Jerusalem photos – Page 158 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Time for a Break

July 17, 2011rjstreets

Too many things this week are too difficult to understand.

20 Kassam rockets and mortar shells have landed in Israel from Gaza,

while Israel sent hundreds of trucks filled with tens of 1000’s of tons

of goods and fuel into Gaza just this past week.

Activists from around the world fight to get to Jerusalem to protest,

while the world ignores that east Africa is starving.

The murder of Leiby Kletzky z”l in Brooklyn is impossible to comprehend,

as is strapping explosives to a child making her a walking bomb,

as they did in Afghanistan.

When child safety is not a basic belief…it is too difficult to understand.

Time to take a break for something sweeter, perhaps an ice cream

or melon that is now in season.

Or sport,

as dozens of teams gathered in Kikar Safra, Safra Square,

for a basketball derby.

A few young women wore colored team shirts

and possibly a future star could be found in the crowd.

Cyclists were out adding color to the streets.

From Kraft Stadium,

a Woodstock revival filled the air with music and smoke.

The Thursday night audience was colorful…

very colorful!

The heavy warm air of last week brought vivid colors

to the summer skies at sunset,

a perfect time to take a break and just enjoy the view.

After the dark of night…the colors at sunrise were again hard to describe.

From the darkness of last week to the light of another day…

for the refuah shelamah of Tzuriya Kochevet Bat Sarah,

may the colors of sunrise be in your future for many years to come.

Welcome to Palestine

July 10, 2011rjstreets

It is hot…

ok…we are spoiled, the rest of the country is hotter,

and it is dry, putting the public and the fire department on high alert.

Smoke billowed from this apartment building, two fire engines arrived to

find that smoke was from a man starting his BBQ grill on an outside porch.

Last week’s loud music and voices coming from open windows

have been replaced by the sounds of summer:

the whirl of air conditioning units.

In the center of Jerusalem, usually busy Gan Sacher, Sacher Park,

was quiet on Friday afternoon,

everyone seemed to be moving a bit slower…

even the soccer players.

It was a good day to sit in the shade and read

and perfect to select a choice picnic spot.

Children are out of school, keeping them busy, happy, safe and cool

have been the real streets main concerns…

and as always a good parking spot.

Day and night, the Renewed Israel Museum is a popular choice for many

and also this week the cool theaters of the Jerusalem Film Festival,

as many of the summer holiday visitors have discovered.

Had the flytilla activists arrived as the millions of regular visitors,

they would have passed these posters

on a wall in the new Ben Gurion terminal.

The irony of a United Palestine Appeal poster

to build a Jewish future would probably have been wasted on them.

These activists must not know that

cities under Palestinian Authority control have been safer of late,

and people holding US passports have visited them regularly.

Instead of sitting in jail or being deported, these activists could

have joined the many Arab families

who frequent Gan Sacher in the evening to picnic

and bring plenty of food.

Some call stopping the flotilla and the flytilla an over-reaction.

Today a suspicious package brought downtown Jerusalem

to a standstill. Another over-reaction?

Possibly… except for the one time it blows up in your face.

The Greek flag is flying with the Israeli and Jerusalem flags

lining the route to welcome the Greek President to Jerusalem.

The Greeks played an important part in stopping the flotilla,

and deserve a big thank you.

In case one needs to be reminded about smuggling weapons to Hamas,

three rockets from Gaza landed in southern Israel yesterday.

Thank you, President Karolos Papoulias…

the ‘Welcome to Palestine’ activists just don’t get it,

but fortunately…you got it!

Old Tractor Parade

May 31, 2011rjstreets

On Monday, May 30, 2011,

main streets in Jerusalem were closed to all vehicles,

except the old tractors on parade

and some special bikers.

Groups of young people gathered

in Gan Ha’atzmaut, Independence Park.

Thousands of people

dressed in blue and white, came together,

many from kibbutzim and moshavim

throughout the country to take part in this annual

pre-Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, event.

As last year, Noam Shalit was one of the speakers

and got most of the media attention,

on Gilad Shalit’s 1800 day of captivity.

Flags and marchers accompanied tractors as they went from Agron Street

to King George Street,

where a few spectators watched from above

and below as the old pieces of farm equipment led off the parade.

Thousands of people filled King George Street

with music

and blue and white Israeli flags.

Marchers and tractors outnumbered spectators as the route turned

and filled Bezalel Street

on the way to Gan Sacher, Sacher Park,

where a huge stage was ready for a night-time concert.

Thousands came early to get a good spot on the grass.

Tens of thousands of people,

hours of family fun,

ending with a fire works display,

and

NO violence… so it was not news

Happy. Jerusalem Day!

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