Tisha Be’Av – Page 3 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Walk Around Jerusalem See the Gates

August 15, 2016rjstreets

Have you ever walked around Jerusalem?

That is, have you ever walked

around the Walls of the Old City?

On Tisha B’Av night for the last few years,

I have walked around the walls,

and this time I took photos to share with you.

Security was visible,

but not more than in previous years.

The route starts on Agron Street and goes past the hotels.

With King David Street in the background,

as we turned the corner headed to the Old City,

there were hundreds of people, young and not so young,

some walking with baby carriers and some with canes.

Distances are not what most expect,

for it take only minutes to

pass the first gate – the New Gate.

Everyone walks together as a group

carrying dozens of Israel flags,

on to a quiet Damascus Gate

and a quieter Flower Gate.

We walked by the Rockefeller Museum on the left.

Before you know it,

it is time to turn the corner.

The lights on the walls of the Old City

shone brightly against the dark sky.

Soon we approached the Lion’s Gate,

on a street closed to traffic and quiet,

in stark contrast to the Kotel,

the Western Wall.

Tens of thousands came to mourn,

some sit all night on the stones.

Every day thousand of people come to Old City,

but not many have walked around the walls.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief tour,

and perhaps you will come soon to see for yourself.

Jerusalem, Israel, on Tisha B’Av,

a unique experience.

Additional photos HERE

Tisha B’Av Around Jerusalem

July 29, 2015rjstreets

Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem, Israel, is unique.

On the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av,

for centuries, Jews around the world

sat on the ground as a sign of mourning for Jerusalem,

and read Eicha, the Book of Lamentations.

I went to ‘Walk Around the Walls’ again after Shabbat.

Last year Tisha B’Av coincided with Ramadan

and even at midnight there was a huge crowd

at Sha’ar Shechem, Damascus Gate.

This year all was quiet,

as the Israeli-flag waving crowd walked by,

with only a few Arabs in sight near police barriers.

Going past Herod’s Gate,

the atmosphere was very different

from Tisha B’Av of last year.

Although it was a few days ago,

I still want to share that night,

and the beautiful sites around the Old City Walls.

As Lion’s Gate and midnight approached

we passed this man walking with two young boys.

Spectacular views were of Har Hazetim, Mount of Olives,

across from the Old City Walls,

and the impressive major excavations.

But most impressive,

was the huge crowd at the Kotel, the Western Wall,

where tens of thousands came,

some to sit and sing sad songs,

others to pray, or to spend the night.

People were coming and going all night long

to the Old City of Jerusalem.

But nearby at Sha’ar Yaffo, Jaffa Gate,

Mamilla Mall was closed and quiet,

as were all entertainment and most food places.

Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem, Israel,

is not like anywhere else in the world.

More photos of Walk on Facebook, HERE.

But,

after the mourning of Tisha B’Av comes

and party time celebrations grow every year,

this one is to take place in the Jerusalem Forest.

Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem

August 1, 2012July 13, 2020rjstreets

Did you hear about Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem, Israel?

By now you must have heard that Mitt Romney was in Jerusalem

on the fast day of Tisha B’Av.

I had no details on the Romney press conference when I posted last week,

but an hour later I had all the information I wanted.

What a wonder, the internet!

Even no food or water for 24 hours could not keep me away.

The Old City Walls were in the background as

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat waited to welcome Romney to the stage.

Flags and a line of security lined the entrance route.

Already there have been hundreds of reports

and millions of words written about the speech,

which was given in the plaza near the Montefiore Windmill.

Only a small select crowd attended the Romney events.

However, what else did you hear about Tisha B’Av?

Did you hear that the night before, hundreds of people

were out on the Jerusalem streets walking around the walls of

The Old City, passing first by the New Gate, new from 1887?

The new addition this year were the active Jerusalem light rail trains.

As last year, Tisha B’av and Ramadan coincided,

so Damascus Gate at midnight was still celebrating.

I only got one chance to take a photo, as security moved me away.

Cameras and security were ready for trouble.

But the most shocking scene I could find was of all the garbage on the street.

The Women in Green had to petition the court to be allowed to walk,

though this was the 18th year for this event.

Like last year, I was impressed with the number of people

and the variety of the crowd that stayed

so late at night for the closing speeches at the Lion’s Gate.

At 1:00am some marchers headed home while the buses were still running.

Others walked to the Dung Gate entrance to The Kotel, The Western Wall,

where many people stayed all night.

Tens of thousands of people,

peacefully celebrated Tisha B’Av in Jerusalem.

There was no violence, therefore it was not news.

This one minute video may help you feel the mood of the night.

As I walked home at 2:00 am, the closed Mamilla Mall was full of people.

I noticed that it was decorated with strings of colorful lights

for the Muslim holy time of Ramadan.

Another sign of Israeli oppression?

For more on Romney visit click here.

More photos from the Walk around the Walls.