Jerusalem – The Real Jerusalem Streets

From Jerusalem Firgun, Fun and Food

July 17, 2019Sharon A

It started in Jerusalem, Israel, six years ago.

July 17th is International Firgun Day.

Everyone is invited to join from anywhere in the world, sharing the spirit of #Firgun

(Hebrew: פרגון) an act of kindness performed solely to make another person feel good.

How do you celebrate Firgun Day?

You come up with a firgun, a compliment, a kind word, a small pat on the back for someone (person, business or group) and post it on any social network, adding a photo or video and the hashtag #Firgun.

Or just say something nice to someone you know to pleasantly surprise them.

“Say Something Nice, Make Someone Happy”

Whoever thought up ‘Windows’ for the September Mekudeshet Festival is really clever.

This structure called ‘Windows’ has received attention since it went up last week in the center of Jerusalem. The house of windows is made out of 550 windows from all over Jerusalem, in a variety of shapes, and from various time periods.

The location is called Gan HaSus or HaSoos, Horse Park, well, because this horse is in this Jerusalem park.

The windows were collected and preserved for decades by the late Yoram Amir, an artist, photographer, activist, and lover of people and Jerusalem who recently passed away.

These posters tell the story of the exhibit in three languages. The Mekudeshet website promises that on every Wednesday from afternoon to dusk the place will be full of surprises.

‘Windows’ is set back from King George Street, and is located near the water fountains. These rescued windows are from condemned or abandoned buildings. Just before his death, Amir joined forces with Mekudeshet, the Jerusalem Municipality through Eden, the Jerusalem Center Development Company, and artists Itamar Faluja and Lili Peleg to construct a structure filled with majesty and presence. Amir’s final gift to the city that he loved. #Firgun

I missed an event at Beit Alliance on July 11 but liked this poster ‘Hebrew this is my Blood’ promoting the event.

Bogrim 2019 goes to the end of the month, with art and musical events for young people.

Front Stage performs at Ben Yehuda Mall this coming Friday afternoon. Last week hundreds of young people danced to live and loud pounding music on Friday afternoon. I am surprised I could only hear it on the municipality Facebook live feed.

Jerusalem street signs are up wishing children a pleasant summer holiday.

Summer for me means it’s time to sit and enjoy an iced coffee.

Food trucks are back in the Hinnon Valley near the Cinematheque on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights again this year.

Down dozens of stairs, people came to stand in line to buy sushi and three other food offerings. Every week there are to be four options, in addition to beer and wine trucks.

Under the full moon with live music, people sat at the few tables or on the ground. What a great view they had for the moon and its partial eclipse.

OK, just for this Jerusalem view I am glad I went to check it out.

OVERALL is this week at the Tower of David Museum. Fashion and more in twenty locations throughout the expanse of the Mamluk monumental complex.

Events at the Tower of David are always a photographer’s delight. #Firgun

This one called OVERALL has everything from making lapel pins to a Met Gala (like in NYC) exhibit to designing with a 3D pen and more.

Tower of David where the very old past meets the very modern future.

Tens of thousands, record-breaking, numbers of tourists, have come to Jerusalem this year.

93% of tourists said they were happy with their visit.

I hope they had time to enjoy what’s happening on the Jerusalem streets,

Jerusalem full of fun and food and #Firgun.

Jerusalem Gateway Project Closes Shazar Street

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019Sharon A

Oh, Jerusalem, Israel.

Does anyone remember chugging up the Judean mountains on old winding Route #1,

slowly, painfully riding in an old bus or open lorry to sleepy Jerusalem of old?

Today new buildings are going up, and all with elevators.

These old shops on Agrippas Street are the site of new renovation in the center of town.

In Jerusalem, street closings for construction occur often and without notice on these small roads.

But for the new Jerusalem Gateway project construction, ads were placed weeks in advance in both the Hebrew and English media for this important street closing on July 14.

The Route #1 entrance to Jerusalem by the bridge on Sderot Shazar will be closed to private vehicles until the year 2022.

So of course, I had to take one last photo at night.

Building up and up in Jerusalem has become a recurring theme.

Building up at the Jerusalem Gateway project for the new government offices is seen here.

This Kiryat Moshe building site has been cleared and new housing towers are set to go up.

Down Herzl Boulevard the light rail trains run regularly over the Chord or String Bridge.

I decided to go to the bridge two hours after the road closed on the 14th to see what was happening.

This was the view from the pedestrian part of the span walkway.

See the yellow ambulance near the center of the photograph?

It was finally able to maneuver around the traffic, equipment, and workers.

Private vehicles will not be allowed to drive straight.

They must turn right onto Herzl Boulevard or make a left turn on to Yirmiyahu Street before the bridge.

Workers were busy painting new arrows for the new traffic patterns.

Traffic lights were out and will be changed as well.

There were crews in multiple locations directing confused drivers and pedestrians.

