Art in ruins

.

Let's peek in and see what's behind that enticing sign that warns "Caution, abandoned and shut up building."

Lots of buildings in the older neighborhoods of Tel Aviv are now roofless and have their windows blocked up.

Ah, but the mural artist Dede (whose two-headed animals we saw in last week's post)
has given life to the crumbling wall!

The walls have ears (as the old saying goes), but now they have eyes too.
.
(Linking to Monday Murals, Our World Tuesday, and signs, signs.)
.

Unused for 30 years

.

Shalom again!

I walked along some Jerusalem streets today in the German Colony and Bak'a.
Streets with names like Bethlehem Road, Hebron Road, and Emek Refa'im.

Whenever I see a normally-closed gate open, I duck in to have a look.
So it was today.  The vehicle entrance of the big Electric Company substation was open!  Yay!
What a beautiful old building!

Read the lovely story of how the first power station in Jerusalem (built in 1928) was brought back to life!

.

(This "Unused for 30 years" post is for ABC Wednesday U Day.)

.

Might God cast us off when we grow old?

.
Welcome to a new year which just began tonight, Erev Rosh Hashana.
It is 5773 AM (anno mundi) on the Hebrew calendar.
.
It is also Sunday, the day on which blogger Psalm illustrators come together at Robert's PsalmChallenge in Athens.
Today's psalm has the well-known and heartfelt verse 9 which, changed into plural, is part of the Yom Kippur liturgy.

Here is Psalm 71:

1. I take refuge in you, O LORD, may I never be disgraced.

2. In Your righteousness, save me and rescue me; incline Your ear to me and deliver me.

3. Be for me a sheltering boulder to which I may always come; You ordained my deliverance, for You are my rock and my fortress.

4. My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the grip of the unjust and the violent.

5. For You are my hope, O Lord; O LORD, my reliance from my youth.

6. In utero, I was dependent on You; it is You who brought me out from my mother’s womb; I sing Your praises always.

7. I have become, as it were, an exemplar for many, for You are my mighty refuge.

8. My mouth is full of Your praise; all the day, Your glorification.

9. Do not cast me off in time of old age; when my strength ends, do not forsake me!

10. For my enemies speak against me; those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,

11. speaking: “God has forsaken him; pursue and catch him, for there is no one who saves!’’

12. O God, do not be far from me; my God, hasten to my aid!

13. Let those who despise my life end in disgrace; let them be clothed in reproach and shame, those who seek my harm!

14. As for me, I shall always hope and add to all Your praises.

15. My mouth recounts Your righteousness, Your deliverance all the day, though I know not how to count it.

16. I come with praise of Your mighty acts, O Lord; LORD, I make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.

17. You have taught me, God, from my youth, and until now I have proclaimed Your wondrous deeds,

18. and even until hoary old age, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your strength to the next generation, Your might, to all who are to come,

19. Your righteousness, O God, is as high as the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You!

20. Having shown me much harm and trouble, You will again revive me; from the depths of the earth, again raise me up.

21. You will grant me much greatness, You will turn to comfort me.

22. Then I will acclaim You―Your faithfulness―with the lyre, O my God; I will sing a hymn to You with a harp, O Holy One of Israel.

23. My lips shall be jubilant, as I sing a hymn to You, [with] my life, that You have redeemed.

24. My tongue as well shall recite Your righteousness all the day; how disgracefully abashed are those who seek my harm!

.
Translation by Rabbi Benjamin J. Segal. See also the Hebrew original there and his analysis of the psalm.
.
Photos:
4: A soulful friend sings to God.

1-3: Lad LaKashish / Lifeline for the Old center: workshops and giftshop.
"Yad LaKashish is a non-profit organization which provides hundreds of Jerusalem's needy elderly with creative work opportunities & crucial support services, helping them to feel part of Israeli society & boosting their sense of purpose & self worth."

See their inspiring videos at the website .
You can order lovely things made by the artisans online.
Check out Yad LaKashish also on Facebook.
.

Tilt and trepidation

.
Tilt and trepidation were today's T words for ABC Wednesday as I walked down Jaffa Street.
Two workers were trying to either raise or lower the tilting sign.

The one man I could not see but from behind the tarp he could be heard warning his comrade "Shwaya shwaya, shwaya shwaya."
(That's Arabic for slowly slowly / little by little / be careful / easy does it!)

Enlarge the photo and you'll see he is balancing on an inch of stone and hanging on to the railing with one arm.

