Back in Jerusalem for a day

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Yesterday I traveled northward an hour and a quarter by bus.
Getting off the bus, I stood on the corner for a few minutes marveling at how different Jerusalem is compared to the Negev.
There was Calatrava's graceful Bridge of  Strings which I watched being built since the mid-2000s.
Never mind that a Brink's armored truck photo-bombed the picture.  :)

I turned to my right and this huge banner gave me a jolt; like, "Dina, we're not in Beer Sheva anymore!"
In not-very-religious Beer Sheva you see many different groupings (Ethiopian Jews, Russian immigrants, Bedouin, etc.), but ultra-orthodox Jews are few and far between.
In the photo is Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu who was the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel 1983-93 and died on June 7, 2010.
The banner calls people to attend a "hilulat Maran," a celebration of his life on the anniversary of his death at his tomb in Jerusalem.
To learn about the Aramaic honorific title "maran" for highly respected rabbis, see Wiki.

Shabbat shalom!
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Being comforted on Shabbat Nachamu

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Click to enlarge for the beautiful window details

Shabbat Nachamu begins this evening.

After going down to the depths on Tisha B'Av, mourning the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem [in my 9 B'Av posts], we are brought back to the light by Isaiah's visions of a better future.
He tells us that Jerusalem has paid the price for her sin and is now forgiven.

The haftorah, Isaiah 40:1-26, begins "Nachamu, nachamu ami . . ."
God is telling his prophets to console his people:

" 'Comfort, oh comfort my people,' says your God.
'Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem . . .' "

Are they not lovely and welcome words?!

The other verses are equally lovely and well-known.
You can chose your preferred translation of the Isaiah chapter:
"The Message" in modern English or NIV or the translation used by Chabad or the Hebrew with classic old English.

The painted stained glass window is exhibited at Hechal Shlomo museum of Jewish art in Jerusalem.
It was made in England in 1907, one of twelve windows that graced a synagogue in Manchester.
It is based on sketches made by 19th century pilgrims to the Holy Land.

Shabbat shalom!
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Happy Jerusalem Day

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Happy Jerusalem Day!  
"We love Jerusalem" on the Damascus Gate (from a light festival a few years ago).
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Star of wonder

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Whatever you are celebrating tonight -- the conclusion of Christmastide, the arrival of the Magi, Epiphany, Theophany, the Feast of Lights, or  the blessing of having a warm cozy house -- may a star of wonder guide you.
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My vintage posts about Epiphany  in Abu Ghosh and Jerusalem are here.
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The mail that never comes

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Do people still mail Christmas cards in our day and age?
Just wondering.
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UPDATE:  It's at the entrance (decorated for Christmas) of what I think is called the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.
(Between Jaffa St. and Safra Square.)
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Jerusalem's big day

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"I love Jerusalem"

and "We love Jerusalem."

Happy Jerusalem Day!

Photos from the 2011 light show in the Old City; at Damascus Gate.
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"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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Snow is getting dangerous

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Photo by my friend "ester"

The snow continues to fall in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Hills, in the Galilee and Golan, in the West Bank, and in the highest altitudes of the Negev.
No one expected so much snow (over 47 cm right now)  and for so many days.
What began as fun and pretty has turned into a national emergency.
The worst is that some 30,000 households are still without power.
With below-freezing temperatures it will be a cold night for these families with no heat.

Drivers are told to stay home.
Hundreds got stuck in snow on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway last night and waited up to 10 or 12 hours to be rescued.
The police and the municipalities could not cope and called in the army.
They were taken to Binyanei HaUma convention center which quickly became a "refugee center" for a thousand people. 

Streets inside Jerusalem were impassable and even the tram slipped off its tracks.
Trees are breaking or toppling over from the weight of the snow.

For us living down in the Negev the rain will continue tomorrow.
In my town, Meitar, we had trees down from fierce winds and some flooding in schools and public buildings.
In my apartment the electricity, telephone, Internet, and cable TV takes turns going on and off for the last few days.

I will be happy to see the sun again.

You can keep up with the bad situation through our local newspapers, e.g.
 http://www.timesofisrael.com/
 http://www.jpost.com/
http://www.haaretz.com/

Shabbat shalom
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Terra orbitus, T in O maps

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For ABC Wednesday's T-Day  let's talk about "T in O maps."

I first learned that term at last month's Jerusalem Green Pilgrimage symposium.
Lecturer Benjie Talor had his Jerusalem in Maps exhibition set up in the passageway and he kindly gave me fascinating facts on each poster.  

