Jerusalem – Page 74 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Shabbat Shalom

April 5, 2019Sharon A

Beautiful day, sunny and warm, and oh the flowers!

Flowers shabbat shalom erev pesach שבת שלום

Southern Israel Red Alerts in Alumim

March 31, 2019Sharon A

Sometimes you have to get out of Jerusalem, Israel, to appreciate the view.

All this rain we have been having may dampen our spirits, but it is fabulous for making the countryside green.

From the roads leading out of Jerusalem the valley is at its best.

Once on the road south, you see flat land and wires stretched across it.

Farmers working between the rain storms along the way.

February and March, and southern Israel is famous for its red flower festival.

However, once again southern Israel has red alerts, not flowers.

The sign at Kibbutz Alumim was the same as on our previous visit in December 2012.

The electric security fence was opened carefully for our arrival.

The green fields of the agricultural kibbutz stretched into the distance.

But it you turned around, another sign warned of the Gaza border ahead.

From the fields of Kibbutz Alumim, the Gaza border and buildings beyond are clearly in view.

Because of missiles and rockets fired from Gaza at southern Israel, these bomb shelters are situated next to the factory. Workers have seconds to get inside to safety when a red alert warns of an oncoming projectile.

Alumim has two Iron Domes positioned for protection from Hamas and its rockets.

Why live in southern Israel? It’s beautiful. Israelis have made the desert bloom.

When Hamas is not firing these missiles, it is a wonderful place.

Long time resident Esther took time to share with us a bit of her story.

Rafi’s house, and every home, has a bomb shelter bedroom. Sealed rooms have again become a necessity with nightly rockets from Gaza.

Twenty years living under fire from Gaza. Esther and others try to keep a positive attitude, to make music chimes from missiles.

Kibbutz Alumim had no red alerts when we were there last week, after a night of terror when a house in Sderot was hit. However, the newest round of red alerts included Alumim. The residents of southern Israel are weary, tired of red alerts, and want to go back to being known for their red flowers.

Purim, Shushan Purim, Crazy Time in Jerusalem

March 24, 2019Sharon A

There’s Purim as we know it in most of the rest of world.

Then there’s Shushan Purim that is celebrated on the following day in Jerusalem, Israel.

Purim goes on and on and on, and this year it went right into Shabbat on Friday evening.

This Purim Sameach sign was hanging on the wall at an army base, above the tables set for their celebration.

Thousands of Israel security personnel received mishloah manot, gift bags with treats, and letters written by children from around the world expressing appreciation for their service in defense of Israel. This has become an annual project for multiple organizations.

Hamantashen galore are an annual sign of Purim.

A reading of Megilat Esther in First Station has become an annual event.

Children dress in costumes for the night time reading all over the world.

Purim masks vary from year to year.

Sometimes it is hard to decide who is in a Purim costume and who is not?

And some costumes are inside jokes, too long to explain.

For some hats make their Purim costume.

This year the beret of new Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch became a popular costume in Beit Shemesh, and in Jerusalem as well.

The Scroll of Esther was read from a real scroll in hundreds of Jerusalem locations.

Also, collecting money for the poor and remembering the half shekel of old are annual important customs around the world.

But on the Jerusalem streets there were all sorts of characters running around.

Sadly, some of the best were moving too fast to photograph.

One family was dressed to go out of this world. But they were left holding their children’s space helmets, which were not allowed to be worn on this moon bounce.