The fear and trembling typical for Jewish Mothers rose up in me, so I took a quick snapshot and kept on walking so as not to distract or embarrass the worker. God forbid he should fall on my account!
.
They are doing a great job preserving and restoring the facade of the hundred year old Saidoff building while a highrise is being built behind it.
See how the gutted building looked a few years ago here and see how another endangered worker put his nose to the grindstone here.
.

Location, location

.
An unusual view of the famous old YMCA from the back.
The tall tower and the dome are part of the Y.
In back of it you see the venerable old King David Hotel.

But what's the big new building going up next to the YMCA?
The round sign on the fence says King David's Crown.
.

The eight-story crown-shaped residential building will have 200 apartments with underground parking and a tunnel to a new sports complex being constructed by the YMCA.

A 1.25-acre park designed by Israeli sculptor Adani will be artistically illuminated at night and include waterfalls and canals. It will be open to the public, they say.

Here's King David's Crown and the Y seen from the other side, from Keren Hayesod Street.
.
Take a virtual tour of the project at their website.
Look at these prices for an apartment, in millions of shekels!
.
Other posts about the YMCA are here and here.
.

Reflected in a bumpy surface

.
A weird reflection of my camera and me in a not-smooth metal sign.

Here is the building that the plaque describes.

Now it is part of the complex of old and new buildings around the Jerusalem City Hall, Safra Square.

.

The distorted reflection is contributed to James' Weekend Reflections.

.

Stairs, stones, and schools

.
ABC Wednesday is already on letter S.
.
So many times I have entered the Old City at Jaffa Gate and walked right past the old Petra Hostel.
A few days ago I gathered courage and entered this dilapidated old building, refuge of backpackers and other penniless types.
Slowly, so as not to slip on the well-worn stairs, I climbed to the 3rd floor and then up onto the flat roof.
.
SPECTACULAR view!!
New west Jerusalem and old east Jerusalem!
The Old City and Temple Mount and beyond, to the Mount of Olives and the desert!
.
But my favorite photo from the roof was not off into the distance but rather straight down.
Enlarge it, please.
.
The Arab girl was bending over, opening a grate, cleaning it as the final step in her big work of hosing down the courtyard and scrubbing the stones.
Shining stones, still wet!
Aren't they beautiful?
It's like in archaeology when we pour water over an ancient mosaic and all its colors come to life!
.
I wish the young lady could see her work from above and be proud.
.
Not sure, but I think, judging from a basketball hoop, that the enclosed area is part of St. Dimitri's School.
It is a private school sponsored by the Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church.
.
I see in a 2008 news item that St. Dimitri's was then celebrating the renovation and revitalization of its building.
.
Apparently the EU has a Comprehensive School Upgrading Program for a few selected Palestinian schools in east Jerusalem which "revamps the schools and upgrades the electricity networks, sanitation facilities, sewage systems, carpentry and mechanical works and general classroom conditions (paint, floors, and ceilings). It also funds new school equipment like computers, fax, and copy machines, as well as school management software."
.
Along with two partner organizations, the EU provides "extensive teacher training around teaching methods, interfaith education, inclusion and appropriate methods of maintaining discipline and openness in the classroom."
.
The need is great and I wish them success.
.

"Where history meets luxury"

.
You have a good view of the sky when the roof is gone.

This incredibly long building on Jaffa Road is called Batei Saidoff, meaning Saidoff Houses.

Isaac Saidoff built the complex in the 1920s, after he moved to Jerusalem from Shanghai.

.

The great influx of Jews to Shanghai began in the second half of the 19th century and continued to grow in bursts through the end of World War II. The city was known as a bustling international trade and commerce hub, free from anti-Semitism and ripe with opportunity. At its height during the Holocaust this Jewish community, the largest in China, stood at nearly 50,000.

.
In 1919 the Saidoff family sought refuge from the pogroms in Bukhara (in southern Russia). They fled to Shanghai and settled there in search of a new life. A few years later the family immigrated to Israel.

(source)

.

As you saw in a recent post, the almost-century-old building is being reconstructed.
.

Hard to imagine at this stage, but the contractor advertises it as "Your residence in Jerusalem--where history meets luxury."

.

This video from Ashdar/Ashtrom Group will help us imagine what it will become.

This photo from a gray day in February shows the beginnings of the foundation for the 23-storey high-rise that will be part of the Saidoff Houses complex.

.

The high-rise itself will have ninety 3- to 6-room apartments.

