My third day here and it was time to visit Jerusalem. Coincidently since it was also Ground Hog Day I thought of the movie when the same day repeats itself and only the protaganist's behavior can change each repeated day. Well, Jerusalem may be eternal but it is never the same.
Took the bus from Modi'in which drops one off at the Central Bus Station. I decided to take the healthy walk down Jaffa Road by way of Agrippas Street to the Old City which is usually one of my first stops. The entire length of Jaffa Road all the way to the Old City is dug up for construction of a new lite rail line. Last summer I heard that a great deal of the work had to be redone since there was a problem with inferior and inadequate materials. The project began a few years ago and the end is not yet in sight. I took a slight detour on a parallel street on the other side of Machane Yehuda which is the open stall market area. I amazed myself by walking past Marzipan bakery and not stopping to buy any of the “to die for” chocolate rugeleh.
The second change was at the Jaffa Gate itself where construction or repairs are being done. The road into the Old City is also dug up all the way to the police station past the Tower of David Museum. There it appears the project is the laying or repairing of pipes or cables. There is only a narrow walkway even narrower than the Old City streets before you can get into the shuk (market place).
My first stop was to visit my dear friend of almost 40 years George Kahvedjian, who is an Armenian photographer and has the most magnificent collection of Jerusalem and Israel photos, mostly taken by his father Eli, of blessed memory. We have numerous examples in our home and most people who have traveled with me know about these gems.
George is a workaholic (according to his son Eli) and hardly ever takes a day off or a vacation. I often surprise him rather than calling ahead and so to my surprise when I walked in the shop Eli was there alone since George had taken a day off and went with some friends to Jericho to a wonderful citrus grove. I spoke to him and he described the beauty of the place. Next time I'll call ahead and perhaps be able to join him. Since I saw him last in July he has 2 new granddaughters and we are on a par with 5 a piece.
My next stop was Abu Shukri's little nook of a restaurant for the best hummus in the city (if not all of Israel). Some would argue this point but two years ago friends of my son Noam did a taste test and Abu Shukri won out.
From there I walked through the Arab market which was calm and safe to the Jewish Quarter. The big change there for those who have not been in a few years is the reconstruction of the Hurva Synagogue which many recall was represented by the single arch that was rebuilt after '67 until just a couple of years ago. As I turned the corner lo and behold I bumped in Rabbi Shaya and Nechie Kilimnick, his son Dr Yosef Kilimnick and his wife Susie, some of the kids plus to Zivan boys, who had made aliyah last year. Yosef and Susie's son Donnie will be Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel (the Wall) on Sunday February 14th, Rosh Chodesh Adar. I was invited to attend. Since I was already planning to be in Jerusalem that day I will gladly join their simcha even with my personal discomfort at the Kotel. I actually bumped into them 2 more times on the Mamilla Mall a new mostly outdoor mall extending from the Jaffa Gate to King David Street. Since the summer they opened an indoor three story section. Changes,Changes, Changes!
The remainder of the day consisted of coffee at Cafe Aroma (one of my favorite activities which includes reading and people watching), walking the streets (where I bumped into another friend), a stop at the Hebrew Union College and dinner on Emek Rephaim. One of the things I noticed this time was the number of well dressed Arabs at the Mamilla Mall shopping and at the cafes. Once again the news doesn't always give a complete picture.
A bus ride home to Modi'in where tomorrow I will begin my teaching at the Idanim school.
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