Watch the wind

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Walk four minutes down my street and you will abruptly be in the wilderness. 
Here's a little video I made on a windy afternoon, just because the golden grass was rippling in waves so gracefully.
What was all green during the winter rains now becomes golden and soon, in the long dry summer everything will be brown. 

When I walk alone in the desert at this season I can't help but sing an appropriate song from my youth:

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.

We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!

 -- from the musical Oklahoma! by Oscar Hammerstein 

You can hear it on YouTube. 

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 (As you may have guessed, I'm linking to ABC Wednesday's O Day and to SkyWatch Friday.)
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Kalaniot, Shoshana Damari, in Trumpeldor Cemetery

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During about half of every year Israel can get some rain.
In that winter season the wildflowers go wild!
Right now the red anemones are blooming, especially here in the Negev.

Every Israeli knows the old 1945 song about anemones, "Kalaniot" in Hebrew.
It has even been called Israel's unofficial national anthem.
You can enjoy poet Nathan Alterman's lyrics translated here.
The concluding verse says this:

Yes, generations come and pass without end
but each generation has an anemone in a tune.
Happy is the man if between storms and thunder
an anemone bloomed for him, if only just once.

Shoshana Damari, the singer with the Yemenite accent who made the song famous, even has an anemone-themed gravestone.
The standing stone has her name and the message "Anemones will always blossom."

Many admirers left the traditional stones of respect on her grave, wet because it had rained that day a month ago when I visited.
Wiki says that "Kalaniot" was sung to Shoshana Damari by family and friends when she was on her deathbed in February 2006.
Listen to her, our "queen of Israeli song," (often likened to Edith Piaf), singing Kalaniot here.

From her grave this is the view of Trumpeldor Cemetery.

The first burials began in 1903.
Tel Aviv has since grown up and now surrounds the famous old cemetery.

There is no more room here; you would have to be a VERY important VIP to be honored with a plot.
For more about this fascinating old Jewish cemetery please see my earlier posts.
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(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday and Our World Tuesday.)
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Red flowers for you

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Happy Valentine's Day, beloved blog readers.
Red flowers for you from the Negev, where stones outnumber flowers.

For the famous Israeli song "Kalaniot" (meaning anemones) and its best singer, the late Shoshana Damari,  please see my earlier post. 
Today is the 10th Yahrzeit of her death.

Have a bright and happy Sunday!
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Hail, hail, the gang's all here*

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My kids all came to Israel for the week of Feb. 9-15 for their father's funeral.
That was the week of wild weather -- dust storms, thunder and lightning, and to the north snow.

We left Tel Aviv soaked and bedraggled after gale force winds and driving rain caught us on the way to the train.
Here son Edo holds hailstones that awaited us at our destination on that last day together, the new Elma hotel**.
But he was also squinting because the sun had come out.  Go figure.

Here is the view from the hotel, which hugs the southern slopes of the Mount Carmel range.

And looking to the other direction, inland.

West of the greenhouses and fish ponds and farm fields -- the dark blue of a wavy Mediterranean Sea.

Lots of agriculture.   (All the photos can be enlarged with a click or two.)

The weather changed back and forth rapidly in the 24 hours that we stayed at the hotel.
This dark and threatening sky was at 3:00 in the afternoon. 

Then just two hours later came this beautiful light.
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*One version of the 1917 tune: 
(listen on YouTube at the link)

"Hail, hail, the gang's all here,
Never mind the weather, here we are together;
Hail, hail, the gang's all here,
Sure we're glad that you're here, too!"
 . . .
**UPDATE: Just published in XNet/Ynet!: stunning aerial photos of Elma hotel now and as it was in 1968, when it was Mivtachim (a rest & recreation place of the Histadrut).\!  Also interior shots.
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(Linking of course to SkyWatch Friday! )
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Moonlight Stone-ata

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In olden days men really knew how to build a terrace wall, didn't they?
This one in the hills west of Jerusalem was probably made by 12th century Crusaders.
To the right of the corner, a tall staircase ascends.

The stones  looked especially beautiful in the soft half-light of dawn.
Enlarge the photo 2x and see them better. 
I took this picture at 5:37, in between the full moon's setting and the bright sun's rising (as you may know from the previous two posts).
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The mystical in-between time brought to mind the Hebrew song Karev Yom:
(you can listen here)

The day is approaching that is neither day nor night
Most High, let it be known that Yours is the day and Yours is the night
Place guards over Your City all day and all night
Lighten the darkness of the night with the light of day
The day is approaching that is neither day nor night . . . 

