People of
Jerusalem
January 30,
2019
From December
30, 2018 to January 13, 2019 I visited Israel.
This was just a normal vacation, not a “trip of a lifetime.” I wanted to visit people and places that I
was both familiar with and not. I didn’t
go on a tour bus with a tour guide or even behave like a tourist. I just made my own plans. Before I left, I arranged visits to libraries
to meet with librarians. That will be a
separate report. This article will just
cover some of the people I encountered in my travels. Please take these as amusing or interesting
people. I don’t mean to “make fun” or
demean anyone.
To start I
present a picture of myself -- while I’m not a wild and crazy guy, I am not
shy. Here I am standing next to the
Kotel. No matter how many times I visit, no matter how much I learn about the
excavations, no matter how much history I read about Jerusalem, I am still
moved by just being there. When I was
growing up, the Jordanians didn’t let Jews visit. I thought we would never be able to be
there. Then the Six Day War came, and we
heard, “the Kotel is ours.” Even though
most of the stones are from Herod and after, the connection to the original
Temple can still be found everywhere. Some
excavations even found the remains of burnt wood from the destruction.
The Kotel is place of contrasts. Here is a picture of me and the next picture is a man looking on his cell phone with people praying in the background. Tourists, residents, and Israelis from all over flock there. In addition to the majesty of the wall itself, on can enter the tunnel and be part of a regular or ad hoc prayer group. This is picture of places for prayer with an aron hakodesh to hold Torah scrolls. The Western Wall Foundation has walking and virtual tours for the public to see areas not available to the unaccompanied public.
One can see
people from all over the world. The
groups from such as Japan, China, and Africa can be seen intently listening to
the words of their guides. Tourists who speak English or Hebrew don’t seem to
pay as close attention. That is not all members of the group are listening at a
given moment. I saw several groups of
blacks wearing the same green hats and backpack with the logo of the tour or
travel agency. Some of the group wore
outfits made from the same cloth that was brightly colored in patterns that no
one outside their group would ever wear.
The styles of the clothes were not the same. I later learned that tour operators provided
the cloth. I talked with one of the
tourists who told me he was Nigeria. He
took a selfie with me.
One evening the
Kotel was full of soldiers and their families.
The soldiers were there for their basic training graduation. I didn’t see the ceremony, but I saw the
preparations and people walking to the Kotel.
Other days I saw bar or bat mitzvah ceremonies. At one time, musicians played as the family
went to the Kotel. The residents of the
Jewish Quarter complained about the noise and commotion and now the processions
are quieter and avoid being near homes where people live.
I got very
familiar with Jaffa Gate (שער יפו.) One day I was proud to help an Israeli who
asked in Hebrew where is the Jaffa Gate.
I just pointed and said ישער (straight
ahead). Another day I was startled when
an Arab businessman asked in German, “Wie Gehts?” I just
couldn’t spit out the proper response, “Es geht mir gut.” I was only able answer in Hebrew.
The #38 bus
serves the Jewish Quarter with an 18-passenger bus. The route is circular route that starts and
end at the same stop. I never ceased to
be amused when the announcement at the end reminded everyone to take their
belongings and thanked everyone for choosing Egged. (As if we had another
choice.) Egged is not the only bus
company, but there is no competition on individual routes. Most of the time
riding that bus was like riding with friends. A man with a heavy accent asked
his neighbor in Hebrew-Yiddish, איך אומרים וואסר? (How do you say “water?”) This in heavily accented English, he asked,
“Does anyone have water? My daughter
needs water.” Right away two people
offered a bottle of water. He paused
then replied, “Do you have a cup?” The daughter didn’t seem to really need the
water. It seemed like a comedy routine
from 40 or 50 years ago.
While waiting
for the #38 bus near City Hall, a woman with two shopping carts asked in
English, “Which direction is the Kotel?”
I pointed her in the right direction I surmised was correct based on the
city walls. She took out her ArtScroll
siddur and started reading a prayer in English.
When the bus came she struggled to get on. When we got on the bus, the
person next to me said that he was familiar with her.
When I went to
the Israel Museum I saw a tour scheduled for the Judaica collection at 12:30
and decided to take it. I was the only
one who showed up and so I had a personal tour.
