wet streets

Shabbat Shalom – Our Heritage is to Live

Shabbat Shalom – Our Heritage is to Live

rjstreets

Another end of February approaches, not much has changed.

However, those little kitah aleph students are Bar and Bat Mitzvah age.

Last week began with a big disappointment,

as the predicted and much-hyped snow never happened.

It is a shame as Jerusalem in the snow makes for great pictures

Jerusalem street in the rain, man sleeping on sidewalk

while the hard rains do not make for pretty scenes.

But when the sun came out, there were puddles of water and birds, 

Anemones. red flowers in Jerusalem

 green grasses and red anemones. 

In 2000, Herman Wouk published a book titled,

“The Will to Live On, This is our Heritage.”

I thought of it not only for the weather conditions,

but also for the stormy situation in the Middle East and around the world.

In Israel there is no official Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

children sitting and singing

 Family Day is celebrated on Rosh Chodesh Adar, the first day of Adar.

At one Family Day celebration children sang and danced,

parents sitting with chlidren

while the big people got to sit on little chairs 

grandmother and child light candles

and help light the candles at a Shabbat party.

Shabbat candles, Shabat candles, Shabat party in school

It is these lights of Jewish heritage and values that burn in Israel.

children singing in classroom

Songs of a Shabbat shalom, a peaceful sabbath…

not of war or hate.

“This is our heritage” as Wouk said, “the will to live on.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these children had peaceful neighbors?

Rain, rain

rjstreets

At first it was hard to decide what to write about his week,

since threats seem to be coming from all directions.

The death toll is rising in Syria as violent protests continue.

In Cairo there are more casualties and democratic elections seem elusive.

New demonstrations are taking place in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Reports are coming in of CIA undercover agents being arrested in Iran and Lebanon.

And locally, the doctors’ struggle  continues

 and the light rail drivers still have not agreed on their wages.

In the meantime, a long list of political and celebrity visitors were in Jerusalem.

But the focus of the real streets has not been celebrity sightings,

political strife or the lack of Supreme Court Justices,

it has been rain, and lots of it.

 A break in the weather with the sun peeking through was a rare sight this week.

The rain is great for the lime tree at the end of its season,

but does not make for good photography.

The Knesset looks grey in the rain,

while the walls and smoke from the Israel Museum blend into the horizon.

Water filling the streets make it difficult to drive

and traffic often slows down.

Figuring out when and how hard it will rain, how to stay dry,

and how to avoid the puddles

 has been a challenge.

But not for everyone….there are those little people who love each new splash.

Prayers for rain have been answered.

After last year’s dry and mild winter, this has been a wet week,

 and it is getting colder, making it difficult to stay dry and warm.

While there is plenty of complaining about getting wet,

 no one is singing “rain, rain go away” yet.

It was cold enough for a winter jacket, hat and scarf today,

see Tourist of the Week…gotta love the Canadians!