By Steve Kramer
JERUSALEM — Israelis are sweating out the expected rocket offensive from either Iran or Hezbollah – or both – while going about their business, vacationing in Israel or elsewhere, or cooling off in their air-conditioned homes or workplaces. A constant in Israel is hot summers and this year is no different. One can count on the fact that every day in our region is going to be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. Rain? No way, since the “rainy season” is from October through March, still a few months off.
The two main factors to consider in staying comfortable during the summer in Israel are elevation and latitude. That translates to much hotter days in Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, Eilat, or any other place in Israel’s south or north. In Kfar Saba, where I live, roughly 5 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, evenings are slightly cooler but the humidity remains high. So, we decided to spend two-plus weeks in Jerusalem, where there’s so much to do and the 3,000 ft elevation and 32-mile distance from the sea nearly guarantees low humidity and very pleasant evenings.
The first four days there with friends we were mostly in the center of town, adjacent to Zion Square and Nahalat Shiv’a, the third Jewish neighborhood built outside of the Old City walls a century and a half ago. We stayed at the Herbert Samuel Hotel, a pleasant mid-sized hotel enhanced by its spa, which includes a rare indoor pool, a sauna, steam room, and private rooms for massage. We’ve stayed there before and have found it to be a good value in a great location, and just steps from the Light Rail tram, which we used constantly.
Nahalat Shiv’a is a neighborhood characterized by its small houses built around inner courtyards with water cisterns at the center. In 1988, the neighborhood was renovated by the local municipality, the infrastructure was renewed, the streets repaired, and the facades of the original houses were restored. Today it’s a popular area with stores selling crafts, Judaica and unusual items, alongside many bars, cafes, and restaurants, and the Friends of Zion Museum. The new, imposing Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem is also there. Michal and I were surprised by the number of young people living in Jerusalem. The many bars and cafes in the neighborhood were full of hundreds of young secular Israelis, comparable to what one sees in Tel Aviv.
A splendid, relatively recent addition to the street is the Hebrew Music Museum, which offers guided tours (reservations required) in its very impressive architectural structure. The tour includes seven “rooms,” each one dedicated to a different culture. The top floor has a very neat virtual reality rendition of the Holy Temple and its priests. The museum complex was built by Laurent Levy, a French Israeli businessman (CEO of the Optical Center chain) who fulfilled his vision of a single, unique museum that could connect all mankind through “the language of the heart – music.” Just behind the museum is a large kikar with five cafes and restaurants along the perimeter and a stage for nightly concerts at one end. Even during this fraught summer the square is crowded in the evening.
Zion Square and the surrounding area was purchased by the Jewish Colonization Association from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which began selling off some of its holdings in Jerusalem after World War I. Much of the surrounding area was designed and built by the British during the early Palestine Mandate period of the 1920s. Even before Israel’s independence in 1948, it was a hot spot (“always crowded, always crazy”), with all kinds of demonstrations and events happening there. Unfortunately, that includes some terror attacks. There are many cafes and stores in the immediate neighborhood, and plenty more on Jaffa Road which is adjacent to it. Today Zion Square is mostly filled by shoppers and young people, with buskers playing and plenty of Orthodox, post-high school religious students from abroad entertaining themselves.
We visited several new public institutions: the fabulous, new National Library and the just-opened National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, which is the headquarters of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Both brand new institutions are beautiful, well-designed, purpose-built facilities for the public and researchers at the Library, and archaeologists, restorers, and researchers in Israel’s sphere of archaeology. We booked a tour in advance for both facilities, although anyone can avail themselves of a self-guided tour of the library.
Besides that, we visited the David’s Tower Museum in the Old City, whose total renovation is now finished. We saw an interesting temporary art exhibit there, the “Jerusalem School.” It is located in the new entrance building of the museum. For the first time, the exhibit displays the progression of Jerusalem art that took shape over more than a hundred years of creation, from the establishment in 1906 of the “Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem,” which depicts the image of the city as reflected in the works of its artists. The impetus behind Bezalel was Boris Schatz, a Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who lived in many European cities and in America before moving to Mandatory Palestine.
The exhibit as described by Bezalel: “It is possible to see more than a hundred original works, installations, objects, posters, etc., that were designed, among other places, at Bezalel, and shaped the discourse and the local art field. These works follow the sequence of changes in artistic expression in the fascinating and complex city of Jerusalem.”
