Picture of the week: October in the Old City
It’s October.
The evenings are getting cooler and Jerusalem is one of the first places in the country to feel the change in seasons.
In the evenings, the Old City walls are lit up, creating interesting shadows. Photo by Miriam Alster/FLASH90.
A Jerusalem encounter
A police roadblock in Jerusalem.
But sometimes, trying to hone in on a human aspect instead of looking at the dismal macro situation can provide a differnent view of the situation that Jews and Arabs find themselves thrown in together in the place both sides call their home.
I was waiting for a bus yesterday across from the Regency Hotel near Hebrew University’s Mount Scopus campus to take me through the tunnel and to Ma’aleh Adumim. A short distance away, at the intersection that leads to Wadi Joz, the police had blocked off the road and were redirecting traffic – evidently a common procedure during the busy days of Hol Hamoed Succot when so many extra visitors come to Jerusalem, but undoubtedly mighty annoying for residents of the area.
There was one other person at the bus stop, a young man in his 20s, wearing trendy sunglasses and holding a small overnight bag.
“Are you going to Beit She’an too? he asked me in Hebrew, revealing with his accent that he was Arab. I told him no, and we started talking about his journey.
“I’m going to Jordan to visit my sister. She’s lived there for years,” he said. “It’s easier for me to cross over the border at Beit She’an.”
Turns out his name was Khaled and he lives in Shuafat, the Arab neighborhood that borders the Jewish neighborhood of French Hill, next to Hebrew University.
We started talking about Jordan, and he offered some tips about visiting our eastern neighbor. “There’s not much to see in Amman, it’s best to just go to Petra. But don’t go to Akaba, they don’t like Jews there.”
“Are things quiet in Shuafat now,”? I asked, referring to rock throwing and tire burning that had taken place there in recent days.
“Yes, but you never know when it will start again. There’s a few instigators who start doing those things,” said Khaled, who said that he was entering his last years of a Master’s degree in business administration at the university.
“I don’t like living here,” he added, pointing to the roadblock a few feet away. “You can’t go where you want. When I finish my Masters, my girlfriend and I are leaving – to America, or maybe Europe.”
We tossed things around for a few more minutes until my bus arrived. Khaled and I shook hands, wished each other well, and I got on the bus leaving him waiting for his.
On the way back home, I reflected on the encounter and felt a certain sadness – if decent people like Khaled are throwing up their hands in despair and leaving the fate of Jerusalem to the rock throwers and tire burners, then our future looks bleak. I wanted to get off the bus and go back and tell him, ’stay here, help us build a society that we can all live in together.’
But my bus was already entering Ma’aleh Adumim.
Foto Friday – Jerusalem Light Festival
Filed under: Art, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Pop Culture, Travel
The Jerusalem Light Festival in the Old City, taking place next week, June 10-16, promises to be an absolute delight — no pun intended. These images are just a few of the two dozen or so works by artists commissioned to use Jerusalem’s Old City as a canvas and light as their brush.
Digital artists Yosef Meir Gimi, event designer Ronen Aricha and artist-musician Uri Ben Shabat created a surrealistic journey through the Batei HaMachaseh neighborhood. There will be an exhibition of light-works by artists as well.
This is a mock-up of what is planned for Safra Square, site of the Jerusalem City Hall. Multimedia artists Malchi and Assaf Shem Tov of Studio AVS and Amit Fisher of Studio Locomotion have created a work that combines sound and light on the theme of the Twelve Tribes.
Museum designer Eliav Nachlieli was invited to create a laser light installation at the Wohl Archaeological Museum.
There will also be live entertainment on the Old City walls with performances scheduled twice nightly.
As a former lighting designer, who did quite a lot of work casting light and color on ancient walls in Jaffa, Acco, Jerusalem and the Judaean desert, this piece looks to be a very dramatic experience, in terms of breadth and color.