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"Happy" Hasidic

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 At the Western Wall, April 2012

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The funniest Pharrell Williams "Happy" video yet is one made in the spirit of Purim fun--with dancing Hasidim! 

Catch it on YouTube  or go to the original  Jewbellish website where it is called "Happy (Purim) Pharrell Style . . . a little remix from your local Jewbellish crew."

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And of course don't miss the nice Jerusalem "Happy"  which I blogged about here.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)

"Happy" in Jerusalem. UPDATE: and in the whole world!

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UPDATE!  Today, March 20, is the official U.N. International Day of Happiness and United Nations Foundation's  website 24 Hours of Happiness  is updating every hour with new videos of Pharrell Williams' "Happy" song filmed in every imaginable place in the world!

Timeanddate.com has interesting facts about the newish holiday, including "The day recognizes that happiness is a fundamental human goal, and calls upon countries to approach public policies in ways that improve the well being of all peoples."
The U.N. website about the day is here. 

Just because Jerusalem can be such a happy place!

Take a look at the video
 "A tribute to Pharrell Williams's song "Happy" from Jerusalem.
A production of Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim."

Even Mayor Nir Barkat makes an appearance along with the Ramah Yerushalayim high school kids.
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P.S.  The original with Pharrell Williams where you can SEE the lyrics has been viewed  126 million times on YouTube. 
Yalla, let's get happy! 
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(Linking to J-day at ABC Wednesday.)
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Bialik, our national poet, has a birthday

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Today was the 141st birthday of Israel's national poet, Haim Nachman Bialik.
Meitar Library had a special story hour followed by a coloring session on the subject.

I took Eyal and Libby.
Libby enjoyed it because she had just learned to sing Bialik's songs in her pre-kindergarten class.

Even today's Google doodle was dedicated to Bialik's poem, Ken Latsipor (Bird's Nest).

See the words and translation here, with a very interesting "Revisiting Bialik: A Radical Mizrahi Reading of the Jewish National Poet."
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What will be?

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In my sleep I heard fighter jets going over last night and had a feeling that Israel would wake up to a new phase of uncertainty.
And so it was.

The airspace over northern Israel is now closed to civilian planes until at least Thursday.

While reading today's Psalm 102 you can listen to a calming Taize song with words from the psalm:

O Lord, hear my prayer,
hear my prayer
When I call answer me
O Lord, hear my prayer,
hear my prayer
Come and listen to me . . . 

Psalm 102

A prayer of one afflicted, when faint and pleading before the Lord.
¹ Hear my prayer, O Lord;
   let my cry come to you.
² Do not hide your face from me
   on the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
   answer me speedily on the day when I call.

³ For my days pass away like smoke,
   and my bones burn like a furnace.
⁴ My heart is stricken and withered like grass;
   I am too wasted to eat my bread.
⁵ Because of my loud groaning
   my bones cling to my skin.
⁶ I am like an owl of the wilderness,
   like a little owl of the waste places.
⁷ I lie awake;
   I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
⁸ All day long my enemies taunt me;
   those who deride me use my name for a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes like bread,
   and mingle tears with my drink,
¹⁰ because of your indignation and anger;
   for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
¹¹ My days are like an evening shadow;
   I wither away like grass.

¹² But you, O Lord, are enthroned for ever;
   your name endures to all generations.
¹³ You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
   for it is time to favour it;
   the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For your servants hold its stones dear,
   and have pity on its dust.
¹⁵ The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
   and all the kings of the earth your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord will build up Zion;
   he will appear in his glory.
¹⁷ He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
   and will not despise their prayer.

¹⁸ Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
   so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord:
¹⁹ that he looked down from his holy height,
   from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners,
   to set free those who were doomed to die;
²¹ so that the name of the Lord may be declared in Zion,
   and his praise in Jerusalem,
²² when peoples gather together,
   and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

²³ He has broken my strength in mid-course;
   he has shortened my days.
²⁴ ‘O my God,’ I say, ‘do not take me away
   at the mid-point of my life,
you whose years endure
   throughout all generations.’

²⁵ Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,
   and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but you endure;
   they will all wear out like a garment.
You change them like clothing, and they pass away;
²⁷   but you are the same, and your years have no end.
²⁸ The children of your servants shall live secure;
   their offspring shall be established in your presence.
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Translation: New Revised Standard Version
Photo:  Jerusalem's Schneller Compound, 2008
Taize community's website:  http://taize.fr/
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An amazing historical video for St. George's Day!

