#jerusalem street photos

How to mark end of summer holidays in Jerusalem

Sharon A

The last day of August is the end of the long summer school holiday in Jerusalem, Israel.

Light rail train and people out in Jerusalem on Jaffa Street near Zion Square

The big excitement – the Jerusalem light rail is up and running again along Jaffa Street in time for school.

As the last days of the long summer holiday came to an end, families were looking for new activities.

The Jerusalem Theater had special performances for children in the afternoon. The audience was filled with parents and grandparents for the performances of the annual end-of-summer festival.

Outside the theater, long Israeli flags were hanging, and messages to bring home the hostages.

Across the street, the Museum of Islamic Art announced a new exhibit -“Love Stories.”

Signs are up for the new September events.

It’s Elul, and the Sultan’s Pool amphitheater still fills with musical performances nightly.

School buildings are getting ready to open their doors on the morning of September 1st.

The local bookstore displayed children’s workbooks to learn English.

The new Jerusalem signs and message for this “year of hope and love” are at the school entrance.

The new look of old buildings is impressive if you have not been by lately.

This one is across from the Prime Minister’s home on a street that is often blocked to traffic.

In Israel, there were weddings and celebrations all week. We were pleased to get to celebrate with a new couple in Jerusalem one night wth long-time friends – almost family.

With all the new beginnings and good things happening, there are also signs for fallen soldiers.

A reminder that Israel may be in the top ten happiest countries, but there is a war raging on many fronts. Those Houthi early morning ballistic missile wake-up sirens have been another reminder.

Good and bad, the days are shorter and cooler as the schools open and the holiday season approaches.

Am Yisrael Chai

Hope to see you on the Jerusalem streets soon!

In Jerusalem, how to keep children busy and safe

Sharon A

Where did the days go?

It’s the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul.

One more week in August, and all the schools start again.

water park lit at night, Jerusalem photos, Jerusalem new tourist attraction

For many years, the fountain in Teddy Park has been a popular place in Jerusalem to cool off.

Each year, as the long summer holiday draws to a close, families look for safe activities.

In Jerusalem’s Liberty Bell Park, a water slide was one attraction to cool off from the hot summer sun.

The entrance for the Train Theatre’s X- Mix was near the Liberty Bell in the park.

The X-Mix included a large variety of stations and activities as the sun set.

Inside the enclosed area were various forms of entertainment.

Some areas were simple and colorful, like these long balloons to climb on or run around.

It took me many years to learn that the reason it’s called Train Theater is that it started in an old train.

Now, in the expanded complex next to the roller blade rink in the Bell Park, there are multiple auditoriums to host the end of summer 34th International Puppet Festival.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion arrived for the opening on Sunday night. He was greeted by Train Theater CEO Kobi Frig, who stated, “We are always happy to create for children. We love to set a personal example and offer hope—to be an island of sanity amidst everything happening around us.”

After the opening speeches and food, there were shows, but I decided to walk home on the cool night.

There are too many construction sites to list. All the Jerusalem light rail lines are to connect one day.

Jerusalem Botanical Gardens new opening space under construction

Across the road from where that excavator was digging for the light rail, one day, is to be the new entrance to the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

Meanwhile, this was the current entrance on Thursday night.

Each year, a theme is chosen to attract families on summer evenings.

This time, “Circus in the Forest” was on a big welcome sign near the pond.

My idea to sit near the pond turned out not to be a good one. The area was closed off.

Since so many asked me for directions to the entrance, I assumed new families were attracted this year.

I could still get close enough to see the pond full of lilies.

And even take a few close-up images of the real flowers in the pond.

But the crowds came for the circus. This woman dressed in red rising above the pond was one act to see.

Cinema City had a “Capital of Youth” large sign, but it was not busy when we went on Wednesday.

Jerusalem museums, the Tower of David, and the Jerusalem Theater offer special end-of-summer events.

The signs are up for the opening of school in Jerusalem.

Counting down the days.

Good and safe year wishes to all!

See what’s happening this August in Jerusalem

Sharon A

The end of August in Jerusalem, Israel, is not a favorite season.

Though it usually cools off at night, the days are often too hot for comfort.

Good for drying clothes outside, but the heat wave this week is not fun.

Jerusalem Teddy Park Fountain during day

That is, unless you are young or young at heart and head for one of Jerusalem’s water fountains.

The fountain at Teddy Park, located across from the Old City walls, has become a favorite.

Teddy Park water fountain lit at night

Day or night, when the music plays and the water shoots up, it is a sight to see, if not to jump in.

Children playing in Jerusalem Lion's Fountain

The water at the Lion’s Fountain in Bloomfield Park has been reduced over the years.

Signs warn not to enter the water, but that does not stop everyone on a very hot day.

Workers are out, summer sun or not, as endless road work goes on.

Light rail construction also goes on and on with constant changes to traffic and neighborhoods.

Now that Tisha B’Av is over, the weddings are back, their music filling the summer nights.

image love

The music from the annual Wine Festival at the Israel Museum filled three nights over the Jerusalem streets with different bands playing, while people wandered around trying samples from over 20 wineries.

At Yad Vashem, the crowd was seated in the Warsaw Plaza to appreciate Klezmer music.

Not sure how the long-planned Grand Slam at Givat Ram Stadium will be this week in the heat.

But the 34th International Puppet Festival is back next week at the new Train Davidson Theater with air-conditioned spaces.

School is out, and families once again look for child activities.

The summer weather has turned the green to dried weeds.

But the pomegranates are on the trees, a sign that autumn, Elul, is coming, and the fall holiday season.

A new season, but one remembering too many lost in the past two years.

And those who are still held captive in Gaza, not forgotten, even in a Jerusalem hospital.

Meanwhile, the music goes on on the Jerusalem streets.

Concerts and performances are scheduled for the Sultan’s Pool amphitheater.

Jerusalem is sponsoring a hip-hop Block Party on Jaffa Street on August 21, 2025.

Hard to predict what will happen next on the Jerusalem streets.

But the annual End of Summer Festival is planned for the Jerusalem Theater Plaza.

I can only share what happened and what is planned, and try to stay cool until the heat wave passes.

Just a bit of what’s happening on the Jerusalem Streets.

Now to go get a large Iced Tea.

Hope to see you soon again on the Jerusalem streets!