Lonesome Dove

As the sun sets and the Sabbath begins, the dove of peace wishes you Shabbat shalom.

Fly traps

Fresh new fly traps all around the moshav today! Glad to see the full ones gone.
They do a good job.

Denmark Square

The sculpture in Denmark Square in Jerusalem. A little boat carrying rescuers and the rescued.

The signs are in Danish, Swedish, Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Every time I pass I read one, and always some tears come, and I say thanks to the brave Danes and Swedes. Their actions then give hope today and faith in humanity.


Fast forward 1943 to 2008. A pizza place with a Hebrew sign, a boulevard called Herzl, and two girl soldiers of the Israel Defence Force. We made it home, with a little help from our friends.
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Water from the earth

All you City Daily Photo Blog writers are having so much fun with your WATER Theme Day today. Maybe I should try to join the community. Meanwhile, can I play too?!
Jerusalem has no body of water but the Jerusalem Hills have many springs. Here is the closest one, right down at the monastery. John the Baptist in all likelihood drank here.
What a primeval pleasure to drink cold clear water emerging straight from the rock.

A unique pot

Somebody in Bet HaKerem had a lot of glue and a lot of patience.

Portable garden

It's a bloomin' wheelbarrow, no less!

Annunciation

Today Christians celebrate the Feast of the Annuciation. When Gabriel appeared to Mary he of course had to say (like all the angels in the Bible), "Fear not."
But since this is a Jerusalem blog, I have no photos of the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Also no pictures of archangels, and none of Mary alone. But I DO have something with Gabriel's name on it. Look at this!

A mysterious piece made of ivory and metal, crafted long ago by Yemenite Jews. A gift from the Kabbalistic town of Safed (Tsfat). It says "In the name of God, in the name of Shaddai, Guardian of Israel. . . " and then the names of angels Gabriel, Rafael, Asiel, Shamriel. A kamea? The Hebrew kamea means amulet or charm. In English cameo?

Gabriel said "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" Mary was afraid, confused. How could she understand what he was announcing? But then she said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." This is what I like about Mary--her simple "fiat."

Light for Earth Hour, and after

Earth Hour tonight around the world, with 23 cities and hundreds of towns turning off their lights at 8:00 pm. Wouldn't you know it--Israel, or rather Tel Aviv, had to do her part already on Thursday instead, because of the Sabbath. (Turning lights off or on is considered work.)
Look at this sleek new flashlight! Its solar panel recharges the 3 AA batteries. For about every two hours charged in sunlight the BoGo will give light for one hour. BoGo stands for Buy one, Give one. That's the best part. For every one you pay for, the SunNight Solar company in Texas gives one to a person in a war zone or refugee camp or in the developing world. I believe this sharing mitsvah is what prompted my altruistic son in California to pay for two and mail one BoGo to me.

Do read "The Importance of Light" at http://www.bogolight.com/Articles.asp?ID=6.
Here is just the first surprising idea there:
"Why does light matter? Two billion people living in the developing world rely on kerosene lanterns, candles, and single-use battery flashlights for light at night. Not only are these options expensive, dangerous, and harmful to the environment, they also negatively impact health, education, and security. Literacy and Education Our lights provide an opportunity for children to read at night and to extend school hours. This is especially important in developing countries where most children spend all day tending crops, taking care of livestock, or working in cottage industries. Kerosene is increasingly expensive, especially given the recent rise in the price of petrochemicals, so many families cannot afford it. Flashlights are even more expensive, and candles do not provide adequate lighting to read. As a result, many children will never learn to read and will be trapped in a life of poverty. Our lights give them a chance at a better life, thus education is one of the strongest pillars in our vision to light the world."

I admire people of vision and of generous heart who come up with ideas like this and ways to share. And thank you too, dear son, for caring about your mama. This great flashlight can be the start of my emergency survival kit for the next big earthquake and/or war.
(Sheh lo nedah.)

My very own Kiddush cup

Good friends came over for Kabbalat Shabbat, the welcoming of the Sabbath. Before the meal comes the Kiddush, thanking God for creating the fruit of the vine. Tonight for the first time we drank the wine from this lovely wooden Kiddush cup, a gift from the friends for my Forty Years Since Aliyah Day. It is designed by Jerusalem artist Yair Emanuel. Other lovely pieces of Judaica crafted by him can be seen at http://www.canaan-online.com/150246.
Shabbat shalom!

Marking time

Tomorrow our time will be UTC/GMT +3. Daylight saving time begins tonight while we sleep. In Hebrew it's called sha'on kaits, literally, "summer clock."
I hope the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians remember to reset the giant watch that hangs on the iconostasis of their church in the Holy Sepulchre.

The big sky

The grand finale to a quiet day in the Jerusalem Hills.

Herzliche Gruesse

Having studied German all four years of high school and all four years of university, I am obviously fond of the language. But that was in the USA. Here in Israel, German can be problematic. Last week Angela Merkel came to congratulate Israel on our upcoming 60th birthday. Despite the objections and sensitivities of several members of our parliament, the Knesset House Committee decided to allow the Chancellor to address the Knesset in German.
I am happy we have come this far.
Dr. Merkel said good things and got a standing ovation. Oh and by the way, she surprised everyone by opening her speech with several sentences in Hebrew.
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Superhero kipa

Here is another Spidey aficionado, my dear grandson, this one in California. I mailed him this kipa bought at the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. Can you believe they make yarmulkes with Spiderman on them??

The photo was shot by my son the professional photographer.

My sunshine and light

Today is still Purim! Because Jerusalem and certain other walled cities celebrate the holiday two days (instead of one), and because this year the 14th of Adar Bet fell on a Friday, and because Friday is followed by Shabbat, Jerusalem celebrated Shushan Purim today, Sunday. A rare 3-day Purim.
In this received photo my Number One Grandson dresses up in costume. (In truth, he sports it not only on Purim.) As my daughter wrote in her blog, from Australia, "What boy doesn't dream of having Spiderman as a big brother?"

He is not here

The view from above of the rolling stone door of an ancient tomb.
A friend emerges from the entrance of the rock-hewn tomb. It is unmarked and easy to miss, below a little hill in a public park in Jerusalem's New City.
"And very early on the first day of the week the women went to the tomb . . . And they were saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?' And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large." . . .
And sitting on the stone was an angel who said, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"

E tenebris lux

From darkness, LIGHT .

Alpha and omega

A joyous Easter to Christians everywhere !

Entering into the mysteries

The full moon rises. The Easter Vigil begins in darkness.

The light is coming

Not much longer now. Soon the bowed-down shall rise up.

From the grave

From a tombstone in the international cemetery which is adjacent to the Templers' Cemetery on Emek Refa'im Street.
I thought its message could be appropriate for this somber Great and Holy Saturday when Christians wait quietly for mourning to be transformed into joy. For them the "day of the entombed Christ" means much prayer, fasting, and watchful expectation.
I can imagine it is a difficult day, being just after crucifixion and not yet at resurrection. To describe the feeling of this day, and of Holy Week, the Greeks needed one special word: xarmolipi. It conveys joyful-sadness.