It’s entitled Night Panorama by Gil Teichman, one of Israel’s premiere lighting designers and contractors (he also does the Azrieli Center, among other large installations). Teichman will light up the Kidron valley surrounding Yad Avshalom (Absalom’s Tomb). Probably shouldn’t be missed — don’t see how it could be!
More images from the upcoming Jerusalem Light Festival are available at the festival website. Information in English at Jerusalem.com.
A history lesson in Jerusalem
The Night Spectacular sound and light show at the Tower of David Museum in Jersualem’s Old City is indeed spectacular.
On a gorgeous Jerusalem Saturday night, the stands were full, as the 45-minute multi-media extravaganza was projected on the ancient walls of the Tower of David’s Citadel. Interspersed with trippy Fantasia-worthy interludes, the show covered the history of Jerusalem, from creation until modern times… almost.
From King David playing his harp on the rooftops of old buildings, to the Queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon’s Palace, the images are evocative, vivid and breathtaking. Particularly well done are the scenes depicting the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the exile of the Jews.
Since there isn’t any narration or subtitles -with only a striking musical accompaniment – you need to refer to the leaflet that’s handed out at the entrance to determine the various periods in which the city was ruled by the Crusaders, the Mameluks and the Turks.
All was mesmerizing until we arrived at modern times, which was depicted by in the British Mandate period with well-dressed British visitors strolling around Jaffa Gate. From there, it was a lightning jump to today with hundreds of school-aged kids filling up the screen and singing a song about peace. When they finished, the audience didn’t know whether to clap or not, until the lights in the courtyard came back on. There was nothing about 1948, 1967, or the relative coexistence that we enjoy todahy.
While filing out, audience members stopped to talk to our gracious host Caroline, who attempted to explain that the museum didn’t want to enter into the politics of latter day Jerusalem, and decided that depicting the history of 20th century Jerusalem would somehow end up offending somebody and not satisfy anyone.
Perhaps, but due to its omissions, The Night Spectacular ended a little less spectacularly than it began. It’s still a magical night out, one not to be missed.
The people in your neighborhood
Filed under: General, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life, coexistence
The longer I live in Israel, and in Jerusalem — 14 years and counting, this June — the more I’m certain that much of my life here is about the people, and certainly not the political, social or religious situation that exists here. Perhaps that’s because there is such an assortment of people in these parts, particularly in Jerusalem, which can be such an ingathering of exiles, and I don’t necessarily mean that in a positive light.
At the same time, living in one of the world’s holiest cities — even though that’s not why I live here — means that you live among a simply astounding assortment of people. I mean, hey, they don’t call it the Jerusalem Syndrome for nothing. Unusual people are clearly drawn to this place. But seriously. Living here has meant that I’ve met and become friends and acquaintances with all kinds of folk, and what I love is how we intersect in one another’s lives.
Consider Danny, my framer. He recently added an annex to his framing shop, which, mind you, is little more than a shack on Caspi Street, considered one of the ‘better’ streets in the city and lined with villas, overlooking the Old City and Mount of Olives. When I was last there, he had installed his framing colleague, Dudi, who used to be my framer, back when he had a shop on Bethlehem Road. Anyway, Danny and I were discussing my five-month-old twins, and this hippy, white-crocheted-kippah-wearing Israeli who used to be secular told me that I really need to have a pidyon haben for Ziv, my older twin. “Talk about it with your rabbi,” Danny tells me, “but hey, it’s a siba l’misiba.” (A great Israeli phrase which means a reason for a party.) So now we’re thinking about it.
Or Yossi, our newly installed gardener. As we chatted about the weedy post-winter state of my garden, and what succulents could be planted which wouldn’t need water, we connected on where he lives — the suburban/moshav enclave of Beit Zayit, which I’d written about recently. We then moved on to the issue of orla and whether we can yet eat the fruit from our lime or nectarine trees. He didn’t want to commit to whether I could or couldn’t according to Jewish law, but I like the fact that I can chat about it with my gardener, and that we both have a sense of what we’re talking about.
