P.S.
Ariel, from Leket sent us some pics from our lemon packing at Moshav Shuva.
Also, why do I always think of these things later … I should have asked our two friends yesterday, “When are your allies in Ramallah planning to have their demonstration like this?”
Art
After yet another trip to Mahane Yehudah for a few things, we walked down to the Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art. It’s relatively small but was full of gems. First, there was a synagogue interior brought intact from Congeliano Italy and is being used regularly by the Italian Jewish community in Jerusalem. Most of the remaining space is occupied by the Jerusalem Biennial exhibition. This is fabric art created by well known Israeli women artists.
When we came in, the first thing we saw was this notice:
There were examples of the children’s’ art on the walls.
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There were actually several groups of kids doing various programs in the museum but the children from Sderot had in fact returned there.
The synagogue was beautifully restored.
Here are some images from the exhibition.
We had a tour guide who really knew both the history of the Jewish Italian community and his art. If you’re lucky we’ll remember some of what he said when we come home. But remind me to tell you about Nov. 29 1947 and Titus’ Arch in Rome.
The Wall
We took the bus to the Western Wall in the afternoon and took the new underground “Bridge Tour.” This is touring a relatively new dig around the base of the bridge (ramp) that Herod built from the ground to the west of the temple up to the temple precinct.
Our tour went under the bridge and through what I call “Herod’s Rec Room” because I can’t remember the proper name. It held a couple of large rooms and three mikvahs, one of which is kosher. In Herod’s time the required running water came from an aqueduct. Today, although it is not used, water that comes from a spring under the Arab quarter flows through it. In addition to the actual recovery work, the infrastructure they put in place to facilitate the tours is pretty amazing.
Here are some pics of parts of the wall that haven’t seen the light of day (or the weather) for almost 2,000 years.
And that was pretty much it for the day.
Miscellany
Another blazing hot day. Even my phone said it needed to cool off (no kidding). I’m not sure if we’ll be able to return to farm work if it stays this hot unless we know it will be inside, or at least covered work.
Wednesday and Thursday we’re going back to Hamal. His WhatsApp chat group said he was starting at 9:30 Wednesday. I sent him a note back asking him if he was kidding and haven’t heard back. There is also work to be had packing meals for people who are still displaced and living in hotels, and we might do that.
There’s a bunch of Yom Yerushalayim stuff going on this week and we’ll catch some of it. Wednesday, the day itself, is the Flag Dance. This is a big parade that starts near City Hall and goes into the Old City finishing at the Kotel. Rather like the Protestants in Northern Ireland on the Battle of the Boyne anniversary, the parade route goes through the centre of the Arab quarter and I think there is some history of hooliganism. I might finally have a chance to meet some right-wingers. Ricki had a session with Adar tonight. She said that she is coming in for the parade and didn’t understand why Ricki was concerned.
Stay Tuned…