As the sun sets,
reflection on the walls of the Old City
turn to a golden hue.
Summer time
and Teddy Park below is filled with families.
שבת שלום
Shabbat shalom.
Jerusalem photos
15 August Activities and Fun in Jerusalem
Tisha B’Av and the days of mourning have ended,
and the month of August is holiday time.
Jerusalem does not have a beach with a sunset view.
The new water activity in First Station
for children to play soccer under a water spray,
the Teddy Park Fountain
and Lion’s Fountain are poor substitutes for a dip in the water.
Lacking in water, Jerusalem compensates with
summer activities and festivals
during the long summer school holiday,
both for locals and the tourists arriving daily.
After years of construction,
the new Orient Hotel is open near First Station
and boutique hotels have popped up all over town.
Khuztot Hayozer, the annual international arts & crafts fair,
attracts thousands to the Sultan’s Pool, and opens next week.
The Bloomfield Science Museum has
a special bicycle exhibit and other popular activities.
Summer programs for children are advertised by the National Library.
The 26th International Puppet Festival is this week.
And again this summer,
free August admission for children at the Israel Museum.
The colorful and popular umbrellas over streets downtown
are back up for the summer,
as is this new giant radio on Ben Yehudah pedestrian mall.
Shakespeare in Motion opens on August 10
in Bloomfield Park near the Montefiore Windmill.
The Wine Festival and Beer Festival are popular,
night time adult only happenings.
There are also many Tu B’Av night happenings,
like this one on Emek Refaim Street.
Ice skating at Sports Arena in Malha goes until August 13.
Consider taking one of our Photo walks
which are so much better as evenings get cooler.
This is getting too long!
For more August happenings see:
or the special Summer Fun Guide
As I was slowing down in the August heat,
Mayor Nir Barkat sent a
“Welcome to Kitah Aleph” postcard message
to all incoming Jerusalem first graders.
I love how “Welcome to Kitah Aleph”
is bigger a deal than most Israeli university graduations!
Only in Israel!
I am getting exhausted thinking how to do everything,
still not enough happening for you,
check out this new video:
19 Photos of Jerusalem on Tisha B’Av
The Nine Days leading up to Tisha B’Av
are always hot, unless you live in Southern Hemisphere.
This year was no exception,
unless you count hotter than usual temperatures.
Jerusalem, Israel, is known for its cooler evenings,
but the night of Tisha B’Av stayed warm and humid.
In spite of the uncomfortable weather, thousands ventured out
to sit on the stones and streets to hear a reading of
Eichah, the Book of Lamentations.
At Gan Ha’atzmaut, Independence Park,
this woman sat on a bollard to listen,
while this policeman sat on the ground.
I have joined the Walk around the Walls since 2011,
security threats seem to be an annual feature of this event.
With the recent murders and riots on Temple Mount,
the walk only got permission to proceed at the last minute.
It was hard to get the long line of participants into one photo.
As we approached the Damascus Gate,
the location of many recent troubles,
the Arab media was waiting to record the marchers.
Police on horses were ready
as the crowd proceed along with Israeli flags.
A few stopped to rest near Damascus Gate,
just before the steps came into view.
This year Tisha B’Av fell after Ramadan
and the Damascus Gate was quiet.
This is the only time all year
that I walk by this gate
and around it to capture the dramatic night views on this side of wall,
on the way to the Lion’s Gate.
This was the scene of Muslims worshipers
filling the streets and rioting and being controlled by the police.
However, hundreds of Jews filled the same streets
and sat late into the night on the stones peacefully listening
to the Women in Green’s list of speakers.
Continuing around the walls and entering through Dung Gate,
one sees the huge stones that have remained over the centuries
at the base of the wall,
reminders of the ancient destruction of Jerusalem.
On to the Kotel, the Western Wall,
where thousands gathered, to sit, to mourn,
even to spend the night on the ground.
People were arriving throughout the night.
The gilded of Dome of the Rock,
built over the foundation stone, glimmered above the Kotel lights.
Jerusalem, city of peace, has seen many rulers
and thousands of years of conflict.
This year passed quietly,
the only words one heard on the walk around the walls were
“תודה – Thank you!” over and over,
to the police and security personnel guarding along the route.
The lights on the Old City streets were dimmed
for Tisha B’av night,
but the large Temple Menorah glowed brightly.