noisy protests near the Prime Minister’s Residence continue.

The Israel Museum was closed for months but there is some good news there.

Museum galleries are scheduled to open this Thursday. The employees protesting last week are to return to work.

From a distance I noticed the all-black covering put on the back of city promotional signs along Hazaz Street, part of the black shirt anti-government protest.

However, looking closer to the new landscaping along the street, there are new flowers emerging.

This pink sign is one of the Jerusalem promoting tourism which were covered in black. But I took this photo to share a sign of normalcy. Friday morning flowers were being sold for Shabbat.

The sun has risen and set.

The limes on the tree are growing and almost ready to pick.

I thought I had found a perfect rose for a closeup.

Only when I got home a saw there was an insect crawling on it.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon announced,”Following the global tourism crisis, we decided to advance the upgrade work and infrastructure related to tourist areas throughout the city. Upgrading King David Street is a complex upgrade project that affects transportation throughout central Jerusalem.”

The Israel National Library on Givat Ram announced, including their online sessions, will be closed for lack of funding.

But, construction on the new National Library is going strong. This is how the roof looked today.

So there you have it, not all good, part of what’s happening on the Jerusalem streets this week.

I miss attending events at Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence. The very restricted number of programs now are limited to the Government Press Office only, not open to those of us with GPO cards.

Israeli President on phone — Photo credit: Mark Neyman

Today President Rivlin spoke on the telephone with people who have requested help via the coronavirus hotline opened by Beit HaNasi.

Let’s hope we can all ride these waves safely.

On running path one turns to wave in Jerusalem park

Jerusalem Heats Up for Summer

July 19, 2020Sharon A

It had to happen here in Jerusalem, Israel.

The hot weather had to arrive.

We are well into summertime in the Middle East.

This past week was still cool in the evening and pleasant.

But, today it’s hot outside.

July 14th was Bastille Day, celebrated in France with an official ceremony including a military marching band – “Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood.”

Protest Rally in Jerusalem Israel near Prime Minister's residence — Photo credit: Shifra G

In Jerusalem, the 14th was marked by a huge protest rally under the banner of “Siege of Balfour.” Protests are allowed under Israeli law, even when COVID-19 restrictions are the most severe stages. Most other gatherings, on the other hand, have been limited in numbers to try to control the spread during this coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters late at night at Jerusalem Israel Paris Square set fire to a paper recycling container — Photo credit: Shifra G

After the main protest rally with its noise and drums and shouts, it quieted a bit near midnight. We could hear the noises a mile away.

There have been protesters near Paris Square for a month, close to the Prime Minister’s Residence.

Gilad Shalit’s family was there for years until he was released from Gaza.

Most weeks since, someone has a protest there. I have taken photos, but not always shared them.

However, this was more than the regular noisy protest.

Jerusalem Israel recycle container set on fire by protesters — Photo credit: Micky Rosenfeld Israel Polie

A paper recycling bin was set on fire, and enough protesters to fill a bus were taken away by police after being sprayed by water.

The truck was a little late getting to the protest scene. After making a wrong turn, the driver had to back the oversized vehicle out of our small, one-way street VERY carefully.

These protests have made headlines. The social workers are still on strike, but they’re not violent, making them less newsworthy.

Nurses are ready to strike also?

No idea what next, but can share what did happen:

Israeli Scouts in uniform and masks met on Tuesday for an outing.

A group of young children gathered in this shaded nature spot. I liked how their backpacks were hanging from a cord – carefully distanced. I was reminded of the days when parents thought that head lice was the worst possible of plagues.

President Rivlin watches Israeli football final from a box, as the only spectator — Photo credit Kobi Gideon, GPO

The Israeli Football (soccer) final had one spectator – President Reuven Rivlin.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin meets with IDF near Lebanon border — Photo credit: Kobi Gideon, GPO

Twenty years after the withdrawal from Lebanon, President Rivlin visited the northern border on Thursday, beginning his visit with the operations room at Camp Biranit. I thought the plates of healthy food on the table were interesting.

I have plenty of border photos from January. Seems so long ago, when I was near the Blue Line, on the Israeli border of Lebanon.

The Jerusalem Film Festival (JFF) announced the end of its plans to run a delayed physical edition at the end of August. Following a surge in COVID-19 cases, new restrictions on large-scale gatherings have been introduced.