Jerusalem

New February Flowers and Flying Flags in Jerusalem

Sharon A

Another week wondering where to begin and what to include in what’s happening in Jerusalem, Israel.

When the rain stopped the clouds were impressive over the Israel Museum and the valley below. After the rain, green grass and wildflowers pop up from the ground to bask in the sunlight.

It’s always a good idea to take a moment to see the latest at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

The pink cherry tree blossoms burst out last week.

New Israeli flags were posted on the fence around the soon-to-open Japanese Pagoda.

New flags line many Jerusalem streets.

Some new flags and a sign for a fallen soldier were put up across from his former home.

Sadly, too many new flags with the loss of another soldier, killed in the October 7 War.

Finally construction work is slowly resuming on the Jerusalem streets. The new path to the starting line of the Jerusalem Marathon has to be completed before the March 8 starting time.

The 13th Jerusalem Marathon will be held during these challenging times, “based on the spirit of struggle, perseverance, determination, and the victory of the human spirit, especially in times of war.”

On a visit to the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem this past week, under this large welcome sign were smaller posters of hostages kidnapped on October 7.

Inside on the second level is a new exhibit ‘Splinter From the Storm’ where contemporary art is interspersed with ancient artifacts.

Jerusalem has creative works found both inside museums and along the Jerusalem streets.

The juxtaposition of old and new is constantly changing as new buildings tower over the old.

Some things in the Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk, appear the same and constant.

However, seeing bread and rolls packaged in plastic and not in the open is relatively new.

It’s time to sign up for next year in schools as signs along a busy Jerusalem street remind us.

No need for “Bring them home now” signs as a reminder, but they are posted in many windows.

Tens of thousands were at the Kotel, Western Wall on Thursday afternoon, before Rosh Chodesh Adar to pray for the return of hostages. It got less media coverage than other rallies even with both chief rabbis participating in the prayer service.

Some relatives were there also, Bring Him/Them Home Now! can be seen almost wherever you go.

As sad as much of the past four difficult winter months have been, the first lupins have appeared as another sign of spring, new growth, and hope as the days get warmer.

New Am Yisrael Chai banners have appeared on some Jerusalem streets.

It is a good time to get up and go out and appreciate the sunshine.

Seeing what’s new and what else is happening on Jerusalem streets can help improve your mood any day.

100 Days from Jerusalem – See South and North

Sharon A

100 Days

Shabbat Simhat Torah morning when Hamas started a war that they called the Al-Quds Flood.

Thousands of terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdering and rampaging while raining rockets down on us in Jerusalem and throughout much of Israel.

This 100 Days photo essay is a brief review to give you a glimpse into Israel today.

The sun has risen every day since October 7. Those who were awake at 7:10 am today caught sight of a rainbow stretched over the Jerusalem streets.

The Israeli flags and banners “united we will win,” large and small, abound on the Jerusalem streets.

The graves of fallen soldiers in the Har Herzl Military Cemetery, near the new memorial hall, used to be all the same, row after row of identical graves.

But not now. On one of the too many new gravesites of the hundreds of fallen soldiers since October 7, there is a birthday balloon, Yehonatan died on November 10, 2023, days before his 22nd birthday. Photos, candles, flags, and other momentoes also cover many of the new graves.

Workers are clearing new areas for more graves.

At the same time, we were at Har Herzl, there was a 30-day memorial service for one soldier and a funeral for another, which drew a large crowd. As with most people in Israel, we knew friends and families at both of the sad events.

On one positive note, two women were giving out bottles of water to support the mourners as they left.

One way of supporting the families from the south who survived October 7 and cannot go home is through therapy performances for their children. This one was at the Ramada Hotel where hundreds of evacuees have been staying.

A few days, a few weeks, but months in a hotel unable to go home?

Will those murdered on October 7 be forgotten? Jacqui Vital, mother of Adi Vital Kaploun hy”d, is one of many parents who are speaking to solidarity groups to share and keep their memories alive.

So after almost 100 days, it was time to leave the Jerusalem streets, and head south to see, along with so many other groups to witness the destruction denied by so many outside of Israel.

The entrance to Kfar Aza is testimony to what was a beautiful agricultural kibbutz.

