School is out. Those never-ending graduation ceremonies have ended.
Now to figure out what to do, well, now that the Iranian ballistic missiles have stopped raining down.
In 2018, the AutoOhel, or food truck summer festival started in the Hinnom Valley.
Food Festival JLM 2025 and the light show were back this year.
However, at the improved and much more accessible venue on the Tayelet.
Each week this summer, as in the past, the menus change with various Jerusalem restaurants’ offerings.
On the opening night, the light show included a ballistic missile from Yemen.
Hopefully, that will be the last time.
The 42nd edition of the annual summer Jerusalem Film Festival is to take place July 17-26, with special guests Gal Gadot and producer Lawrence Bender.
With an opening night again in the Sultan’s Pool with a special screening on the large screen, as two years ago with Dame Helen Mirren.
In the Sultan’s Pool this week on July 8, singer Avraham Fried is back to perform a live concert.
The Tower of David has plans for an unforgettable overnight camping adventure in the historic citadel, a hands-on art course, a special kids’ summer camp, and workshops for grandparents and grandkids.
All events take place inside the walls of Jerusalem’s magical Old City.
The summer event “The Secret Garden” will take place from July 27 to August 12 at the National Library of Israel.
Signs were up for the Jerusalem Festival July 2-4, 2025.
The Jerusalem Theater is back for the summer season.
Of course, the other Jerusalem museums and the Train Theater offer special events for families.
Much is happening on Jerusalem streets. Now, if we could have a quiet summer to hear the sounds of children playing in the parks along the Jerusalem streets.
For almost 2 weeks, the Home Front Command sent warning siren alerts of missile danger.
Then, with a flip of a switch, Jerusalem turned back to “normal” with noisy traffic and honking cars.
People came out of their homes to shop, lounge at outdoor cafes, and go to appointments again.
It was impressive to see that the light rail train to Hadassah Ein Kerem is finally up and running.
Our building’s shelter had served its purpose, but happy not to need it again.
Notice that foot in a cast at the bottom right of the photo? It’s mine.
Thursday night, we went to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem to see a specialist for a second opinion.
I had been up to the helicopter landing pad in November 2017 to take photos.
Five years ago, I was honored to take photos in the Emergency Room for a special training of Arab pediatric professionals from Gaza and Iraq, and other locations where showing their faces was not a great idea. However, the young women shared selfies with family and friends back home.
However, this was the first time I came as a patient through the main Davidson entrance in a wheelchair.
Getting to Hadassah by taxi was fine; there was less traffic than usual at night. Plus, seeing the light rail running after all these years was impressive.
But how to get home was the problem?
There is a ramp from the main lobby on the right to the elevators.
My husband asked a stranger to push me down the ramp in the wheelchair.
But the man kept going. Through the lobby, outside, to the footbridge, to the elevators, to the outside parking lot, he kept pushing with his daughter walking along with us.
Bassem from Beit Safafa has a teenage son who is disabled in a wheelchair. His white van with elevator lift was where we were headed.
Imagine my ride home in a wheelchair with my foot elevated, as his daughter wearing a hijab was on her phone, chatting and looking at fashion trends.
When we arrived, Bassem carried me and my chair up the front stairs and into my apartment.
Yes. You never know what will happen next on the Jerusalem streets!
PS. Bassem did not want anything in return for his kindness. After we insisted, he did take a box of chocolates for his children.
The news cycle is changing so fast that it is hard to keep up today.
In Jerusalem and most of Israel, we woke to a warning notice followed by a siren to take shelter.
The US had bombed Fordow, the Iranian underground nuclear center. Severe damage and injuries are reported as Iran’s regime aims powerful ballistic and cluster bombs at Israeli cities and civilians daily.
Israel has been preparing for attacks by building shelters in new buildings. Here the underground hospital section of Hadassah Hospital Gandel Rehabilitation Center was ready for a Hanukkah celebration.
Today it is full and operating efficiently.
Shelters have been placed along southern roads and bus stops for safety.
In Sderot, shelters near schools are decorated to be welcoming to young children.
Hundreds of new shelters are being delivered to various vulnerable locations.
Following the Homefront Command updates is important, they change with the situation.
On Thursday, the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum reopened to the public in full coordination with the Home Front Command and the Ministry of Culture and Sport.
The Museum operated during its regular opening hours. All gallery spaces throughout the site serve as reinforced, secure areas, in full compliance with the latest security guidelines.
The Museum was the first cultural institution to reopen on October 9th in 2023.
Soon after, I was honored to be the first to take photos of a bat mitzvah girl who was evacuated from the south. Again, the Tower of David was a first to be reopened for the general public.
The new Tower of David Jerusalem Museum brings the rich history of Jerusalem to life in one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Located at the Jaffa Gate just across from the Mamilla Mall, it offers new immersive exhibitions in beautifully restored spaces, and a unique blend of archaeology, innovation, and storytelling. The newly accessible Museum works for children, adults, and senior citizens.
With the allowed 30 in a room at any one time, they followed the regulations.
Today, businesses and museums are again closed due to an increased threat
So sharing here a video with some of the new technology displayed on the stone wall.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a lifelong Jerusalemite, the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum offers a meaningful and inspiring gateway to the city’s past, present, and future.
A video of David’s wars has more views. But with plenty of war around us, it seemed a more tranquil section of the Tower of David Night Show would be appreciated.
The National Library of Israel in Jerusalem has been closed since October 13, 2025.
The main reading room is open with lots of light and glass.
However, the stacks are well below ground and designed to be protected.
Once again, the most valuable items were stored way for safety.
Following the IDF Homefront Command’s country-wide siren announcing the IDF strikes on Iranian targets at 3:30 am on Friday, June 13, the Library’s security, conservation, and logistics teams, together with CEO Oren Weinberg and Board Chair Sallai Meridor, arrived at the Library to dismantle the treasures housed in the William Davidson Permanent Exhibition Gallery, the Helen Diller Family Rotating Exhibition Gallery, and the David Berg Foundation Rotunda Gallery.
Carefully, manuscripts, rare books, musical scores, archives, and were moved underground into climate-controlled vaults.
As in previous serious attacks, April 13 and October 1, 2024, and mainly on October 7, 2023, when staff rushed to the building despite unknown unfolding danger — the Library demonstrated its steadfast commitment to safeguarding the treasures of Jewish, Israeli, and world heritage, preserving and protecting these invaluable resources for generations to come.
UPDATED to clarify:
With schools closed due to the war, the NLI building is closed, and content and activities for all ages are available online. English-language content is available at www.nli.org.il/en
So there you have it, a brief review from the real Jerusalem streets.
Before we too have to go again to a shelter for safety.
