Yom Yerushalayim – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Day 55 – Yom Yerushalayim

May 28, 2022May 28, 2022Sharon A

Jerusalem Day, Yom Yerushalayim 50 was a big year with extravagant programs including a drone show, which was new and exciting at the time.

Last year I was in Tel Aviv for Yom Yerushalayim. Not so much fun having to sleep on pillows on the floor as bombs fell near the loft Airbnb I had rented – with no bomb shelter.

Jerusalem Day Israeli flags dancing in street

This year I am again missing the chance to march in the Flag Parade and show you the families celebrating and dancing in the Jerusalem streets.

After Shabbat thousands of young people were dancing and singing with a huge Israeli flag, and many smaller ones.

Yom Yerushalayim has been celebrated for more than one day this year.

The music was blasting from Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, ALL Thursday night. Huge stages were erected, as usual for the WhiteNight, all night long partying, but this year sounded and felt much louder. Other locations also had major live music productions but without as many complaints.

However, even earlier in the week, there were celebrations!

On King George Street, StandWithUs opened its new expanded education center with a flashing video in the new theater space.

The gala reception and program were held outside, behind the YMCA.

But warm feelings inside for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at StandWithUs.

Gorgeous, but cool nights on the Jerusalem streets early in the week.

In the never know what next, I had no idea what this guy was doing,

or who these guys were that wanted their photo taken.

You could feel the energy, people were back on the Jerusalem streets.

Mamilla Mall was alive again, with international tourists and Israelis.

The banner for ‘Yom Yerushalaim 55 years’ was outside of Jaffa Gate.

And inside Jaffa Gate, beigelles were ready for the tourists to buy.

The police station was ready, draped with holiday flags.

Large groups of students on holiday trips filled the Old City lanes.

The Western Wall Plaza near the Kotel was filled with group activities.

From the rooftop of the Aish building, I like to check the progress of the dome rising over the Tiferet Israel synagogue construction.

And of course, from the rooftop, to take multiple photos of the scenes below.

Including Ir David where the new restaurant and cable car station are to be.

On a clear day, you can see over the Dead Sea into to Jordan.

I went to see the Charge d’Affaires of the Kosovo Embassy in Jerusalem Ines Demiri accept an award from the Israel Defence and Security Forum.

People with Israeli flags kept walking by while Ines posed with Jerusalem Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum near the Kotel, Western Wall.

We walked out of the Jaffa Gate toward Jaffa Road, so she could go home and I could get the photo of the giant Jerusalem flag near Tzahal Square.

Oh, what a lovely time of year to walk on the Jerusalem streets!

Especially seeing friends finally able to return to Jerusalem again and join us to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim in 5782.

Remember for 19 years 1948-1967, Jews were unable to walk in or live in the Old City, the closest was a view was from Notre Dame.

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach!

A Day in Jerusalem: What you did not see

May 22, 2022May 22, 2022Sharon A

When sand fills the air it’s a good time to shut the windows and stay off the Jerusalem streets. It’s not a pretty picture as the dirt blows in and covers everything on any day, especially on Shabbat.

However, earlier in the week, it was a very different story.

Monday morning, the sky was blue, the roses bright red, and the menorah across from the Knesset was surrounded by lush green foliage.

Even though I was in a hurry, I took the time to stop, appreciate the scene and take a quick photograph.

A Knesset security guard came over to question what I was doing. However, I was able to point and say how pretty, and he did not stop me.

The red carpet was out. Not for me, but for the President of the Austrian National Council. I could see the drums and tuba ready for an official musical band welcome, but I was on my way to a meeting inside.

First time back inside the Knesset in over two years, and getting permission to use my camera was an exciting way to start the day. The Knesset Israel Victory Caucus met to discuss the security situation of the past year.

Thanks to photographer Mike Katz for sharing his photo with me of the new style tee-shirt, which I missed when I stepped out for a few minutes.

Incitement to terror has increased, what to do to stop it is the question?

The official car of Austrian National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka was parked as I was leaving the meeting which went longer than expected.

I say moving to Jerusalem has been an education in international flags.

I passed a tour group at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. The natural roof was not green this time as in a 2019 post.

Next to the Bird Observatory, the cemetery, across from the Israeli Supreme Court building has become a popular attraction with busloads of men and women coming to pray at the grave of the Zvhiller Rebbe.

However, at least one man was able to find a quiet moment to reflect.

I was rushing over to the new Nefesh BeNefesh Campus for the first annual Mental Health Expo, special for English speakers. Attended by 1600 people who took advantage to speak with dozens of participating organizations.