Until Hamas terrorists broke through the fences on the morning of October 7.

Murdering, burning, and destroying not only buildings but hundreds, thousands, of lives.

Especially hard hit were the young members of the community, only in their 20s, who were tortured and murdered in their homes.

If you look through the trees, you can see Gaza, only a short distance away.

Yes, it is hard to imagine the destruction by Hamas that morning.

No matter what the UN or IJC say, this was a genocidal attack.

Today we have not only Holocaust deniers, but October 7 deniers.

The next stop was the site of the Re’im Nova Festival where a “Bring Them Home Now” display was at the entrance. Notice that all the signs are in English to try and wake up world’s attention to the very real humanitarian crisis and war crimes.

Pictures have been posted of those murdered on the morning of October 7 at the music festival.

With special attention to those people still missing and held as hostages in Gaza.

Their fate is unknown, as they are held in the deepest terror tunnels as human shields for Hamas leaders.

We also visited Sderot where a new mural has risen over the site of the destroyed police station. I had visited several times on previous media trips south, but that is another story.

Members of our group helped the owner of this sukkah take it down, 96 days after the holiday.

Sderot is a beautiful city with a population of 30,000 people.

It has grown over the years, even under rocket fire from Gaza less than a mile away.

The Sderot Yeshiva roof was reinforced to make the entire study hall a sheltered safe room, so the young men not on active army service came back recently to study, plus former students have come back to support their Yeshiva. But first, they began by finishing up their interrupted Simhat Torah dancing.

On Wednesday night in Jerusalem at the Kotel, Western Wall, 50,000 people gathered to pray for the safety of the hostages and soldiers.

We however were near the Gaza border where volunteers prepared a BBQ, one of thousands in support soldiers in the field.

On Thursday morning we left the Jerusalem streets for Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv is where many of the hostage families have come to organize and support each other.

One initiative was writing a new Torah Scroll for the return of hostages.

The public square renamed Kikar Hachatufim, Hostage Square – is filled with projects.

And nearby, one can find almost anything needed by the families and their supporters.

On the Jerusalem streets, the new garbage trucks

or the rain might have been a topic for this past week.

However, after 100 Days, the fate of the hostages is on everyone’s mind.

Jerusalem Streets Slowly in War Time Returning to Normal

Sharon A

Another week — where to begin and what to share?

No, this is not a Six-Day War.

However, life is beginning, ever so slowly, to return to the Jerusalem streets.

The buildings are rising higher and higher than in the past.

The shops are opening after dark again.

Winter clouds fill the skies and the weather is again a topic of conversation.

The “activity” on the northern border reminded me of this photo from the last trip to the border with Lebanon when we were shooting each other with cameras, not missiles. Hezbollah was already on the border, in violation of UN Resolution 1701.

The residents of northern communities have been evacuated from their homes for months, as well as the residents of southern communities. Up to 300,000 Israelis cannot go home yet.

However, to start the New Year, the barrage of rockets fired from Gaza reached the partygoers in Tel Aviv.

On December 31st, there was a well-attended book launch and program at Ohel Nechama Synagogue in Jerusalem.

The farmer’s markets have become a regular sight, along with soldiers in uniform with a weapon over one shoulder and a child in tow.

Baking has become a weekly event in thousands of households. Thousands of challahs and cookies are being sent every week to soldiers on all fronts, as a way for those not toting a weapon to support the war front from home.

The delicate beauty in nature can still catch your eye if you walk along the Jerusalem streets.

However, a favorite sighting was the new Japanese Pagoda in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens lit at night as seen from the road. It is planned to open when the cherry trees next to it start to bloom, which is only a few weeks away. Perhaps it will be on schedule.

While plans for events in the future are limited, some are being held. One bat mitzvah girl had a party for close friends to mark the occasion, a larger event for family will be held later. Each girl made two bracelets, one for themselves, and one for a girl who was evacuated from her home.

So Jerusalem streets are filling with honking traffic again, with reminders of those still held hostage in Gaza to “Bring them home now.”

And below this sign, near the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, I saw a Gett taxi driver who had just gotten off his knees after evening prayers. As he tossed his prayer mat into the taxi, I walked around and up the stairs to go home.

Just another day on the real Jerusalem streets that does not make headlines.