Ben Yehuda Shopping; Shabbat at the Kotel


Friday, January 10, 2020

A few words about the feelings towards Donald Trump here.  We have not had many, but a few conversations with random people, mostly cab drivers.  Always, “Where are you from?” and after they learn, a big smile, a thumb up and “Donald Trump!”  He really seems to have pleased the ordinary Israeli.  That’s a prelude to the first photos of the day.

The weather is better—no rain, no wind, but lots of clouds and temps in the high 40s.  We had a snack on arising and then an early lunch at Sam’s Bagels on Jaffa Road, just a few steps from our apartment.  We then walked to Ben Yehuda Street, the shopping mecca for tourists and locals alike.  It was here that we found these samples at one of the kippa (yarmulke) shops:



 No comment, but no purchases either.  After leaving the USA we received an email from Zegrahm, the Ethiopia tour operator, asking us to bring school supplies for the children we will see there, and we found those on Ben Yehuda Street.

We went back to the apartment for a couple of hours of Shabbat rest, and then, in the late afternoon, we set off for the Kotel (the Western Wall) in the Old City to be there with the crowds as Shabbat came in.  We’ve been there on a late Friday afternoon before, but Leah had not.  We arrived about 40 minutes before the exact hour of sunset, so I was able to take some photos and videos before Shabbat began.  The crowds gathered despite the cold weather:



Different groups gather at different sections of the wall.  Here’s an ultra-orthodox group some of whom's men wear a kind of hat called a shtreimel praying together on the men’s side:



There is an amazing energy with singing and circle dancing in an ecstatic preparation for the hour of Shabbat:


 And, as the time came, the intensity and volume increased dramatically, approaching a frenzy in some areas.  No more photos or video, however.  I went into the men’s section and Joyce and Leah into the women’s.  We stayed for a while, and then met and walked slowly back to our apartment where we lit candles and had dinner.  Tomorrow is our last day in Jerusalem with Leah!  She flies out at 11:45 PM tomorrow night, and we leave for Ethiopia early Sunday morning.

Shabbat shalom.

Comments

  1. Rwa442January 10, 2020 at 4:25 PM

    Shalom and safe, easy travels!

    ReplyDelete
  2. xctravelerJanuary 10, 2020 at 11:20 PM

    Shabbat in TLV was more restrained, but still everything has shut down. They didn't even deliver newspapers to the hotel this morning, but the coffee was hot. It will be interesting getting a cab to Jaffa, however if need be it is only 1.5 mile walk. The temperature in TLV has been a bit warmer than Jerusalem, maybe 10 degrees, still chilly. See you tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ralph P. LockeJanuary 11, 2020 at 4:06 PM

    Interesting to hear some of the intense group chanting--so different from what Reform rabbis often do at services in the USA: start us out with some moments of meditative silence, so we can let the cares of the week drop away.... Cultural differences are real, from country to country, and from religious denomination to religious denomination!

    ReplyDelete

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