The Age of Imagination, 3rd to 13th centuries, saw the earth as a disc.
The terra orbitus, attributed to an 8th century Spanish monk, is one of the earliest conceptual representations of the known world.
Using a T to divide the land masses into Asia, Europe, and Africa, such maps placed Jerusalem in the center.
Their purpose was to emphasize this centrality of Jerusalem and Christianity in the world.
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Please enlarge the photo (click once, then again) to get a good look at the medieval examples of world maps.

T in O city maps, graphically influenced by the terra orbitus motif,  made Jerusalem a round city.
Click and enjoy these two 13th century Crusader maps.
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One of the ca. dozen map posters ends with this thought:

Yir'ushalem, the organization which produced this exhibition, has attempted to bring forth both the Heavenly and the Earthly Jerusalem within the viewer's grasp.
We have viewed the city from deep within the spiritual beliefs of pilgrims to the view from the heavens, and its centrality for the major monotheistic religions.
Many have tried to paint Jerusalem's portrait, but no artist or cartographer has painted her like the Master of the Universe. 

Credit:
Concept development--Benjie Tal'or (more about him here and here)
Scientific advisor--Prof. Rehav Rubin (HUJI)
Curator--Yoni Shapira
Graphic designer--Kobi Ariel
Exhibit production--LHS Innovative Projects Ltd.
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Mezuzahs in the malls

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If  these are the days you are looking for a silly, I mean unusual gift, how about a mezuzah *  in the shape of a Muppet or a superhero or bearing your favorite college team's name?

I saw them in the window of a gift shop here where the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall meets Jaffa Street.
Since the advent of the tram last year, most of Jaffa St. has also become a pedestrian mall.
Just don't forget and stroll onto the tracks because the tram will honk at you.
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*Properly speaking, the Hebrew word mezuzah (meaning doorpost) refers to the handwritten parchment scroll inside the outer case.

Read all about proper mezuzahs at my post Mezuzot  in s-p-a-c-e . 
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(A post for Our World Tuesday.)
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Happy 3rd candle of Chanuka tonight!
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The many names of Jerusalem

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In this holiday week of Sukkot, Jerusalem is overflowing with Israeli and foreign tourists, Christian pilgrims, and native Jerusalemites.
Just like in Biblical days, the city is packed with those who go up to Jerusalem for Sukkot, one of the three great pilgrimage festivals; but miraculously, there is always room for everyone.

 The midrash says that Jerusalem has 70 different names.
Here is the Israel Museum T-shirt to prove it.
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Click on the photo to get a larger size. 

And here are some of the names in Hebrew.
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Pictures on this post are from the Israel Museum gift shop website.
It's fun to see what ideas they come up with  for T-shirts.
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For more about the names, see Wikipedia.
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The umbrellas of Ramadan

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My two visitors and I went up to the top of the Mount of Olives for the panoramic view!
There were even a few clouds on the western horizon for SkyWatch Friday.
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It was the third and last day of Id il Fitr, the Muslim holiday which closes the month of Ramadan.

This was my first time to see the many rows of folded sun umbrellas and big black sun shades near Al Aksa mosque on Haram ash-Sharif [the Temple Mount].
I assume they had been added to shelter the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who came there to pray from the burning sun.
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Al Arabiya News says that this year over two million came to the Old City for Ramadan, from 48 countries. That can't be right, two million, but it seemed like it in the streets.
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(If you click on the photo, and then click once again, it will be big enough for you to find the umbrellas.)
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"Eikhah, how can it be?! "

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1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; she hath none to comfort her among all her lovers; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

3 Judah is gone into exile because of affliction, and because of great servitude; she dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest; all her pursuers overtook her within the straits.

4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; all her gates are desolate, her priests sigh; her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness. . . .

Thus begins the biblical Book of Lamentations, read every year on Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, our day of fasting and national mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other calamities that befell the Jewish People on this day.
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Learn more about Lamentations at Wikipedia, more about Tisha B'Av at Chabad.org or at MyJewishLearning.
See how the day is observed at the Western Wall and in other ways at my other posts.
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That you may recount to the next generation

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Psalm 48 is for Robert Geiss' PsalmChallenge at Daily Athens.
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1. A song. A psalm. Of the Korahites.

2. The Lord is extraordinary and much praised in the city of our God, His holy mountain,

3. lovely in heights, delight of all the earth, Mount Zion, far end of Tsaphon, abode of the great King;

4. God, within its citadels, is known as a haven.

5. Behold, the kings conspired; they advanced together.

6. As soon as they saw, so they were stunned; they were terrified, they panicked;

7. a trembling took hold of them there, pains like a woman in labor,

8. as when an east wind shatters the Tarshish ships.

9. As we have heard, so we have seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God―may God establish it forever! Selah.

10. We sense Your faithful care, O God, in Your Temple.

11. As Your reputation, God, so Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; righteousness fills Your right hand.

12. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the towns of Judah exult, because of Your judgments.

