Jerusalem Photography

See How Jerusalem is Changing From Above and Below

Sharon A

Oh, Jerusalem.

Besides Jerusalem of Gold, Jerusalem is said to have another 69 names.

Now maybe it’s time to add a new one Jerusalem of Change.

Oh, how the Jerusalem skyline is changing.

Those cranes seen above the Jerusalem streets rotate by day as they change structures to new heights.

Then there are the new stones constantly changed that provide employment.

And the flower beds constantly changing. Who financially benefits from all those millions of flowers?

The new pedestrian bridge over the Hinnom Valey has proved a popular end-of-summer attraction.

Not all change in Jerusalem is easily visible, such as with the new Shaare Zedek Oncology Buil

The lobby is clean and bright and new, but notice the sign is for 5 floors.

Most of the building is underground, with a green atrium space in the center of the building.

The changes in the former President Hotel on Ahad Ha’am Street are apparent.

The first floor of the Social Space with fascinating old and new miscellaneous items is changing daily.

Liberty Bell Park has been the scene of multiple nighttime events, besides regular public sports.

Loud live music at night can be heard on surrounding Jerusalem streets, plus the Skatepark has had a “facelift’ and is well used daily.

On August 22nd, the Mystorin Theatre took over sections of the Skatepark with RAAMSKATE.

I confess it took me a while to figure out what was happening, all their work is out of the box.

But this time “out of the park’ – the skatepark that is, was more accurate. RAAM = Ramesses!

The dancers, actors, and skaters merged with music and lights from many directions.

Loud and colorful with plenty of smoke and extras to entertain the public.

People came to the free event and watched from around the “stage” and were invited to join the dancing.

First Station in Jerusalem has changed over the decades, and certainly in the past ten years.

The old carousel is one visitor attraction for the younger crowd.

The market stalls and restaurants are busy, sometimes more than other times.

In this too-hot August weather, the Ice Rink at First Station was a place to cool off. Though many Israelis are less than agile on the ice, one man dressed in Haredi fashion went by too fast to capture in a photograph. I wondered where he was from originally – perhaps Canada?

The Hutzot Hayotzer Arts Festival has ended, but the live concerts in Sultan Pool change every night.

Going by in the early evening you can get a glimpse of the stars and bands rehearsing to get a preview.

In nature, the season is slowly starting to change, as the pomegranates reveal.

Finally, the August heat wave is giving way to cooler nights.

The crowds at the Kotel, Western Wall for Selihot on August 24, as seen in photos published by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation seem not to be changing until Yom Kippur.

Threats from without and within as the new year of 5784 is rapidly approaching.

But the Jerusalem streets are ready for the start of the new school year – asking, “On the way to class?”

RJS joins in wishing all a safe and good new year, to go in peace.

Time Flying by in a Hot August in Jerusalem

Sharon A

Time is a strange thing.

It seems to go too fast or too slow, depending on the situation.

Jerusalem, Israel, is in the midst of an August heat wave. However, as the sun goes down, some nights have cooled off as usual.

But one night the humidity hit 82%. For Jerusalem, that high humidity is usual and was not appreciated as I walked home.

Still much has been happening on the Jerusalem streets for summer fun.

Jerusalem streets are covered with everything from colorful fake balloons

to candy canes and much more for tourists to admire and photograph.

Surprised to see lights on at night in the one-day-to-be Knesset Museum.

The Museum of Tolerance was dark one night

but opened with a photography exhibit during the day.

In 2021, the Jerusalem Foundation, with the support of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation, created SidraTarbut, CulturEvents, a summer festival blending together film, dance, theater, and music.

Over the months of August and September, Jerusalem is to have 40 days of events and artistic offerings throughout the city offered free of charge or for a small fee.

The initial impetus for the series was the economic and social crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the success of SidraTarbut in the summer of 2021, the Mandel Foundation decided to support the festival for another two years. 

