Jerusalem, Israel – what is really happening
Less than 48 hours after a deadly bomb exploded in Jerusalem,
streets were again clear of traffic.
Schools were closed in Beersheva on Friday, March 25
because of grad missiles.
In Jerusalem classes were cancelled
because the first full Jerusalem Marathon was running
from Gan Sachar, Sachar Park.
Parking was difficult, necessitating long treks to get to Read more
Progress…The Jerusalem light rail system now has power for the entire length of its track.
It’s much easier to cross the intersection of Jaffa and Strauss Streets in the center of town.
A short walk from that intersection is the Bikur Cholim Hospital,
which has provided medical care in Jerusalem for over 140 years.
The privately owned buildings are threatened with closure.
There is a serious shortage of hospital beds and neonatal units in Jerusalem, 6000 babies are born here every year; where will the mothers go?
Bikur Cholim Hospital was critical in saving many lives when suicide bombers targeted the city center, now 30 million shekel is needed to keep the hospital running.
Signs to rally residents’ support are plastered along the street.
Doctors and staff who are faced with losing their jobs and pensions have recently organized protests.
Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi, who trained as a obstetrician, did part of his residency at Bikur Cholim, publicly supports keeping it open, as do many residents and patients.
There will be a four-hour strike, and non-essential personnel will be on the streets in a protest.
All around hospital buildings there is new construction. Signs of progress?
The old stone buildings next door have been razed and
the area between the hospital and
and Ticho House on Rav Kook Street is being excavated for development.
Last week, if one took a short walk along Jaffa Street to the walls of the Old City,
Jaffa Gate Square was once again the place where the city is distributing free Christmas trees.
Last year these bins were quickly emptied.
Again this year Santa was available to pose with a tree for photographers.
The free trees provided by the Municipality and the Jewish National Fund were given to those who showed proper identification.
Organized distribution…a sign of progress!
While we think of those in the northeastern United States dealing with too much snow.
No snow or much-needed rain here, just sunshine and warm temperatures perfect for jogging,
walking or sitting in the park,
and for thousands of holiday visitors. As 2010, comes to an end, there are no visible signs of progress on the release of Gilad Shalit,
each morning the numbers on the sign change as the days of captivity increase.
Tel Aviv was recently rated by the Lonely Planet tour guide
as the third “hottest” city in the world
with “more bars than synagogues.”
Jerusalem might find it hard to compete in that category.
However, at the end of the ALYN Wheels of Love charity bike ride,
it was so darn hot that most of the bikes
came into Jerusalem in the back of a truck
with only some of the riders on the back of their bikes.
The entertainer dressed in the monkey costume,
certainly had to be too darn hot.
The weather is not the only thing in Jerusalem that has been hot of late.
The route of the security fence
and the construction of a fence near the village
of al-Walejeh, Walaja, has been hot news.
Everyone has heard the expression “land for peace”,
even though it was so darn hot, the Real Jerusalem Streets
went to see what some of the “land” really looked like.
A large group met our guide in the new train station at Malcha,
which was very quiet on Friday morning.
Although some t-shirts displayed political statements,
we were a diverse group,
with plenty of cameras.
After parking our cars along the road,
the climb began up in the Nachal Refaim, Refaim Creek area.
Several times we stopped for lectures on the nature of the area.
Archaeology and antiquities of the area were also stressed.
The car ride had been only a few minutes long, after a brief walk,
Malcha and Jerusalem were in full view.
A military jeep on patrol arrived as soon as we reached the flattened area.
A man from the village walked to us along the proposed fence route.
He led us to an old olive tree for shade– finally a cool spot.
We were told among other things,
how a fence will make it hard for him to visit family graves.
These were the only signs of people living in this area,
other than a couple of boys who wandered
around while we were sitting under the olive tree.
From the road the land looks like most of the land of the West Bank,
but from above, as a train passed, it was hard not to think
of how much damage terrorists could do from such a strategic spot.
Finally we drove toward the village.
Al-Walaja sits on a mountain top.
Some beautiful new homes are constructed along the fence route,
but collecting the garbage would vastly improve the site.
As it was too darn hot and too darn late,
by this time the group had dwindled to a few cars.
We did not follow this woman to hear more about the fence.
Near al-Walaja is Har Gilo,
where Israelis live behind barbed wire with an electronic security gate.
Near the top of the mountain there were some beautiful views.
The village wants the fence route to go along the road,
not on the top of the hill.
This tour was intended to encourage people to demonstrate
at the Israeli Supreme Court on Monday
in support of the villagers of al-Walaja against the fence route,
which was first approved in 2006.
On Monday morning there were big banners,
but by 9:25 am only ten people were in the protest.
Too darn hot?
The court postponed a final decision for another 40 days.
On Monday, as on most days in Jerusalem,
the really “hot” spot was the Kotel, the Western Wall.
There were thousands representing many religions from the around the world.
Tel Aviv may have lots of bars,
Jerusalem has The Wall.