Israeli flags – Page 8 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Beautiful Jerusalem Scenes then Rocket Siren

August 20, 2014rjstreets

Last night as the sun was setting,

traffic around the Old City was heavy and slow.

Mamilla Mall was crowded with people.

The usually deserted Artists’ Colony was alive for

Hutzot Hayotzer, the annual international arts festival.

Security was tight for this mega rip-off, but hugely popular

international fair of merchandise and food.

This man was taking advantage of the crowds,

hoping to raise money for sick people.

I walked through Teddy Park,

across from the Walls of the Old City, this former No Man’s Land,

packed with people.

I imagine the designer of the special water fountain

thought of it as a place where people would come together,

but this corner as a place for afternoon prayer services?

Jaffa Gate was unusually quiet, the Arab vendors were not around,

and one of the major gifts shops was closed.

Israelis were out to enjoy the last of summer evenings,

but tourists have been scared away this summer.

Too bad they are missing the sights,

like the beauty of Hurva Synagogue as the sun sets,

the Old City views,

and seeing the majesty of the Kotel, the Western Wall, up close.

But my favorite scene was nearby on the Kotel plaza.

A soldier just back from reserve duty, still wearing his gun,

had come to the Kotel with his young family.

He was surrounded by young admirers.

Perfect weather.

All was calm.

But,

Hamas broke a cease-fire for the 11th time,

and for the second day in a row southern Israel

was pounded by rockets and mortars from Gaza.

Then,

last night the warning siren went off

as we were on way home from the Old City.

We had to get out of the car

and run to stand near a wall with no glass windows.

We then heard a boom in the distance.

It was a quiet street, with nothing special to photograph.

But the family members who were at the Kotel,

had to first go up against the wall,

then were sent into the tunnels to wait out the ten minutes.

Hamas was trying to hit Jerusalem, Israel,

with their rockets…again.

100 rockets launched at southern Israel since midnight

and 30 targets attacked in Strip overnight,

for way too many sleepless nights.

Rocket sirens now in Beer Sheva,

too many places to list.

How did so many thousands of rockets get into Gaza?

How did so little else get accomplished by Hamas?

Jerusalem Day: Israeli Flags and Parade

June 1, 2014rjstreets

Thousands of people are marching down 5th Avenue in New York City

for the annual Israel Day Parade #TogetherOnFifth,

after months of intense organization and planning.

On Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, we also had a parade.

Overnight all the yellow and white Vatican flags were gone,

replaced with blue & white Israeli and Jerusalem flags.

The streets were crowded with tens of thousands of people,

carrying thousands of flags,

for the annual Rikudegalim, Dance with the Flags

or Flag Parade.

Streets that were closed for the Pope were shut down again.

But this time people did not stay away,

Aleh students came in their wheelchairs.

Thousand of girls with Israeli flags

had their own place to sing and dance.

And these two guys were trying awfully hard to see them.

In the crowd it was hard to see, so sitting on shoulders provided a better view.

The buses blocked traffic so the parade could pass,

as the streets were filled with people long before the official start time.

The hotel balcony gave people a great vantage point.

Outside Heichal Shlomo, men and boys were packed in,

ready to march to the Western Wall,

to enter by same gate as the paratroopers did in 1967

when they liberated the Old City from Jordanian control.

With people coming in all directions all afternoon,

this parade may not have been as carefully organized

as the one in New York City,

but it was the ultimate blue & white photo-op.

I heard of girls who needed a police escort out of the Old City,

as glass bottles were thrown at them.

But though Yom Yerushalayim is not yet a national holiday,

people from all over the world came together to celebrate.

And on King George Street where the masses were having fun,

there was no violence, so it did not make the news.

19 Favorite Scenes this Week in Jerusalem

May 8, 2014rjstreets

Raining, pouring weather in Israel in May

is most unusual, but it started last night.

Too bad that I missed getting a photo of lightning over the Knesset,

or little children splashing in puddles this afternoon.

But this was such a colorful, event-filled week it was hard to keep up,

so I decided to share just a few favorites scenes.

The weather had been warm and summer-like last week,

perfect for the many groups of children on school trips to see Jerusalem.

The planes for flyover air shows are such a favorite that I did a whole blog post on them.

What a spot for a show, in the Jaffa Gate plaza of the Old City,

with the King David Hotel as backdrop

The flags inside of Tower of David Museum fly all year.

But this week there were lots more flags to be seen,

my favorite decorated car was this one.

The Jewish Agency Building was one of many draped with long flags.

However, I hate to see so much water being used for cleaning

when getting ready for holiday ceremonies.

Back to Israeli flags,

these Arab women walked under rows of them.

It was nice to see one hanging in a new Jerusalem yeshiva.

While down the street,

I met these two Kurdish women.

They are in Israel with their children who are receiving life saving medical care.

It is always a favorite to share that kind of under radar story.

By day there were various flags flying,

by night for Yom Ha’aztmaut, Independence Day

this sign warns of street closings.

The all night parties and fireworks were really something else.

Not just Israeli flags,

but Jerusalem flags are also lining major streets.

I loved this warning in hotel lobby,

that things will be closed on Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day

On our first time in Israel for Yom Ha’atzmaut our tour bus drove

for hours looking for somewhere to get food.

I never understood how that could have been so poorly scheduled,

everyone in Israel should know about these closing times.

Blue and white flags and cars fill on the streets,

and people and smoke filled Gan Sacher, Sacher Park and other green areas.

Some people know how to stake their claim to a picnic spot.

The blue and white plastic hammers keep getting bigger.

This dog was dressed in red, white and blue.

It felt like US July 4th Independence Day, hot and muggy,

so no idea why he needed to wear anything.

Grilling meat went on all day,

at just this one mangal BBQ over 250 pounds of meat were consumed.

The photo of a girl in Gan Sacher in a “GO VEG” tee-shirt

came out good, but not many were paying attention to her advice

and this is getting too long.

It has cooled off and I had better get going,

after the violent weather, the sun is starting to come out.