June in Jerusalem, Israel,
More than 20 International Mayors were just here,
and now the Jewish Agency Board of Governors are back.
The Jewish Media Summit 2014
opened Sunday night with both Israeli President Shimon Peres
and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in attendance.
The line to get past security moved slower than a snail.
But even without these exclusive events,
the school end-of-year extravaganzas, graduations and conferences galore
could triple book any Google calendar.
If you missed the Light Festival some of the best is here,
while the Israel Festival has too many programs to mention.
Shavuah HaSefer, the annual Hebrew Book Week
was back in its old location near the new First Station.
As every year, book lovers came out in droves every night from June 11 – 21
to browse and buy at bargain prices.
The Tower of David Museum has a new year-long exhibit.
Where else could you find
a fire-pan used by the Priests in the Second Jewish Temple,
an ad for “FIAT the car for Palestine,”
and this scene at sunset.
Over at the Israel Museum,
US twins Doug and Mike Starn and over two dozen mountain climbers
from the US and Israel crafted this big, really big Big Bambu.
Israel Museum visitors are going to love it this summer,
especially when it is free for children in August.
There is lots of sand this year at the Bloomfield Science Museum
and at the new “Jerusalem Beach” at First Station,
but that will be for another time.
This June,
“all are with the three terrorist kidnapped teens,
Nafatli, Gil-ad, and Eyal,”
“Shuvu Ahim, return our brothers”
is on our signs and on our minds.