School is out. Those never-ending graduation ceremonies have ended.
Now to figure out what to do, well, now that the Iranian ballistic missiles have stopped raining down.
In 2018, the AutoOhel, or food truck summer festival started in the Hinnom Valley.
Food Festival JLM 2025 and the light show were back this year.
However, at the improved and much more accessible venue on the Tayelet.
Each week this summer, as in the past, the menus change with various Jerusalem restaurants’ offerings.
On the opening night, the light show included a ballistic missile from Yemen.
Hopefully, that will be the last time.
The 42nd edition of the annual summer Jerusalem Film Festival is to take place July 17-26, with special guests Gal Gadot and producer Lawrence Bender.
With an opening night again in the Sultan’s Pool with a special screening on the large screen, as two years ago with Dame Helen Mirren.
In the Sultan’s Pool this week on July 8, singer Avraham Fried is back to perform a live concert.
The Tower of David has plans for an unforgettable overnight camping adventure in the historic citadel, a hands-on art course, a special kids’ summer camp, and workshops for grandparents and grandkids.
All events take place inside the walls of Jerusalem’s magical Old City.
The summer event “The Secret Garden” will take place from July 27 to August 12 at the National Library of Israel.
Signs were up for the Jerusalem Festival July 2-4, 2025.
The Jerusalem Theater is back for the summer season.
Of course, the other Jerusalem museums and the Train Theater offer special events for families.
Much is happening on Jerusalem streets. Now, if we could have a quiet summer to hear the sounds of children playing in the parks along the Jerusalem streets.
The news cycle is changing so fast that it is hard to keep up today.
In Jerusalem and most of Israel, we woke to a warning notice followed by a siren to take shelter.
The US had bombed Fordow, the Iranian underground nuclear center. Severe damage and injuries are reported as Iran’s regime aims powerful ballistic and cluster bombs at Israeli cities and civilians daily.
Israel has been preparing for attacks by building shelters in new buildings. Here the underground hospital section of Hadassah Hospital Gandel Rehabilitation Center was ready for a Hanukkah celebration.
Today it is full and operating efficiently.
Shelters have been placed along southern roads and bus stops for safety.
In Sderot, shelters near schools are decorated to be welcoming to young children.
Hundreds of new shelters are being delivered to various vulnerable locations.
Following the Homefront Command updates is important, they change with the situation.
On Thursday, the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum reopened to the public in full coordination with the Home Front Command and the Ministry of Culture and Sport.
The Museum operated during its regular opening hours. All gallery spaces throughout the site serve as reinforced, secure areas, in full compliance with the latest security guidelines.
The Museum was the first cultural institution to reopen on October 9th in 2023.
Soon after, I was honored to be the first to take photos of a bat mitzvah girl who was evacuated from the south. Again, the Tower of David was a first to be reopened for the general public.
The new Tower of David Jerusalem Museum brings the rich history of Jerusalem to life in one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Located at the Jaffa Gate just across from the Mamilla Mall, it offers new immersive exhibitions in beautifully restored spaces, and a unique blend of archaeology, innovation, and storytelling. The newly accessible Museum works for children, adults, and senior citizens.
With the allowed 30 in a room at any one time, they followed the regulations.
Today, businesses and museums are again closed due to an increased threat
So sharing here a video with some of the new technology displayed on the stone wall.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a lifelong Jerusalemite, the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum offers a meaningful and inspiring gateway to the city’s past, present, and future.
A video of David’s wars has more views. But with plenty of war around us, it seemed a more tranquil section of the Tower of David Night Show would be appreciated.
The National Library of Israel in Jerusalem has been closed since October 13, 2025.
The main reading room is open with lots of light and glass.
However, the stacks are well below ground and designed to be protected.
Once again, the most valuable items were stored way for safety.
Following the IDF Homefront Command’s country-wide siren announcing the IDF strikes on Iranian targets at 3:30 am on Friday, June 13, the Library’s security, conservation, and logistics teams, together with CEO Oren Weinberg and Board Chair Sallai Meridor, arrived at the Library to dismantle the treasures housed in the William Davidson Permanent Exhibition Gallery, the Helen Diller Family Rotating Exhibition Gallery, and the David Berg Foundation Rotunda Gallery.
Carefully, manuscripts, rare books, musical scores, archives, and were moved underground into climate-controlled vaults.
As in previous serious attacks, April 13 and October 1, 2024, and mainly on October 7, 2023, when staff rushed to the building despite unknown unfolding danger — the Library demonstrated its steadfast commitment to safeguarding the treasures of Jewish, Israeli, and world heritage, preserving and protecting these invaluable resources for generations to come.
UPDATED to clarify:
With schools closed due to the war, the NLI building is closed, and content and activities for all ages are available online. English-language content is available at www.nli.org.il/en
So there you have it, a brief review from the real Jerusalem streets.
Before we too have to go again to a shelter for safety.
It was another busy week of ups and downs on the Jerusalem streets.
A favorite Jerusalem, Israel, the site is the Tower of David. The changes over the years have been fascinating to watch and admire.
I am not the only fan. One family went to the trouble to build temporary protection for a wedding ceremony. It was up during the day and then down after a night.
However, years of preparation have gone into making the fortress accessible. I remember how hard those old steps were to climb and go down. The new walkways are so much easier.
Eilat Lieber explained the upcoming International Day of People with Disabilities on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd. An online conference will be hosted by the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum with free registration.
The conference aims to share knowledge gained from archeology and innovation in Jerusalem with the world. This initiative is intended to enhance mobility and also enable accessibility for those with vision and hearing impairment.
A sign is up for the Mamilla Pool Project. How many knew it was there was such a thing?
First Station is struggling with few tourists but is ready for winter by putting up weather enclosures for people to sit and eat protected from the cold.
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center auditorium was filled for Douglas Murray. He received a standing ovation, and as he entered people stood up and applauded before he uttered a word.
During a conversation with Dr. Gerald Steinberg and Olga Deutsch, his wit and timing were impressive.
The old home of the Hebrew University Library at 44 Jabotinsky Street is in a sad state.
However, the new National Library of Israel has become a popular research and busy tourist site.
The main area has its research spaces filled daily by students and scholars of all types.
The landscaped outside space, with its autumn colors, is also worth seeing.
Inside the chairs, await the hostages, with their favorite books – still after too long.
The signs are up for the opening of the new temporary exhibition on Kafka.
More on that next time. I went on the preview tour and will share.
But this is getting too long and I want to end with one more event.
A special Thanksgiving dinner was held for Lone Soldiers and Bnot Sherut at the Nefesh B’Nefesh Jerusalem Campus on Thursday night.
Hundreds of young men and women from around the world (for a good meal you did not need to be from a place that celebrates Thanksgiving) gathered to eat, meet, and enjoy themselves.
On the way home we passed two women standing on a street corner, in the dark and cold.
Their sign is “Together we will be victorious!”
That sums up a week of ups and downs and in between on the Jerusalem streets.