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 City Daily Photo group is having a Theme Day on the subject of England's St. George's Day, which is today.
See how other bloggers illustrated the day at the CDP website.

St. George's Cathedral may be the closest thing we have to an old English church in Jerusalem.

Dedicated in 1898, the Cathedral of St. George the Martyr, mother church of the Anglican/Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, is home to both an Arabic-speaking and an English-speaking congregation.

It is on Nablus Road in east Jerusalem.

Enlarge the photo and see what's atop the bell tower.  : )

The  interior of the church is in my earlier posts about the organ and about the British symbols; and there's one about the attached guesthouse.
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But what I really really want you to see is this amazing little  96-year-old movie of British General Allenby walking into the Old City through  Jaffa Gate to the stairs of the Citadel on December 11, 1917!
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There he accepted the Turkish surrender of Jerusalem, ending 400 years of Ottoman rule in the Holy Land.

At the 1 minute mark you even see Lawrence of Arabia! 

Then the troops marched down Jaffa Street in the New City. 

The music of the video is the rousing hymn  sung in England especially on St. George's Day:

"And did those feet in ancient time" also called "Jerusalem" --which is an amazing story in itself! 

See the words here.   

Did Jesus really set foot in England?! 

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(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors meme.)
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The wedding and a legend about Jerusalem

Shalom visitors from inSPIREd Sunday.  This is a vintage post for you in honor of yesterday's April 23rd  St. George's Day.  For more about St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem see more posts.

Mazal tov to the newlyweds Prince William and Kate!
Yes, I watched the ceremony and loved it.
Nothing like a church wedding, especially if it is in Westminster Cathedral!
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St. George's (Anglican) Cathedral may be the closest thing we have to an old English church in Jerusalem.

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Enlarge the photo above to read how this British coat of arms ended up on the church wall.

The ancient Madaba map of Jerusalem on a kneeling cushion.

Under the lion at the end of a pew,  the Hebrew says "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
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Today I saw the almost 2,000 guests in Westminster Cathedral really getting into the singing of "Jerusalem" with words by William Blake. Apparently it is the "unofficial anthem" of England.
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Hear it played and see the words on YouTube.
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I learned this from Wikipedia:

"The poem ['And did those feet in ancient time'] was inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, travelled to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury.
The legend is linked to an idea in the Book of Revelation (3:12 and 21:2) describing a Second Coming, wherein Jesus establishes a new Jerusalem.
The Christian church in general, and the English Church in particular, used Jerusalem as a metaphor for Heaven, a place of universal love and peace.
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In the most common interpretation of the poem, Blake implies that a visit of Jesus would briefly create heaven in England, in contrast to the 'dark Satanic Mills' of the Industrial Revolution. Analysts note that Blake asks four questions rather than stating a visit to be true.
According to this view, the poem says that there may, or may not, have been a divine visit, when there was briefly heaven in England.
But that was then; now, we are faced with the challenge of creating such a country once again."
. . .

Singing on the path of Life

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While you are reading today's post, which is for Robert's PsalmChallenge, please click here and enjoy the singing of verses 1 and 11 of Psalm 16.
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The song is one of many created at the Taize monastic community in France.
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____________________________________source____________

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PSALM 16

1. A michtam. Of David.

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” ³ I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

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⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.

⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. ⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸ I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, ¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

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¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
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"For the tree of the field is a man's life"

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Mamilla Avenue (the mall) is currently showing an exhibition of sculptures based on fairy tales or legends.
There is also one artwork inspired by a biblical verse.
The artist is Osher Sutil.
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Today the radio is playing sad nostalgic songs in honor of the 15th anniversary of the death of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Appropriate and often heard is "For is the tree of the field a man whom comes in siege before you?"
It is a song by Israeli singer Yehudit Ravitz, based on Nathan Zach's poem and on the verse in Deuteronomy 20:19 [a very good link].
Here are the words, translated by Ariel Brosh:

Because the man is the tree of the field;
Like the tree the man grows up.
Like the man, the tree also gets uprooted,
And I surely do not know
where I have been and where I will be,
like the tree of the field.

Because the man is the tree of the field;
Like the tree he aspires upwards.
Like the man, he gets burnt in fire,
And I surely do not know
where I have been and where will I be,
like the tree of the field.

Because the man is the tree of the field;
Like the tree he is thirsty to water.
Like the man, thirsty he remains,
And I surely do not know
where I have been and where will I be,
like the tree of the field.