There’s also Sarah, who works at the dry cleaners and lives in Abu Gosh; Yossi, who owns the local lighting store and pickles lemons in the back, and Tali, who owns another nearby gift store with her sister, and also has twins. There are days when I spend more time talking to them than to closer friends and family, and you know what? Not a bad thing at all.
Paper boats for three solstices
Filed under: Art, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Religion, coexistence
Every year, Chanuka is arguably the biggest week for children’s entertainment offerings across Israel, with options ranging from lavish pop stage productions like Festigal to museum activities to themed expositions at shopping malls.
Somewhere in-between all of the above is the free Origami Festival set to take place at the Jaffa Port tomorrow and a week from today. The festival explores the nautical theme inherent to its setting by offering workshops on how to fold square pieces of paper into sailboats according to Japanese craft traditions. Participants will also be given the opportunity to race their boats against one another on a specially prepared track, complete with fans to help replicate windy conditions, and prizes will be awarded to the victors.
The other theme to the festival that resonates with its setting is coexistence. Jaffa is home to sizeable Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities that live side by side, so the festival is a celebration of the winter solstice holidays of all three faiths – hence the justification for its pre-Chanuka launch.
Origami actually has a tradition of being tied to coexistence-themed initiatives. Famed Hiroshima atomic bomb victim Sadako Sasaki, who died in a hospital in 1955 of leukemia, spent her final days folding paper in to cranes, inspired by an old Japanese adage that those who fold 1000 cranes are entitled to a wish. Since then, Sadako and her folding efforts have been employed as a symbol for mankind’s longings to get along, and it was based on these teachings that Miri Golan founded the Israeli Origami Center, based in Ramat Gan, in 1993.
Golan and the IOC have held many ethnic-encounter workshops and events, including a major convention in Jerusalem’s Old City this past July, which was attended by many of the world’s ambassadors to Israel, many of the superstars of the international Origami scene and 1500 folded works of art sent as blessings for peace in Jerusalem by craftsmen of many faiths. The organization’s activities have also included Folding Together, a series of workshops bringing Israel’s Muslim and Jewish youth together via origami since 2002.
New (Natural) World Order
Okay folks, it’s time once again to defend the republic, or whatever it is you call it over here. Israel is once again being judged in the court of world opinion, and it’s up to we loyal Israelis to make sure we get ours. But we’re not alone this time – if you have any friends in Jordan or the Palestinian Authority, you might be able to get them to help, because they’ve got a stake in this, too. 
First there were the Seven Wonders of the World – so named because they really were wonders. Till today, for example, nobody has been able to figure out how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids. Now that’s a wonder! And you knew they were wonders because they had the imprimatur of the ancient Greeks. Later, though, it became clear that there were newer wonders that weren’t included in the original list, like the Great Wall of China, so various universities and the like compiled additional Seven Wonders lists. The Old City of Jerusalem, for example, is one of the New Seven Wonders, according to USA Today.
The latest Seven Wonders gimmick, however, has The People voting on what constitutes a Wonder of the World. The voting is coordinated by the New7Wonders Foundation, which was founded by aviator/explorer/museum curator Bernard Weber. One hundred million people voted to name the Foundation’s “New Seven Wonders,” which were announced on July 7, 2007, and include impressive monuments like the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, and Petra.
Now the Foundation is conducting voting for the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, with the i to be named in early 2009. The candidates include sites you would expect to be on such a list, like Mount Everest, Mount Fuji, the Grand Canyon, and Niagara Falls (the latter two being the only sites in North America to make the list). But there are lots of places many people are probably not familiar with. Interestingly, all of the top ten currently rated sites are in the Far East – with four of them in the Philippines, and three in Vietnam!
Israel is respectably represented as well: The coral reefs of the Red Sea are listed (actually, they’re listed as representing not only Israel, but the PA, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other countries too), as is the Dead Sea (also Jordan and PA), both currently in 13th and 14th places respectively. Also on the list, at 64, is Ein Gedi, the oasis on the shores of the Dead Sea (exclusively Israeli).