Sderot Shazar by Binyanei HaUma, the Jerusalem International Conference Center, was indeed cleared of cars. In the past, this was one of the most congested areas near the bus stops.

Now only buses and a few taxis will be allowed to drive here.

The new Navon Station for the fast train has access also from Jaffa Street.

But folks with luggage who want to be dropped off by private car?

I did not see a way to do it near the entrance.

Well, the plan was to encourage public transportation.

Navon is across from the main bus station and also a Jerusalem light-rail stop.

The Jerusalem Gateway project is huge. This bit of construction can be seen through one of the fences.

The Jerusalem Gateway closing of Sderot Shazar is for three years.

The construction of the government and business sectors will continue longer, meanwhile, Jerusalem’s skyline and traffic patterns are changing daily.

Drivers are advised to take Route #443 or the HaArazim Tunnel road of Route #1 in and out of Jerusalem until the year 2022.

Good timing, at least we have Waze, Moovit, and WhatsApp – 054-884323, now to help us get around town.

Who could have imagined any of this not so long ago slowly winding up the old Route #1 to Jerusalem?

Jerusalem One Week in July – 9 Events and Fireworks

July 10, 2019Sharon A

Once again it was a busy week in Jerusalem, Israel,

a week filled with events I am compelled to share with you.

Let’s see how many of these you heard about.

Last night was another ‘pitch night’ for Jerusalem Biotech startups.

There are so many innovative new biomedical and tech companies it is hard to keep up. Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is a regular speaker at Azrieli College for Engineering for JLM-BIOCITY pitch nights. However, last night twenty Chinese visitors attended this meetup on their last night in Israel before returning home to cities throughout China.

Did they understand all the English?

No, but they took plenty of photos on their phones.

2. President Rivlin hosted an awards ceremony to honor twelve volunteers, individuals, and organizations.

While most of the Israeli media was out looking for riots, these young people were singing in the gardens for the Israeli President and invited guests.

The years of volunteerism and the diversity of projects of this honored group filled a souvenir book.

3. Again yesterday at Beit Hanasi, but inside this time, the Jerusalem Unity Prize was given to four groups. Three Israeli projects that promote unity and Moishe House for the diaspora. The award was started 5 years ago by then-Mayor Nir Barkat and the Fraenkel, Shaer, and Ifrach families in memory of their 3 murdered teens to promote the unity the families felt in their time of stress and mourning.

But there were more awards.

4. For journalism, one to Antonia Yamin for reporting for KAN broadcast media from Europe.

For print media, Tvika Klein won for his work with Diaspora reporting.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Deborah Lipstadt who spoke on antisemitism.

She had support in the audience from family members. However, it was a shame many people were afraid to come because of the traffic delays the previous day. Seats were empty in what would have been a standing room only event.

Road construction can cause traffic to stop, but on that night there were no riots or serious delays.

5. The Israel Democracy Institute discussed the US Freedom of Religion report.

Who knew the US State Department has been issuing this report since 1998?

Summer on the streets of Jerusalem, Israel and there are new signs.

6. The “Windows” exhibit in Gan Hasoos, Horse Park is causing buzz way before the Mekudeshet Festival begins in September.

7. Hansen House hosts part of the Outline Festival events.

On July 4th which was advertised as opening day; this was the entrance to an exhibit.

Outline, illustration and poetry, and this was a speaker set up inside an audio offering.

By night, this room was set up, during the day I was not allowed in.

The courtyard was filled with music and people at night for the festival opening events.

During the day the guard did not know what I was looking for.

Keeping children out of school safe and busy was high on families’ lists.

8. The IDF exhibit at First Station is an option. It is not busy in the morning, and you can get a security bracelet to enter on-site, not just online. However, I was not going to stand and wait for ten minutes in the midday sun to go inside when a guard at the door told me I was not allowed to take photos.

9. July 4th was a good time to go to Liberty Bell Park.

The park was dedicated 43 years ago on the 200th-anniversary celebration of the United States Independence Day.

An exact replica of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is in the center of this Jerusalem park. Yes, with the crack.

This blog is getting too long to share more photos of the Terry Fox and Billy Graham memorial gardens and the many other sections of the Liberty Bell Park.

But in Israel on July 4th, one remembers that forty-three years ago was also Operation Jonathan at Entebbe.

The Yonatan Netanyahu Garden was quiet this year, while a bar mitzvah celebration was held nearby. For the 40th anniversary, there was a major event at the Jerusalem Theater.

What a week it was in Jerusalem, Israel.

Now for the fireworks which you have been waiting for.

For a first, the US Embassy Jerusalem had 4th of July fireworks at its celebration (on July 2nd).

My video on Facebook has had 45 shares and over 8,000 views.

The event was at the International Conference Center, the fireworks could be seen over the Knesset with the Israeli flag in view.

So much happened this week on and over the Jerusalem, Israel streets.