The weather has been gorgeous.
What a beautiful Passover week in Jerusalem, Israel!
Time is flying,
so before it is too late,
wishing you a Pesach Kasher v’Semeach.
Happy Passover!
Jerusalem photos
BDS in Jerusalem
Sorry I do not know any BDS, Boycott, Divest and Sanction folks,
so I can not ask them how boycotting Soda Stream
and putting hundreds of Palestinian workers out of a job
is good for anyone.
I can only assume that they are simply anti-Israel or ignorant,
as they would hurt those that BDSers are supposedly are out to help.
What I do see in Jerusalem, Israel, is that
Arab girls shop.
That is not new or news
and certainly everyone here knows that
Arab women shop.
But the biggest change in the last two years
that I have seen
is that now
Arab males shop.
Not just for cell phones,
or candy,
or food
in the supermarkets,
or in the shuk, Machane Yehuda Market,
or in a bakery.
They walk the Jerusalem streets while shopping with women
and girls,
and they carry those bags home too.
Especially in Mamilla Mall,
groups of young Arab men
can be found every day
and at night.
I have been asked what this means,
I am really not sure.
However, I do see that BDS in Jerusalem, Israel
is not boycott, divest and sanction,
but more like Boys Do Shop!
Time to add another pin on the BDS Fail Map
this time from the heart of Israel.
In Jerusalem 10 Signs of Purim Season
You can never tell what you will find on the streets of Jerusalem, Israel,
and that is especially true at this time of year.
The month of Adar has arrived,
and though the Purim holiday is still two weeks away,
here is a sign of the season, a great mask I passed on the street.
Across the street from the Prime Minister’s residence
blue balloons were hanging and blowing in the wind.
At first I thought they were some sort of reminder of a terrorist attack
that had killed 10 people at this spot in Adar of 2003.
But, the number 18 was not about years or the number of victims of terror,
when I looked more closely, they said:
18 ministers in the new government is enough!
End of season sale signs are up in Mamilla Mall, where
the humor themed art is perfect for this time of year.
The giant sign for February sport events and the Jerusalem Marathon
at Jaffa Gate cannot be missed.
Even with signs, the construction of new sidewalks
can be hard to figure out, and it took awhile to get around this mess.
For months on this corner, there was a protest against racism,
in the same spot where Gilad Shalit’s family spent so many years.
Today it was cleaned up and clear of all tents and banners.
You can now see the sign that says that it is prohibited to hang signs.
However, there are new signs being hung
across from Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence,
“Honored President, Save Pollard.”
There are many more signs of the Purim season,
but two of my favorites
are the street signs named for Mordechai the Jew,
and of course,
those full plates of hamentaschen being served where ever you go.