We returned the next night to the museum for a colorful, “historical” light show projected on its ancient walls. Of course, we visited Machane Yehuda market/shuk, which we almost always do. We enjoyed a light dinner there after many of the retail stalls had closed and enjoyed the blare of the music as the shuk filled up with younger people out for the evening.
About a week later we were happy to return to Jerusalem to attend courses at the Pardes school: “The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies is an open, inclusive, diverse and intellectually challenging Jewish learning community based in Jerusalem with programs worldwide. Pardes cultivates a life-long love of Jewish learning, the Jewish people and Israel. Pardes inspires engagement in Jewish life — as communal and spiritual leaders, educators and active participants.”
We have known about Pardes for a few decades since our older son’s girlfriend attended classes there to attain a graduate degree. My observation is that Pardes mostly attracts Jewish educators and college-age students primarily from the US. Michal and I were among the several oldest participants and we were the only couple attending the 2-week summer course (there was a previous 3-week course) consisting of three chosen courses. We both chose to study Mishna, the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. It is also the first major work of rabbinic literature, with the oldest surviving material dating to the 6th to 7th centuries BCE.
We also both chose a course on the Book of Ruth, which is set in the time of the Judges (tribal leaders), approximately 1200 BCE—1020 BCE. “Ruth” attempts to define the rights of widows and aliens within a benighted society. It is associated with the holiday of Shavuot and linked to the spring harvest time and the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. The convert Ruth turned out to be the grandmother of King David!
My third course was about the teachings of two very famous rabbis, Yudah Ha-Levi and Maimonides. Of course, in just two weeks we only got a “taste” of the subject. But all our courses included ḥavruta, a traditional rabbinic approach to Talmudic study in which a small group of students (usually 2 or 3) analyze, discuss, and debate a shared text. It is a primary learning method in Jewish learning institutions and also can be practiced at work, home, and vacation settings. We found this an extremely helpful way to learn, with the added benefit of getting to know other students. (The Talmud comprises Jewish civil and ceremonial law.)
However, two weeks together was enough time to get to know a number of the students, many of whom were people that Michal and I would never have encountered otherwise. There were additional things to do in the evenings, of which we took advantage. The last day, for instance, we had a tour at Mt. Herzl, a place of remembrance and a cemetery, where many leaders of the country are buried, including the eponymous Theodor Herzl. It is also the final resting place for many of our fellow citizens who died defending the country. We learned a lot from our guide, things which a casual visitor would miss.
All and all, the time spent at Pardes was very illuminating and educational. The teachers were excellent, as was the staff and the overall organization. Most likely we will return, perhaps next summer, to renew the experience.
Adding to the enjoyment of our “vacation” was that Pardes is adjacent to the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem. We booked a B&B there, just a 15 minute walk from the Institute. The “Jerusalem Garden” is a 100 year-old home built by a Christian Arab family at the time when Baka was a wealthy neighborhood. In the spring of 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence, many of the residents fled their homes, many voluntarily: “This is all painful. These people defended themselves in 1948… In the end, they were told [by Arab leaders]: ‘Leave and go to Jordan. It’s just for a few weeks all in all and you’ll return.’” [Official PA TV, Ali Hussein Ali Alyan, Refugee from Khirbet Al-Amour, Oct. 2, 2022]
During the war the neighborhood suffered great damage. After the end of the fighting, the Baka neighborhood was in Israeli hands and this particular house, our B&B, was awarded to a wounded soldier’s family as well as a second family. The owners eventually bought out the second family and still own the home today. Decades ago family members of the home’s builders came by the house and asked to see it – not an unusual request. What was unusual was that they asked for compensation for their loss. The Jewish owner asked their price and very graciously paid it!
Our room was at the front of the house, which probably has another 4 or 5 rooms. It was large, had 2 exposures and a large bathroom. The price was very reasonable, keeping in mind that the building is 100 years old and shows it. But with its beautiful garden, generous breakfasts, and accommodating owners, we can recommend it. The neighborhood is once again beautiful and the nearby homes are again expensive. There are many nice cafes and shops in Bet Lechem (Bethlehem) St. and many nearby bus lines service it. In addition, Emek Refaim St., a busy commercial area of the German Colony neighborhood, is a short walk away. We will probably return to the Jerusalem Garden, “next time.”
Our stay in Jerusalem exceeded our expectations. When things calm down here, we hope many of you will visit Israel, especially Jerusalem. You won’t regret it. In the meantime, pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
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Steve Kramer is a freelance writer based in Kfar Saba, Israel.