Globes says sales so far include a 270-square meter 6-room apartment for NIS 8.5 million and a 190-square meter 4-room apartment for NIS 6.3 million. At today's rate, that is $2,333,243 and $1,728,850.

.

The view of Jerusalem, the Old City, and the Hills of Jerusalem doesn't come cheap!

.

I imagine most buyers will be residents of the USA or UK who come to Israel only for the Jewish holidays, a few weeks a year, such as at Jerusalem's David's Village complex, which is a ghost town most of the year.

.

Meanwhile, it is fun to follow the stages of deconstruction, reconstruction, and construction.

.

Saving old stones

.
Saving Jerusalem's nice old buildings so that new luxury residences can be built inside their shell is a lot of work.

This worker was cleaning an arch, stone by stone, of the hundred-year-old Saidoff Houses on busy Jaffa Street.
.
That whirling steel brush could be bad for the eyes.
I'm glad they gave him plastic safety glasses. But enlarge the photo and see where they are!
.
In the next few days I will have more on this big project that has been going on for years.
.
That's it for now for That's My World Tuesday. Shalom!
.

"Make a parapet for your roof"

.
Even nights are hot in Jerusalem this week.
 IF my roof were flat, I would prefer to sleep on it instead of in the warm house.
In Biblical days the flat house roofs were like an outdoor room, used for many tasks, including sleeping.
.
So the Bible, in Deuteronomy 22:8, gave us a good "building code":

"When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it."

In Jerusalem we still take that law seriously. Here are some examples of parapets:

David's Village, Mamilla

In Romema

Mamilla Hotel

An old synagogue being repaired in Nachlaot

Israel Broadcasting Authority building (formerly Shaarei Zedek Hospital)

In a very Orthodox neighborhood

Shikun HaRabbanim in Romema

An old hotel near Jaffa Gate, Old City

Apartments over the bastot stalls of Mahaneh Yehuda market

Christian Information Center near Jaffa Gate, Old City

St. Vincent de Paul hospice, Mamilla
.

I hope you enjoyed your roof tour for That's My World Tuesday. Shalom!

.

Urban ugliness

.
Undaunted by the dumpster's name, meaning Mr. Mouse, I went exploring in a back alley bordering on Jerusalem's industrial area, near old Romema.

Utterly unsettling was the graffito prompted by the wooden beam.

Ugh, what was this place??

Who had lived inside?

Unexpected was this piece of unusual urban ugliness!

.

Unwittingly though, it turned out to be useful for ABC Wednesday's U Day.

.

An Italian lion in Zion

.
The "Jerusalem--The Built Heritage" sign says this corner building, completed in 1936, fuses neo-classicism with modernism and was designed by Marcello Piacentini, a renowned Italian architect of the modern monumentalist style.
It was built by the Italian Generali insurance company. Since the mid 1940s it has housed Israeli government offices and no longer has any connection with Assicurazioni Generali.
.
But we still call it the Generali Building and it is a well-loved landmark on Jaffa Road, thanks largely to the sculpted winged lion on the roof.
Enlarge the photo to enjoy the lion with his book!

While reading about the Generali Building today, I was delighted to learn that the symbol of Assicurazioni Generali was derived from the flag of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, (which was dissolved by Napoleon three decades before the company was founded).

.

Any Italians or Latin-scholars out there who can tell us what is written in the book?

.

The Jerusalem-California connection

.
Wandering, intentionally lost, in an old neighborhood of Jerusalem (Nachlaot maybe?), I saw two things which my two California blog-"sisters" Elaine and Petrea would appreciate.
I think this is called Shabazi Street.

The graffiti in black: "Who's the Minister of Welfare?"

An answer next to it in white: "Don't know."

This poor old bike, chain dangling, reminded me of Elaine's brand new bike Fifi, lehavdil, vive la difference! Titchadshi (=may you be re-newed by your new possession), enjoy, use it in good health, USElaine!

Like so many old houses in Jerusalem, this one was being gutted. A heap of junk in the yard, even a television. It always makes me sad.

But as I rounded the corner and emerged on a main street, the facade of the old structure gave me hope. The sign says it is being rebuilt as a center for theatre! Even Diss-Is-Culture is involved, an interesting thing to Google.

Actress/blogger Petrea, you'd love it. Good luck on your opening-night play in San Marino on Saturday. Break a leg!

I love Jerusalem. And I love how blogging makes friends of former strangers.