The lecture room was filled for Dr. David Pelcovitz’s talk. I had to push my way into the standing-room-only crowd which spilled into the hallway to take a photo. It was the most crowded room of people I have seen in over two years.

It was a beautiful day to be out and walk in Jerusalem. The new path in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, was lined with new colorful flowers.

The new sign was up for the Kraft Family Sports Campus.

And the Ninja section at the park was filled with religious girls in long skirts excitedly trying out the exercise equipment.

Amazing the Jerusalem of contrasts, the new park area, and the old buildings as they were decades ago in disrepair adjacent to each other.

I passed this dumpster and wondered how long those wooden pallets would remain?

With Lag B’Omer approaching, all the wood along Jerusalem streets was being collected for upcoming nighttime bonfires.

The Jerusalem Book Forum and International Writers’ Festival were back again with local and international writers and publishers attending the opening events at the Jerusalem YMCA.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion was present to award the Jerusalem Prize as he did in the last festival held in 2019 to Joyce Carol Oates.

This year’s winner British author Julian Barnes was not able to attend but appeared in a video.

It was fascinating to hear a speaker from Germany say how he felt safer now walking the Jerusalem streets than the streets in Europe.

One featured writer was Joshua Cohen, author of “The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family” which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

All that was on a day the media focused only on conflict.

Wednesday night, Lag B’Omer fires burned well into the night.

The piles of wood were prepared and piled high by thousands who partied all night long in Jerusalem. Musical performances went on in many locations until the early morning hours.

I tried watching online, but wonder if Meron Lag BOmer celebrations will recover any time soon after last year’s tragedy?

While there is a government crisis (almost daily?) and troubles abound, this week I preferred to walk during the day when the sky was clear and the sun shone and admire the flowers along the Jerusalem streets.

The plans for Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, reunited for 55 years are well underway. From May 26 to June 2, 2022, Jerusalem is celebrating with 9000 flags and 42 km of flag chains hung along the Jerusalem streets.

Yes, there is much more happening in Jerusalem that does not attract headlines. What next? How about a parade for over 60-year-olds?

In the Jerusalem Cinema City where the Mental Health Fair was held, I saw these two women sitting, one Muslim and one Jewish. Not what you saw on your TV sets at night, but what was happening on the real Jerusalem streets.

It was May 16, 2022. Nakba Day in Jerusalem, Israel – what you did not see.

Jerusalem Flag Dance and Parade: Real Story

June 17, 2021June 17, 2021Sharon A

Reading international headlines has made me so angry and sad.

Controversial and contentious

Bracing for violence

Israel braces for unrest ahead of right-wing Jerusalem march

Nationalist March Through Jerusalem Has Heightened Tensions Further

And those are only a few of the less disturbing headline choices for the annual Jerusalem Day – ריקודגלים Rikud Degalim – Flag Dance Parade which was postponed due to rocket attacks from Gaza.

This celebration goes back decades to remember the reunification of Jerusalem in June 1967. I walked with the Israeli flag wavers thru the Old City with the march five years ago.

Again this year, I went to see what was really happening. After days of negative hype and threats from Hamas and its affiliates, would there really be trouble and violence?

Thousands were on the streets waving Israeli flags – peacefully, though loudly at times singing, songs such as Am Yisrael Chai.

I only spotted one mask in the crowd of thousands.

But road blocks and photographers were seen throughout the route.

Waiting for the start time. Israeli time. It started later than announced.

However, the regular and foreign photographers were ready.

This was the scene on the way to Damascus Gate.

Where were all those close-up-in-your-face photos I have seen taken?

The police had large distances between the local Arab shopping area and those walking to Damascus Gate.

Plenty of Arab media was active and out on the Jerusalem streets.

The area at Damascus Gate was empty when the marchers arrived.

But filled with Israeli-flag waving, mostly young men singing and dancing.

Out of thousands, it was the one unusual one who got media attention.

Notice all the press standing on the other side of the large flag.

Here’s a short video from Damascus Gate, before moving on to Jaffa Gate.

Media reports came out as soon as possible. How accurate? You decide.

Not only wild young males participated, there were families and busloads of students, including girls who came from outside of Jerusalem.

The security was along the entire route. It seems earlier there were stones thrown at police on horses, so that would explain the eye protection, which was not needed for the Flag Parade.

I wondered how many walking realized that there were going thru what was No Man’s Land that divided Jerusalem from 1948-1967? On the right, the Old City where Jews could not go. On the left the hospital on the “border” in Jerusalem, not under Jordanian occupation.

MKs Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Otzma Yehudit party and Bezalel Smotrich head of the Religious Zionist party received media attention. However, in the crowd of marchers number two on the list Michal Woldiger was stopped multiple times for photos and by admirers.