In Jerusalem, Sukkot Begins with Blessings and Crowds

The holiday of Sukkot is a popular time for tourists from around the world to arrive in Jerusalem, Israel, to celebrate the holiday which originated in Biblical times. This year, with limited air travel, the numbers may be down, but visitors appear no less enthusiastic.

Tens of thousands of people walked to Jerusalem’s Old City to the Kotel, the Western Wall for the morning prayers of Birkat Cohanim, Priestly Blessings, on Sukkot on Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Thousands are coming and going all day, during the week of Sukkot – and late into the night.

The official rabbis and dignitaries stood in a secluded area above the Western Wall Plaza.

However, it was impressive to see Israeli flags flying overhead

and people lining the rooftops at every available vantage point.

A sukkah is a temporary structure for holiday meals. I finally got one quick photo of ours ready for Shabbat dinner before lighting candles and welcoming guests.

Lining the Jerusalem streets, you will see many sukkot on outside porches,

and of varied colors, sizes, and materials for the walls.

The First Station has a large sukkah for use by restaurant customers.

The Train Theater has a simple white sukkah in the courtyard.

The local pizza shop has had a sukkah on this street corner for many years.

All week leading up to the start of the holiday on Wednesday night, October 16th, people were assembling the materials to build the frame and walls.

On Jerusalem streets youngsters were selling schach, palm branches, to cover the sukkah.

While the major market is located near Machane Yehuda Market on Jaffa Street, on many of the Jerusalem streets, young men were selling everything needed for Sukkot, from an etrog to tinsel decorations.

With a good spot on the Aish rooftop, I recorded Birkat Cohahim this year. You can see people walking up the ramp to Temple Mount during the prayer.

More of Birkat Cohanim HERE

Celebrating Sukkot this year while remembering the lives of the fallen in the past year

and the hostages is the norm, both in private and public spaces.

More of the highlights of Sukkot 5785/2024 next time!

It’s time to go to Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, and check out the Jerusalem Parade family activities.

Moadim l’Simcha is the traditional greeting for the intermediate days of Sukkot.

However, I will also close with this young woman’s shirt – Am Yisrael is Very Chai.

Chag Samaech.

One Week into October 2024 – Looking Back from Jerusalem

Some weeks are harder than others.

Each week the goal of The Real Jerusalem Streets is to share real things you may not hear about in the mainstream media. There are many such events and usually hundreds of photos to select from.

This week even more so than usual, it was hard to get started – oh what a week it was.

As I sat down at the computer after grabbing a quick photo out the window of impressive clouds at sunset, my phone on the desk blasted a Homefront Alert to seek shelter. This was the first-ever mass warning of incoming ballistic missiles from Iran.

I may be the only person who does not have a dramatic story or a selfie to share from Tuesday night.

Much of Israel was affected, and it was a miracle that the only people killed were a Gazan in Jericho, 5 Iranians on a backfire mishap in Iran, and possibly one person in Jordan.

It was sad to see the Kotel, Western Wall empty on a night it should have been filled for prayers before Rosh Hashana. A small service was held inside Wilson’s Arch instead.

However, after Shabbat which followed the two-day Rosh Hashana holiday, the crowds were back.

A simple photo from before the holiday, with the 72-hour candle, will have to do.

It was both a long holiday and a short week.

But, how can we complain about too much holiday, when those held hostage in Gaza for a year have had so little food and no freedom?

Cleaning my desk last night I found this 1982 cartoon.

Except for Castro, it is the same as today. “I move to condemn Israel!”

Today this warning from the Homefront command for northern communities flashed on the computer screen. There have been hundreds of missiles in the past week, and over 10,000 in the past year. Over 63,000 people have been forced from their homes – Shlomi is the last on this list.

Check out Israel’s Northern Exposure from 4 years ago.

Buildings near Lebanon border Blue LIne

Look at those “houses” on the Israeli border in Lebanon – some of the thousands of above-ground shelters for missiles.

The sounds of shofars for Rosh Hashana filled the Jerusalem streets, and planes flew overhead day and night. However, our friends and families in the north were under the constant stream of rocket fire interrupting their holiday and trying to take their lives.

“Falling in open spaces” means more miracles, when under persistent attack.

Tomorrow is October 7, 2024, with a list of commemorative events for the murdered and hostages.

Before I could publish, a terrorist stabbing in the Beer Sheva bus station with casualties.

These messages are no longer seen on buses, but the message has become more significant – Hatima Tova, “May you be sealed for good!”

Jerusalem Streets Emotional Roller Coaster of Prayer and Unity

Another week of rollercoaster emotions and war on the Jerusalem streets.

Sunday morning September 1, 2024, was the first day of school after long summer break.

You may have seen photos of protesters that the media loves to share.

But did you also see the tens of thousands of people each night after midnight for Selihot? The Sephardi tradition is to start late-night prayers from Rosh Chodesh Elul.

You can see how many people came to the Kotel, the Western Wall.

At night, the Prime Minister took to English social media to show a map of Israel in the Middle East.

As the night before in a Hebrew version, he highlighted the Gaza Strip and Philadelphi Corridor.

While Sunday morning was the first day of school, the usual excitement and photos were overshadowed by the dreadful news of the murder of six Israeli hostages in Gaza by Hamas terrorists.

Then on Monday afternoon, tens of thousands lined the Jerusalem streets with Israeli flags.

Flags large and small, on both sides of the road, along the route,

arriving from afar to line the way,

as the funeral procession for Hersh Goldberg-Polin went to Har Hamenuhot Cemetery.

Red shirts of his favorite sports team, many with his profile were seen along the way and at the cemetery.

Oh, what a contrast to the red flowers and bridal photoshoot minutes away.

Three brides dressed in white with families and photographers were in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

Going for some quiet beauty in nature, and seeing wedding parties was a bonus on a dark day.

At night, the signs seliha asked for forgiveness for the hostages that were not brought back alive.

Interesting timing, I noticed also a poster for Avraham “Avera” Mengistu an Ethiopian-born Israeli crossed into Gaza on September 7, 2014. Ten years a hostage in Gaza!

With the start of Elul and the Sephardi Selihot, the Kesher Yehudi organization held an opening event.

Sivan Rahav Meir was on hand to support families of hostages still in Gaza.

Musicians Akiva and Yonatan Razel performed for the event before proceeding to the Kotel for selihot.

Rabbanit Yaffa Deri was also there to inspire and encourage the participants.

On Wednesday I took some time off the Jerusalem streets with the constant construction and noise and went south. The old Shmita signs are still up on some fields.

However, this pile of dried hay was interestingly piled up.

It was a quiet day when we were in Sderot with its decorated shelters, but in the north, there were 100 missiles/rockets at the same time. Without shelters, tens of thousands of Israelis are still forced from their homes and schools since October 8.

After decades under attack from Gaza, Sderot has new construction to keep up with the demand.

People arrive in Israel to volunteer and immigrate during a war, and people want to live in Sderot.

I finally got a better photo of the watermelon in front of the library.

Ironic, that the watermelon was there long before its use in a social media campaign against Israel began.

There are bomb shelters by the bus stops along the road to Sderot.

But also, kilometers lined with the Sabra Cactus plants.

On leaving Sderot is the AMDOCS building with a large blue and white banner.

Under the blue and white flag in Hebrew is – “Strong together.”

The week past saw Israelis united in mourning, now to maintain that unity to victory.