13. Walk around Zion, encircle it; count its towers,

14. set your heart to its ramparts;

go through its citadels, that you may recount this to a future generation:

15. that this is God, our God forever; He will lead us evermore.
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Translation by Rabbi Benjamin Segal.

Photos:
The Old City wall with Mt. Zion beyond the wall.
Old City wall near Jaffa Gate.
The Citadel (Tower of David).
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The City of God

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For Sunday's PsalmChallenge, here is Psalm 46.

46:1 For the Leader; a Psalm of the sons of Korah; upon Alamoth. A Song.

46:2 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

46:3 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, and though the mountains be moved into the heart of the seas;

46:4 Though the waters thereof roar and foam, though the mountains shake at the swelling thereof. Selah

46:5 There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the holiest dwelling-place of the Most High.

46:6 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, at the approach of morning.

46:7 Nations were in tumult, kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

46:8 the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high tower. Selah

46:9 Come, behold the works of the Lord, who hath made desolations in the earth.

46:10 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariots in the fire.

46:11 'Let be [or: Desist, or: Cease striving], and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'

46:12 the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high tower. Selah

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Jewish Publication Society translation, 1917.
Photo:
"Jerusalem" by Reuven Rubin, at Hechal Shlomo museum.
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Greek Colony -- some history

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The sign for the Greek Colony in Hebrew, Arabic, and transliterated Hebrew.
But not in Greek.

In the previous post we started talking about Jerusalem's Greek Colony.
And once I showed you one of the neighborhood's finest buildings.
But today's pictures show a more typical house.

The writing above the lintel says 1937.
Who can translate the Greek? Help!

UPDATE: Martus and Robert Geiss have come to the rescue. They say it means

Greek Friends-of-the-Poor
Brotherhood of Jerusalem

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In the 1800s Christians ( Arab Christians as well as foreigners who came from Germany, Austria, Russia, Italy, England, etc. ) played a major role as initiators of modern construction in Jerusalem, both inside and outside the Old City.

I'll quote from Ruth Kark's excellent book, Jerusalem Neighborhoods, Planning and By-Laws (1855-1930):

"The Christian initiatives in the field of construction stemmed from a mixture of religious and philanthropic motivations on the one hand, and business considerations on the other hand. Both types of enterprise drew mostly upon capital from abroad.
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By contrast [to the Catholics, Russian Orthodox, and Protestants], during the nineteenth century the Greek Orthodox channeled most of their entrepreneurial efforts into acquiring agricultural land (in Nikoforiya), and into economic and commercial activity.
Thus they built hotels . . ., shops . . ., and markets . . . .

Near the turn of the century a number of Greek Orthodox residential neighborhoods began to develop outside the [Old City] walls, especially in the southern part of the city:
the Greek Colony, Katamon, and Abu Tor."

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This little tour joins other tours around the globe at Our World Tuesday.
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"How should we approach Jerusalem . . ."

. Here is just the thing if you, like me, are in need of some uplifting of spirit right now. . Click here, click full screen, and treat yourself to 7 minutes of inspiring aerial video of Jerusalem and Israel. It is a foretaste of the movie JERUSALEM, which will be released worldwide to IMAX® and Giant Screen cinemas in 2013. At the same website of the producers, Arcane/Cosmic Picture, you can download their newsletter in PDF and see stunning photos and great information. . Enjoy! . UPDATE: Lots more details about the movie have just been published in the Jerusalem Post. .

Lights On Jerusalem

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As luck would have it, after writing yesterday's post about the derelict decaying empty buildings, I saw a notice at Haaretz today about a different but similar problem.
One new solution is called Turn on all the lights in Jerusalem.
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At the project's website Mayor Nir Barkat addresses the absentee foreign landlords thus:

" . . . the number of Jerusalem homes owned by people in the Diaspora has created a troublesome phenomenon in the city resulting in a shortage of affordable apartments available for young people in the city. In addition, certain neighborhoods are beginning to feel like 'Ghost towns' with large proportions of their residents away most of the year round.

According to the data available to us, there are approximately 11,160 such apartments in Jerusalem, 8,000 of which stand empty for most of the year, while about 7,000 young people leave the city every year, mainly due to the shortage of residential solutions.

Dear friend, we must ensure that Jerusalem's lights will continue to shine even in the months when you are not in the city. If you own a residential property which is not in use throughout the year , we urge you to please rent it to top-tier students or other young people who are so vital to us in the city.

In order to make the process easier and to provide confidence in renting your property, we have selected several leading property management companies, all of which have been carefully vetted for their reliability and quality of service. You are invited to contact the selected companies next time you are in Jerusalem."
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Great, fine idea! Now if the Municipality would also solve the problem addressed in yesterday's post, so much the better.
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