Performances and events are adapted to neighborhood residents, taking into consideration each community’s interest. It ends with Selihot in 10 Jerusalem neighborhoods and a special Selihot at the Tower of David on September 21, 2023.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation announced 17 special Selihot times, and if you can’t attend in person, they will be available online live. They also posted photos of the first night with thousands attending Selihot.

Evenings are when most Jerusalem summer events happen.

RAAMSKATE by the always unique and creative Mystorin Theatre Group is to be in the Liberty Bell Skate Park on August 22, 2023, at night.

In Bloomfield Park, Julius Caesar continues as on opening night Shakespeare. Theater in Motion moves each night in the same park.

The Jerusalem Street Orchestra, however, changes locations for each performance, with the second evening performance in Zion Square.

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The orchestra, excellent though not professional musicians, is conducted by Ido Shpitalnik and entertained a large appreciative crowd in Zion Square.

A video better to show what was happening in Jerusalem at sunset.

Monday nights in August and until September 11th, are for Israeli dancing outside the Jerusalem Theater, again a video seemed better than photos.

But as someone asked – where are the young people?

Do they know the dances? Are children taught them now?

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Hansen House has a new exhibit that is said to be good for children, I went to check it out but it closes at 6:00 pm, too early for me when it’s so hot.

To really keep cool on these hot days, there is ice skating at First Station.

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End-of-summer event signs are up, including a Night at the Tower of David.

Jerusalem Theater is again to have an End of Summer Festival August 29-31.

Oh my. The signs are up a Beit Avi Chai for welcoming Kitah Aleph students. Time to buy school books and clothes and new shoes again?

The beginning of the month Elul means some students are back in classrooms. The end of August means the new school year is approaching for all, for some not soon enough, and for others too soon.

I am waiting for this heat wave to end and to be able to walk during the day to see what else is happening on the Jerusalem streets.

See How Summer Starts in Jerusalem

Sharon A

In Jerusalem at the end of June, the multitude of end-of-school-year events slow down, and the trips to the airport increase, as Israelis head overseas and tens of thousands of tourists arrive to fill the Jerusalem streets.

The weather is still not too hot.

This is the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens in the evening with cool breezes, and even lilies in the pond are a tourist attraction.

The bright flowers are blooming all around the Jerusalem streets,

even the weeds are colorful,

with bursts of purple before the summer heat arrives.

The Botanical Gardens has become a popular venue for events, this night was to hear Col Richard Kemp. He said as a child he was taught right from wrong and with his military experience he speaks out about Israel’s military being unfairly criticized by too much of the world.

Walking into this area one encounters roadway construction.

I will spare you many photos of random road closings for road work,

and stay with the sweet things happening now that it’s summertime.

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First Station has been busy with public musical performances.

And the annual Shavuah HaSefer is thriving in the First Station location.

Hebrew Book Week attracts all ages, from families with babies to one older gentleman I saw walking pushing a walker for support and a helper following with a shopping cart to take his purchases home.

Authors come to sign their books.

I knew two authors the night I came, Michael Eisenberg and

Rabbi Reuven Ziegler. Notice the sign?

Hebrew Book Week is also for bargain hunters.

At Hansen House, the annual Design Week has started – “Lies & Falsehoods.”

Inside the old stone building the new technology amazes.

But did the courtyard ever look as nice as this?

Indeed, it is hard to know what is true, what is an illusion, and what is real.

To close the week, the Nefesh Be’Nefesh Campus in Jerusalem hosted a Shuk Olim on Friday morning. Various immigrants to Israel have started businesses and they were provided with tables to share their wares. Muffins went by the hundreds. Candy, tea, whiskey, honey, and beer, even corned beef was available besides artwork and jewelry and more, and the best herring I have had in a long time

And the Jerusalem Food Trucks are to be back in the Hinnom Valley on Tuesday-Thursday nights in July and August.

June 29-July 1, a marathon of tours is planned, not just inside, but starting at the Tower of David, the New Jerusalem Museum – tours include meetings with the communities and neighbors adjacent to the museum, men and women of different religions and cultures.

Food, music, and summer fun in Jerusalem, Israel.

Come and see for yourself what’s happening on the Jerusalem Streets.