These are all entrance ways that I see on my walk home from school to my house. The last one is my driveway. I think the doorways in Israel are absolutely beautiful. Enjoy!
Scenes from Israel
May 29, 2008
May 28, 2008
Scenes from Israel: Arches
The arch is found all over Israel. Over the course of the year, I noticed many of them, and photographed them. Here are a variety of the pictures that I took:
From the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem. I went to visit the sheik who owns that arch!
The courtyard of the Israeli Supreme Court Building.
From Caesarea. This arch way is thousands of years old.
Arches from atop the Temple Mount, near the Dome of the Rock. I can't remember their meaning, perhaps one of my readers can enlighten us?
Archways in Yaffo.
Hiking with my parents, when they were visiting in February, we came across this tree, leaning over a bridge. I love the archway that it makes for people to cross under.
From the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem. I went to visit the sheik who owns that arch!
The courtyard of the Israeli Supreme Court Building.
From Caesarea. This arch way is thousands of years old.
Arches from atop the Temple Mount, near the Dome of the Rock. I can't remember their meaning, perhaps one of my readers can enlighten us?
Archways in Yaffo.
Hiking with my parents, when they were visiting in February, we came across this tree, leaning over a bridge. I love the archway that it makes for people to cross under.
May 08, 2008
Scenes from Israel...the Israeli Flag
In honor of Yom HaAtzmaut, I thought I would do a showcase of the Israeli flag.
"The flag was designed to be reminiscent of the tallit, or Jewish prayer shawl, which is white with blue fringes and stripes. The Star of David in the center first became a Jewish symbol in late medieval Prague and was adopted by the First Zionist Congress in 1871." (from today's Jerusalem Post)
A flag flying from a balcony, on my walk home from school (a really beautiful picture, don't you think?)
One of the many cars with a flag flying from its window.
The flags flying at a rehearsal for a Yom HaZikaron ceremony at a school near by my house.
Flags flying from each level of an apartment building in Jerusalem.
The flags of Jerusalem and Israel fly proudly in Kikar Safra.
Another flag flying from a car.
I posted a similar picture yesterday. This is the flag that sits in the corner of every grave in Her Herzl.
A flag flies in the entrance way to a home.
A balloon shows its Israeli pride, at the Yom HaAtzmaut celebration in downtown Jerusalem.
One of many teenagers wearing the flag on their backs, last night at the Yom HaAtzmaut celebration. These flags were given out free in last Friday's newspaper.
March 17, 2008
Scenes from Israel....Spring Flowers!
Spring has most definitely sprung here in Israel! I took my camera around with me yesterday as I walked the streets of Jerusalem, snapping pictures of all the different flowers I could find. Some of theme were in fields, others were found sprouting up between stones on a wall or in a sidewalk.
For those of you back in the winter of the East Coast, I hope these flowers will brighten up your day. I'm sorry that I don't know the names of the different variations.
February 27, 2008
Scenes from Israel...steps and staircases
Tradition tells us that when God created the world, He gave the world 10 units of beauty. Nine of those units are found in Jerusalem, and the final one is shared among the rest of the world.
To illustrate this point, I have decided to add a new, semi-regular feature on this blog, to show off some of those 9 units of beauty that Israel has to offer. Each entry will focus on a particular aspect of Israel, sometimes obscure and sometimes not. This week, I will be showing you staircases. What's so special about staircases, you ask? Take a look at these...
Here are ancient steps in Ein Gedi, an oasis west of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in the Bible as the place where David hid from Saul. And Song of Songs references it in chapter 1, verse 14: "My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna flowers in the vineyards of Ein Gedi". (No, I did not know either of those references off the top of my head, you can find them by clicking above.)
This set of steps is in the Tel Dan Nature Reserve. The official Israeli parks' website describes entering the Tel Dan Reserve as "stepping into a wonderland: scores of bubbling brooks feed into a running river and tall treetops reach for the sky". This nature reserve is only 120 acres across but offers four vastly different hiking trails (I've done two of them), and parts of it are even wheelchair accessible. You can read more about its history and ecology here. The area of Dan is named after the biblical tribe of Dan that settled in this area when the 12 Tribes of Israel divided up the Land.
A different kind of steps here in Israel, are the steps up to the graves of the people who made Israel what it is today. Teddy Kollek was the mayor of Jerusalem for 28 years. Burial in the section for the Leaders of the Nation is very selective, and there are fewer than 100 spaces. It is reserved for prime-ministers, presidents, Knesset speakers, leaders of the World Zionist Organization, heads of the Jewish Agency, their spouses...and Kollek. He is the only person buried here that did not hold one of those positions. I have included this picture to show the pride and dignity with which Israel cares for its dead. This section of the cemetery is but a small part of the larger burial ground. The majority of the cemetery is for the fallen soldiers. It is immaculately clean and well-kept. There are steps leading up or down to each part of the cemetary, blocking off sections for different wars. Any soldier who died in the line of duty is entitled to be buried here.
May there be no more soldiers who merit the honor of being buried in this part of the cemetery. And may there be many more who merit the honor of spending eternity in the Burial Grounds for the Leaders of the Nation. Amen.
This beautiful stone staircase is from Yafo (Jaffa in English) another city dating back to Biblical times. You may recognize the name from the Book of Jonah. The port of Yafo is where Jonah left from when he fled to Tarshish (you would know this if you were consistently awake and in shul on Yom Kippur afternoon...me? I had to look it up!). Yafo's port was one of the most important in Israel. It was where the ceders of Lebanon, used in building the Temple, were brought in. It stopped being used when the port of Haifa opened. But it, and the surrounding neighborhood (where this staircase is found) still remains one of the most beautifully stunning areas in Israel.
I can, unfortunately, take absolutely no credit for the following photograph. It was taken when I was feeling too lazy to leave the warmth of our apartment! This picture is actually stolen right off of Sara Beth's blog (the link for which you can find under my "blogs I read" on the bottom right side of this page). These are the stairs leading up to our apartment, covered in snow. I've got no biblical reference for you, for this set of steps. But I will tell you that snow is rare in Jerusalem, but this year we've actually gotten it twice. It doesn't tend to last very long, and once the sun comes out, it melts very fast. But the snow days that have come along with the snow, have been quite fun!
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