Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem

On the Jerusalem streets, there are sounds of normal, with cars on the road.

Children in school and music from loudspeakers can be heard.

At least, for now, most schools have reopened after COVID-19 restriction closures.

However, from across the ocean, the scene is not the same.

Receiving this video from a friend in New Jersey,

I thought to wish all a Shabbat Shalom with its sweet sounds,

a perfect time to be connecting through song.

שבת שלום

Pianos in Jerusalem

Pianos, so many pianos.

‘Three Days Pianos’ was a festival at

The Jerusalem Theater.

Jerusalem theater night outside

For three days and late nights the theater was alive,

student playing piano in lobby of Jerusalem Theater

as people even played piano in the lobby.

Piano art theme in Jerusalem Theter

Art work lined many walls,

lobby of Jerusalem Theatre art display

much of it on a piano theme,

Jerusalem Theater main hall

with some works overhead.

The opening event,

in the Henry Crown Hall,

Jerusalem theater Piano festival

with international pianists,

piano

began with a brilliant 40 minute duet,

with Duo Lutoslawski each at a piano,

grand piano with 4 stools

and ended with four stools,

piano with four players

for four in a humorous finale.

Many performances were held in the various halls

of the Jerusalem Theater beginning on Wednesday.

lobby set with chairs for piano fetival

 Late into the night this lobby filled

 with sounds of beautiful music

Lobby Jerusalem theater

and people of all ages.

The festival ended with Kabbalat Shabat,

on Friday afternoon,

with artistic director Michael Wolpe.

Pianos.

So many pianos this week in Jerusalem,

Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Schubert, the list goes on,

watch and listen for even more next year.

9 Jerusalem Lag B’Omer Favorites

Confession:

Lag B’Omer in Jerusalem, Israel, is not my favorite holiday.

I prefer to close my windows and hide inside,

but I ventured out to see what was happening,

and here are my favorite sights:

getting ready for bon fire

1. Wood of all kinds is collected and burned, but a baby crib?

bonfire on lag b'Omer

2. One fire shows why wooden pallets are popular.

lag b omer bonfires

3. The Jerusalem Theater in the background

glowed like the many fires in park below.

bonfires Jerusalem Lag B'Omer

 4. There were many, many fires in that park.

First Station at night

First Station, on the other hand, was not the place to be

on Lag B’Omer night as most of it was closed.

Many people stayed out all night around the fires,

but during the day with no school,

children needed something to do.

face paint

5. Attentive faces and face painting at

Lag BaOmer celebration for children

6. Chabad Rechavia parade and event with Rabbi Goldberg,

always favorites of Jerusalem families.

Gan Sacher on Lag B'Omer

Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, looked big, green and beautiful.

music and party in patk

7. Musicians  under a tree attracted an afternoon crowd.

I would have stayed longer to listen,

but I had to head home for dinner.

in Valley of cross no cars

8. This walking/biking path in the Valley of the Cross

had huge boulders to keep vehicles away,

yet people would move them and drive towards Gan Sacher.

Now one simple bollard does the job.

As I was marveling at the cleverness of that improvement,

I saw a man in an underpass taking advantage of the echo.

Differedo being played in Jerusalem

9. He was playing an Israeli didgeridoo.

The instrument was first crafted by Aborigines

from branches hollowed out by termites,

its sound has been improved using Israeli technology.

They are used at a corroboree,

Australian Aboriginal ceremonies usually held

around a campfire at night with singing and dancing.

What a way to end a Jewish holiday associated with

campfires, music, singing and dancing!

You never know what you will find

on the Jerusalem, Israel streets!