The Kotel – Page 4 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Day Celebrations

May 19, 2015rjstreets

The date has passed.

Most flags are removed.

Commentators have spun stories with their biases.

The main stream media focused on a small group.

However,

Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day,

celebrations in Jerusalem, Israel,

are always like no where else in the world.

Today Jerusalem has a flag,

and an official pin.

The ancient Tower of David,

is always impressive.

In the morning of Yom Yerushalayim,

Mayor Nir Barkat and his wife Beverly

greeted the public inside the gardens.

While a live orchestra played music

and visitors sat and enjoyed their program.

Hundreds of families took tours of Yemin Moshe.

Thousands of young people gathered in Gan Sacher,

Sacher Park to march with Israeli flags to the Old City,

to the Kotel, the Western Wall.

Tens of thousands of people, singing, dancing, and

celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967.

This year other events were planned,

as this one for families at the new First Station.

There were prayer services,

and official invitation only ceremonies.

A free concert was held at Kikar Safra, Government Square.

Once again the annual “White Night” celebration

blasted until 4 am from Gan Sacher.

I do not appreciate that one!

In schools and kindergartens there were special programs,

with art projects songs, and even bubbles.

The main stream media missed hundreds of thousands

of people who were not news worthy.

For those who find Jerusalem Day objectionable,

please remember,

in 1965,

no Jews were in the Old City.

Under control of Jordan from 1948 – 1967,

no Jews could enter ANY of the gates.

In 1965,

this was as close to the Kotel, the Western Wall,

American Jewish tourists could get.

Photos were taken from across No Man’s Land,

safe from Jordanian sniper shots.

Yom Yerushalayim should be appreciated every day.

Our friends have posted on a bench by their home,

a short passage from the Prophet Zechariah,

on his vision for the future,

Jerusalem will be full of boys and girls

celebrating in her streets.

And that is what was really happening

on Yom Yerushalayim,

on the real Jerusalem streets.

Passover in and out of Jerusalem

April 8, 2015rjstreets

Passover time in Jerusalem, Israel,

sees a population exchange.

Many locals rent (or try to rent) their homes

to holiday visitors for large sums,

and go away for the week.

Even more take day or overnight trips

to one of Israel’s amazing nature spots

like this one near Zichron Yaakov in Ramat Hanadiv park.

Estimates were as high as 75,000 people

for Monday morning’s holiday annual

Birchat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing.

But huge crowds were at

the Kotel, the Western Wall all day the next day as well.

Not only were prayer services held at the Kotel and at regular synagogues,

but impromptu minyanim for the afternoon prayers

sprung up just about everywhere.

It was good to see First Station busy again,

but this was the only sign of the new Luna Park.

The free shuttle bus service was finally being used,

with a full size buse to accommodate the crowds,

in addition to the special vans.

The route was different and it went to a different Old City Gate.

While walking to Kotel, you could see

people on top of the Walls looking down at Silwan below.

Streets were closed and blocked to cars,

while some places were even blocked to pedestrians.

I was not allowed to walk up this alley,

but the guy in white shirt was allowed to smoke.

The closings caused a lot of extra walking for people.

This little girl is watching a man from an Arabic tour,

who is taking a video of the hasid, religious Jewish man,

while I was taking photos of the Arabic writing on the back of his vest.

Warm, clear weather was perfect for

the large and diverse crowds,

and for photos in Jerusalem on Passover.

Mamilla Mall had extra balloon people

and we hear they did a great business.

And of course, there was food.

Parks were filled with picnics and BBQ grills,

and the sky filled with smoke.

Many food places were closed for the holiday.

The ones that were open did just about anything with potatoes.

However,

this pizza did not seem to be too popular

with one young family.

But, always popular

is the holiday greeting on Jerusalem buses,

Happy and Kosher Passover.

Balancing on a Tightrope

November 12, 2014rjstreets

We moved to Jerusalem, Israel in August,

that hot time of year when the windows are open all night.

For weeks, when I heard noises in the night of firecrackers and gun shots,

I would run to the window to see what was happening:

another Arab wedding, another party, another random celebration.

It took awhile, but I eventually stopped listening and looking.

On Friday night there were noises again,

but this time I got up out of bed to look.

I saw nothing, all was quiet.

Around Israel 6 people have been killed in less than a month,

by the terrible “car intifada” and “knife intifada” attacks.

I try not to be political here at RJS,

but incitement has been fueled and fed for a long time.

However,

most of Jerusalem is quiet

Yet everyone is watching carefully for what could be next.

This man dressed in white at Tzomet Hagush bus stop

got more than a second glance from a passing police car.

Last Friday Abu Mazen called for a “Day of Rage.”

But the music for Einstein on Azza played on,

as hundreds of people listened to university lectures

and gathered in restaurants,

including music at this location, 100 meters from the Prime Minister’s residence,

where 11 people were killed and 54 injured

by a suicide bomber in 2002.

In Mamilla Mall you could window shop and dream.

Jaffa Gate looked the same,

only the beigele sellers were missing.

Inside Jaffa Gate people were out,

with extra security entering the Arab shuk.

But huge protests and rage were hard to find,

as this security team was more interested in checking their cell hones.

Certainly police and lots of other security personnel were visible

around the Western Wall plaza.

Fewer visitors made it easier to get a place to pray by the Wall.

I heard noises coming from Silwan,

and found boys on the roof tops looking for the source:

firecrackers, tear gas shots or real bullets?

But there were no reports of serious incidents there.

Perfect weather in the fall is the time to be outside,

and not inside these old stone buildings that do not warm up.

The Liberty Bell Park was empty.

Usually on Fridays the park is filled with Arab families picnicking,

and the playground filled with Arab women and children.

They should be raging – that they are stuck inside on a glorious day,

leaving the playground for the birds.

In Jerusalem, there is a new cinema,

new roads,

new walkway to cross from Malha Mall to Teddy Stadium,

and new park nearby under construction.

And now is the annual Oud Festival time celebrating Arab music.

Today I followed two young men speaking Arabic.

They went into same building I did, to their bank.

One was wearing an Israeli army backpack.

Signs celebrating “Aliyah for Everyone ” are up near the Jerusalem Theater.

New immigrants are arriving in November,

to add the the strange mix of old and new that is Jerusalem, Israel.