Now, I’m sure the Philippines has many beautiful natural wonders – but four of the current top seven? And while there are many occasions where tapping into The Wisdom of Crowds is a good idea, I’m not sure determining a question like this is one of them. Based on the current standings, it looks more like a popularity contest – with people urging their friends to vote for their county’s site. But if that’ the way it works, I say “game on.” Just surf on over to the New7Wonders site and cast your vote. When you register, you get to choose your seven picks – so why not get all three Israeli sites as close to the top seven as possible? Our national – or should I say “natural” – pride is at stake!
Jerusalem Election Diary: Haaretz gets it so wrong
I don’t usually write about the same topic two weeks in a row, but, with less than a week to go, the upcoming Jerusalem mayoral elections is so important that I feel compelled to post again.
Last Friday, Haaretz published an editorial slamming mayoral candidate Nir Barkat and endorsing “a responsible haredi” (a code word for Meir Porush, the only ultra Orthodox candidate running for the position). Many Jerusalemites like me were outraged.
The reason for Haaretz’s position is that Barkat has come out in support of building a Jewish neighborhood near the Arab village of Anata, at the foot of the Jerusalem neighborhood of French Hill. The area has long been a thorn in the Palestinian’s side: building there would help connect Jerusalem to the satellite city of Ma’aleh Adumim in the West Bank, but it would also have the effect of preventing territorial contiguity for a new Palestinian state.
Barkat says that building this new Jewish neighborhood will help solve the city’s “shortage of housing for students and young people.” But it’s also a clear ploy to help win over Jerusalem’s “swing vote” – the Modern Orthodox residents who, according to recent polls, are split between Barkat and rival Porush. Given that most of the city’s voters, whether religious or secular, tend to be right wing, it’s not a bad campaign tactic.
Whether you agree or disagree with Barkat’s position, Haaretz – by coming out against the current front-runner in the race – is saying something far more disturbing about Israel’s attitude towards Jerusalem.
Haaretz is, in effect, giving up on Jerusalem. Or perhaps they already have. In the eyes of the Tel Aviv-based newspaper, Jerusalem is already all religious; there’s nothing to do here; no nightlife; it’s too far away; too dangerous; too tense; and ultimately not even worth a visit. The Western Wall, the Old City, the quaint alleyways and gourmet restaurants, the cool summer air, the unique architecture, the spirituality, the Knesset and center of government – all of these are unimportant to the enlightened readers of Haaretz where the heaviness and tension that are part and parcel of Israel’s capital might, God forbid, impede the never ending pursuit of next party.
Indeed, to Haaretz, Jerusalem is not a city at all. It’s a metaphor, a bargaining chip on the geo-political stage to be divided in an eventual peace. Anything getting in the way of that end must be resisted, fought, denigrated. Haaretz couldn’t care less about the problems the city faces, from transportation gridlock to cleanliness and jobs, reverse emigration, religiously-mandated unemployment, and a rapidly deteriorating education system, all areas for which Barkat – in contrast to the other mayoral hopefuls – has clear, step-by-step plans for rapid execution. The quality of life in Jerusalem can go to hell, Haaretz is saying, as long as the next mayor doesn’t stoop to interfere with the inevitable outcome of Oslo and Annapolis.
Airless Jerusalem apartment? Sold for $1.05m.
Mmm. What would I do if I had $1 million to spend?
Buy an airless apartment in Jerusalem of course…
Things are getting so ludicrous in the real estate market here that a small 75-square meter apartment in Kfar David, which overlooks the Old City, sold for $1.05 million recently, even though the windows only face in one direction. What a bargain!
The purchaser was a Jewish European businessman who paid about $14,000 per square meter. Other apartments in the complex (those with more than one set of windows) sell for up to $25,000 per square meter.
Real estate agents were complaining that the drop in the dollar rate against the shekel was impacting sales.
Not too badly it seems.
Ah, to be a millionaire. The treasures it buys.
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