The sun is shining. Temperatures are rising.
Spring is a great time to be in Jerusalem, Israel.
שבת שלום
If you do not know about KING DAVID laser and light show to open April 1, click HERE
Tower of David
KING DAVID: Lasers New Light from Jerusalem
I love going to the Tower of David.
Visits to the Tower of David Museum for fashion, photos of the old days, or the 100 years celebration of Allenby, all were fascinating.
Nothing tops the photo ops of night-time events in the citadel of the Tower of David.
Waiting outside at night, dwarfed by those ancient towering stone walls, an awesome feeling to historical past, that never gets old.
The views inside the citadel, on the platforms above Jerusalem, Israel, are amazing.
A chance to see the new night experience KING DAVID, was not one to pass up.
Pre-show lighting of the inside walls runs for 15 minutes, as up to 420 visitors are seated.
Modern laser technology casts words on the walls of old.
On a cool, humid night, the city lights turned the sky shades of pink, not the usual black sky, contrasting with the intricate light patterns.
One is to imagine David escaping to the oasis of Ein Gedi by the light projections all around the inside walls.
Cascading, flowing water is yet another scene.
After the introduction of the evening, the sound of the musical performance surrounds, while the laser projectors illuminate with 250,000 lumens and 35 million pixels.
David has inspired countless works of art by major sculptors and painters over the centuries.
In this latest creation, scenes change rapidly, going through the life story of King David.
The historical narrative begins with Ruth, David’s great-grandmother, gathering wheat from the fields.
There is David as a shepherd tending to his flock in the pasture, and here with Samuel the Prophet.
Not all is bright and cheerful.
There is the story of fighting the Philistines and David with Goliath.
Can you find what is real and what is light projected against the stone walls?
David the musician plays the harp for King Saul, as walls are made to resemble tents.
The 12 Tribes of Israel settled in Israel with Jerusalem as their capital.
The Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem.
People dance and rejoice in the streets of Jerusalem.
There are so many stories of David’s life, each one famous on its own.
The Tower of David Museum ‘Night Spectacular’ centered on the building of Jerusalem over the centuries.
This new night light spectacular features, David, King of Israel, David HaMelech.
You see his palace, to enter by candle light.
Besides being a warrior, David is also credited with composing the Book of Psalms.
For the finale, after King David looks out into the starry night sky above Jerusalem, the City of David, doves fly above musicians and joyous people.
Let’s all pray for peace in Jerusalem.
The Night Spectacular has been running for ten years,
and will continue to be shown.
One of the most famous psalms, Chapter 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd” is featured in the following video.
Still not enough? The following is a two-minute video of the early action of the laser and light show which runs 31 minutes.
KING DAVID opens at the Tower of David on April 1, 2018.
What a Week in Jerusalem: Presidents, Parliamentarians, Ambassadors and More
The third week in February is always a busy time in Jerusalem, Israel.
Unlike the US, where only one February weekend celebrates President George Washington,
here in Jerusalem, Washington is honored all year long, and Abraham Lincoln is right around the corner.
The annual Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organization, COP, had over a hundred leaders participating in this year’s mission.
COP Presidents were greeted by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who received this numbered jersey from a visiting US football player, who were in Israel on a tour.
Jewish football player Geoff Schwartz presented COP CEO Malcolm Hoenlein with a shirt. Hoelein is looking up, seconds before he stood on a chair to get a better view.
Also at the opening gala were US Ambassador David Friedman and his wife Tammy.
President Rivlin consoles Dr. Leah Goldin, mother of Hadar Goldin z”l, whose remains are being held captive in Gaza. There was another birthday of Hadar’s this week, 3 1/2 years after Hamas killed him, after agreeing to a cease fire.
Also sharing their plight with the Presidents were the family of Avera Mengistu, and their spokesperson. Over 3 years ago, the mentally challenged Avera wandered over the Gaza border and was kidnapped by Hamas.
This was a not just a week for presidents, but for ambassadors too. On the dais in the Waldorf-Astoria Jerusalem ballroom, these five former Israeli ambassadors to the US, Moshe Arens, Sallai Meridor, Ron Prosor, Zalman Shoval and Itamar Rabinovich, shared their experiences.
At the Knesset, over 30 International Parliamentary Heads came to Jerusalem to share their knowledge at a Knesset Conference.
With all these important international leaders in Jerusalem, the most impressive session I attended went unreported.
Entrepreneurs Dr. Yossi Vardi and SanDisk CEO Shahar Bar-Or, introduced Sereen to the COP Presidents after lunch at the Inbal Hotel.
Sereen is a 15 year-old Bedouin girl who grew up near Beer Sheva, and is an outstanding STEM student in an Israeli university. Her father’s cousin is a professor in both Stony Brook and Ben Gurion Universities, and promotes good education as key to success. Sereen, seated on the left wearing a dark hijab, is at the table with other promising Israeli young women. Her very proud mother is seen on the right in a tan colored head covering.
Presidents, parliamentarians, and ambassadors, and even professional football players, are not the real streets. A new book “Alley-Oop to Aliyah” tells us about over 800 African-American basketball players who came to Israel over the years to play basketball. They loved it. Some stayed and made aliyah, and their children are playing ball and serve in the IDF.
Out on the streets, this week’s Jerusalem’s Shaon Horef, Winter Noise, location was Jaffa Gate.
Light projections and music played on inside Jaffa Gate at multiple locations.
Hundreds of people were climbing the steps throughout the Tower of David after dark.
The presidents were so close, they could have wandered over to see the crowds and danced along next to the walls of Tower of David at this free event.
This was not a week to be cooped up all day in meetings! Look down and you see flowers blooming.
Look up and you could see magnificent sunsets.
A finish line is up next to Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, for the Jerusalem Marathon on March 9.
But first Purim. Jerusalem street signs wish everyone a “Happy Purim.”
Preparations for costumes and food and meals are well under way. Young school children can be seen wearing their crowns on the streets. The not so young are also planning their holiday costumes. There may be presidents this week, but next week there will be queens and kings and many more important personalities.