I've loved, and I've hated;
I've tasted both this and that;
I was buried in a plot of land;
And it's bitter, it's bitter in my mouth,

Like the tree of the field;
Like the tree of the field.*
------------------------------------
Yitzhak Rabin, z"l, was cut down by an assassin's bullet on this night in 1995 at a peace rally in Tel Aviv.
Our nation was shocked that such a thing could happen here--a political assassination by a Jewish Israeli.
Today there is a new generation, kids ready to start their army service, who are too young to remember Rabin or his murder.
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We try to teach them and to remind ourselves today with memorial services across the country and a special session of the Knesset and programs on the media.

The main gathering will be at the unique grave of Yitzhak and Leah Rabin on Mt. Herzl.
Please see my post about how Senator Ed Kennedy brought earth from Arlington to add to this grave and a post about a statue dedicated to Rabin.
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Shalom chaver.

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*From Israeli Poetry: A Contemporary Anthology selected and translated by Warren Bargad and Stanley F. Cheyt, copyright 1986 by Indiana University Press.

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So narrow

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"Kol haolam kulo gesher tsar meod . . .

All the world is a very narrow bridge,

but the main thing is not to fear at all."

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I will sing this Hebrew song when the last of the miners has come up.

May God bring them out from the earth and back into the world, to the light.

Their faith has kept them strong.

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A gift of music

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The That's My World meme, hosted by Klaus and his team, Wren, Sandy, Sylvia, Louise, and Fishing Guy, celebrates two years of blogger-guided tours today!
As a birthday gift I offer not the usual built environment but a joyous cultural event instead.
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No, these are not Muslims at prayer.
They are singers taking their final bow!

While in Jerusalem Saturday night, I quite by accident chanced upon a free concert.

And beautiful and inspiring it was!

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The Ranot Ensemble had come on their bus all the way from the Arava, Israel's southern desert, to perform in the church of Notre Dame de Jerusalem.

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For the past 16 years the group's several dozen members volunteer their voices and hearts to keep alive the most beautiful and moving of Israel's and the world's songs.

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During the day they work as computer scientist and mathematician, veterinary surgeon, librarian, laboratory technician in the dairy farm, tour guide, and farmer as residents of Kibbutzim Ketura, Lotan, Grofit, Yotvata, Samar, and Shaharut village.
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I think the Ranot singers were invited especially for the meeting of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations that was taking place at Notre Dame.

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The Jewish singers had no problem singing "Ave Maria"--in Latin--, standing under the big crucifix and the big statue of Mary and child.

(We have come a long way. )

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When the singers moved into Gospel songs in English, women in the audience from Africa in their colorful dresses could not sit still. They stood up and clapped and swayed to the rhythm.

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After many encores, the concert ended.

The Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center was beautiful by night.

The singers boarded their bus for the long ride home, home to the desert.

I went home with a song in my heart and I'm sure the hundreds of visitors from abroad did too.

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Thanks to dedicated and idealistic people like the Ranot Ensemble the desert is blooming, not only with agriculture but with culture!

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More about Ranot Vocal Ensemble with videos of their songs.

Ranot on YouTube and Facebook.

Map and website of the Eilot Region communities.

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The whole world is a narrow bridge

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A narrow bridge over the flowing spring-fed waters of Ein Gedi,

for Louis' Sunday Bridges.

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Back in the 18th century, mystic Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught
"Know! A person needs to cross a very narrow bridge, but the most important thing is not to be afraid."

And till today we sing the song:

The whole world
is a very narrow bridge
a very narrow bridge
a very narrow bridge
. . .
And the main thing to recall
is not to be afraid,
not to be afraid at all.

In Hebrew:

Kol ha'olam kulo
Gesher tsar me'od
Gesher tsar me'od
Gesher tsar me'od -

Kol ha'olam kulo
Gesher tsar me'od
Gesher tsar me'od -

Veha'ikar - veha'ikar
Lo lefached -
lo lefached klal.

Veha'ikar - veha'ikar
lo lefached klal.

If you'd like to get swept up in the enthusiasm of the singing, here is a little video on YouTube.

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Day is done

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Our hill, one of many in the Jerusalem Hills (aka Hills of Judea), welcomes you to SkyWatch Friday. This is what we see to the west.
Almost wish I had a bugle or trumpet to play the old American "Taps" at such evening times.
The original version was purely instrumental. The first set of lyrics were written by Horace Lorenzo Trim.
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Fading light dims the sight
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar drawing nigh,
Falls the night.
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Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh.
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Then goodnight, peaceful night;
Till the light of the dawn shineth bright.
God is near, do not fear,
Friend, goodnight.
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Anemones live on

The anemones are growing everywhere. On and even in the ancient terrace walls,

on the hillside down in the woods,

and by the trail marker.