There is an exhibit of life cycle events with wedding dresses from Jews
in Arab countries. They are very colorful.
The tour guide said that Queen Victoria was the style setter for white wedding
gowns. I had no idea that she could
cause such a revolution. I thought the
only clothes she influenced was the wearing of neck ties because she though
shirt buttons reminded her of belly buttons.
Of course, I had to check. The
tour of guide was right. Before Queen
Victoria brides dressed in colors or even blacks and grays.
The next
picture is the Shrine of the Book on the grounds of the Israel Museum. This is building houses the story and
documents of the Dead Sea scrolls. Once
it held the Isaiah scroll, but now it features a replica. This very quiet place[1]
is a shrine to the whole concept of a book, writing and history connected to
what makes us a literate civilization. People connected to books, readers,
librarians, students, scholars, etc. should visit and be impressed and humbled
at how far communications has advanced.
We can still read writing that was done 2000 or more years ago.
My cousin, the
tour guide, told me to visit the Gush Katif Museum (http://en.gushkatifmuseum.com/) . Gush Katif was the Israeli settlement area of
the Gaza Strip. In August 2005 the Israeli army carried out the government
orders to remove all settlers and bull doze the homes and institutions of the
settlements. About 8,600 residents lived there who were mostly religious
Zionists, but also included some secular Jews and several hundred Bedouins. Most
of the economy was based on agriculture.
Many had lived there more than 20 years. They had advanced technology
greenhouses to raise pest-free vegetables. Exports to Europe were over $60
million a year according to what the museum stated. The museum is on a small street, Sha’are
Zedek in a remodeled apartment. It is a little hard to find. For most of my visit I was the only one
there. The guide/caretaker was very friendly
and helpful. He told me about the exhibits
and settlements. This was a very sad
place to visit. I saw a video about the
expulsion that showed lots of people crying.
Residents did not want to leave. This is a place to learn about a sad
time in history, not a place for fun. The
guide said that few if any former Gush Katif residents live in the Jerusalem
area. The museum is a place to remember the people and places they lived.
Here is a
picture of the Gush Katif street sign and the bus stop.
Signs claim
Kikar Zion (Zion Square) is place for street entertainment and food. Twice I went to restaurants there for a
meal. Here is a picture of street musician. She had a violin and recorded accompaniment. There are two car batteries under her feet to
supply power to her amplifier. While a
passerby wanted a selfie with her, I took this picture of both. This was
January and so they are dressed for the weather. At other times I saw dance
groups and other musicians. They all
come well prepared.
Most of the
people I saw were very nice and polite.
When I asked for directions people were helpful and when I was able to
help people were appreciative. I had to
visit the office of Rav-Kav to get a bus pass.
Another customer was English speaking and the clerks needed help to get
him to understand. I helped. On a bus some tourists who didn’t know Hebrew
couldn’t understand the bus driver. He
yelled, “Mi midabar anglit?” (“Anyone speak English?”) Before I could react, the person in the first
seat behind the driver spoke up and helped.
When I visited
the National Library some high school students were taking a survey. They asked me questions about Trump and his
policies. I really had no idea of what
to say. I had no opinion on the topics they questioned. On a bus to Beter Illit
there were no seats left. A man put his
youngster on his lap so that I had a place to sit. When using the Israel Railways[2]
there were lots of employees helping people navigate the station and get to the
right place.
The parts of
Jerusalem that I visited were very busy with cars, trucks, pedestrians, buses,
etc. It is much more congested than my
quiet Chicago neighborhood[3].
In Israel one feels part of history and a great big family; in Chicago one
feels that the city is just a place that we live.
[1]
Talking is limited here.
[2]
Before going to Israel, I wanted to ride the high-speed train between Jerusalem
and Ben Gurion Airport. The train is beautiful,
and ride is smooth and fast. One hardly hears the
sound of the tracks. We need such great service in Chicago. Given a choice between a train and bus, I always choose the train.
[3]
“Congestion” is relative. Jerusalem has about 875,000 residents and probably
more than 100,00 visitors. The average population density for Jerusalem is about
19,000 people per square mile. For my
neighborhood of Chicago with about 72,000 residents in 3.53 sp. miles, the
population density is 20,632 per square mile.
For all of Chicago the density is 11.602 persons per square mile.
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