Kalaniot they are called in Hebrew. It is hard for an Israeli to see this flower without starting to hum or sing the song "Kalaniot." It has even been called Israel's unofficial national anthem.
It was born in our pre-State days and has remained a classic. The verses progress from a little girl gathering anemones to a young lady to a grandmother. You can read the lyrics here. The concluding verse (better-sounding in Hebrew) says:

Yes, generations come and pass without end
but each generation has an anemone in a tune.
Happy is the man if between storms and thunder
an anemone bloomed for him, if only just once.
 

"Kalaniot" was made famous by Shoshana Damari. You can hear her singing it here. She has been likened to Edith Piaf. Our "queen of Israeli song" died on February 14,  2006.
In Tel Aviv recently I wandered through the historic Trumpeldor cemetery in the middle of the metropolis. I noticed an unusual grave, went over to read it, and was moved to find that it was the final resting place of Shoshana Damari.
Beneath her name on the headstone is written, simply, "Anemones will always bloom."
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Onomatopoeia

O yes! O is the letter of the day. Welcome to ABC Wednesday,

where bloggers have fun playing with the alphabet. You can try too.

Oi veh, I thought, which of the many O words to choose?!
OK, let's take that big word I never know how to spell: ONOMATOPOEIA .

Onomatopoeia (from Greek ονοματοποιΐα) is a word or grouping of words that imitates the sound it describes (e.g. the animal noise meow) or suggests its source object (e.g. click, buzz, or bang). Greek όνομα, onoma, means name and ποιέω, poieō, means I make or I create, so it means name-creation.

Let's hear some Hebrew examples of onomatopoeia. My favorite is bakbuk. It means bottle. Doesn't it sound like liquid being poured from a bottle? bakbuk bakbuk bakbuk
BTW, this is also my favorite liqueur: chocolate! A tiny bit mixed with soda water or even milk, yum. Or on ice cream.

A tiftuf is water dripping, leaking. Or a light rain.
After years of drought Israel may soon run out of water. This tiftuf in the photo is at the Mekorot national water authority station in my village, of all places!

Tof is the onomatopoeiac Hebrew word for drum. Tof-Miriam is what we call a tambourine or timbrel.
This Miriam is one of the female Bible heroes portrayed in a dome in Jerusalem's Dormition Abbey.

Gur is a lion cub or a puppy. Grrr

 
Zvuv is a fly. Well, actually this is more a picture of a stinging insect. What he did was zimzem--he made a buzzing noise.

Has is the verb asking you to hush. Sha, sha means shhh, be still.

Rishroosh is the sound of waves lapping on the shore, like above at the Sea of Galilee.

The most well-known and well-loved use of the word is in the song by Hannah Senesh. (Can be heard on YouTube.)

ELI, ELI (Halicha L'kesariya)

-----------------------------
Eli, Eli

Shelo yigamer le'olam:

Hachol vehayam

Rishrush shel hamayim

Berak hashamayim

Tefilat ha-adam.

A STROLL IN CAESARIA

---------------------------

Oh God!

Let it last forever,

the sand, the sea,

the lapping of the waves,

the glitter of the stars,

the prayer of men.

(translation by anonymous)
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A new beginning

(To see the details please click on the photo.)

Jewish life in Israel moves forward according to the Hebrew calendar.
The calendar ends abruptly tonight on (coincidentally) both the 29th of Elul and the 29th of September. With the new year starting tomorrow, we need to hang up a new calendar--for a new beginning.
This makes me think of an inspiring song by Naomi Shemer called
"Hakhagiga Nigmeret (Lakum Makhar Baboker)." Here is a translation:


And sometimes, the celebration's over
The lights go out
The trumpet calls
Goodnight to the violins
The last watch welcomes (kisses) the third (one)
To wake tomorrow morning
And begin from the beginning
refrain:
Let's wake tomorrow morning
With a new song in our hearts
And sing it in our strength, and sing it in our pain
To hear the flutes on the fresh, free breeze
And to begin from the beginning [Ulehatkhil mibereshit ].


YouTube has a 1976 video of Hakol Over Habibi group singing the song. Click here to hear it.
Again, a good year to you, Shana tova!