Tower of David Museum with Friends

Yesterday I met with a handful of friends from around the country, and we toured the Tower of David Museum. The only time I had been there was a half a century earlier, when I was a student in Machon Greenberg, and it was then just an ancient site.

The Tower of David is next to the Jaffa Gate and you can get there by public transportation, any bus to Mamilla Mall or the lightrail stop at Safra Square, the Jerusalem Municipality. Yes, it's a bit of a walk. The museum does require walking including stairs, so it's not for the handicapped or baby carriages/prams/strollers.

Even though it's called The Tower of David, it was built much later by Herod, and it's one of the only two remaining structures he had built. The other one is Maarat Hamachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The other Herodian edifices have been destroyed, though sections and foundations remain.

Give yourself a few hours to wander around. There are public toilets at the exit and near the special exhibit section where there is now an exhibition about Har Habayit, the Temple Mount. My friends and I didn't have enough time, since we also had reservations at a nearby restaurant. Our time was much too limited.

Since it's not a planned museum, the rooms are small. Visiting students made it hard for us to see everything, also. One of our friends said that she has brought grandchildren, who really enjoy the Tower of David Museum. As a senior citizen, I only paid NS20 to enter, so maybe I'll be back. Yes, I recommend visiting it.

These photos should give you a good idea, but they don't tell the whole story.

A Visit to The Israel Museum

Tuesday evening I spent some time in the Israel Museum. I hadn't been there for months. There was one exhibit I really wanted to see, and it didn't disappoint. That's the one about Israeli Fashion. It was amazing, and if I get there again, while it's on display, I'll spend more time there.

There was another exhibit I liked and highly recommend. Apparently, it had been commissioned by the museum. To Go - New Designs for Jewish Ritual Objects is stunning, practical and innovative.

Designers and artists from around the world were presented with a challenge: to create a collection of objects together with a case — essentially a travel set to accompany a Jewish holiday or lifecycle event..

If you don't have time for a long visit at the Israel Museum, just go to those two exhibits, and you've gotten your admission money's worth for sure.

What's your favorite department of the Israel Museum?

Doors and Doorways in Jerusalem's Old City and Mount Zion

Early this week I met visiting family, and we hiked around Jerusalem's Old City and the downtown area. I walked a record 21,681 steps that day. They walked even more! I'm happy to say that there was no pain or aching the following days. I wish I could say that I lost weight, but I didn't, sigh.

For one of the guests, this was a first time visit to Israel. And for another we were on old stomping ground decades later.

I must say that considering all of the complaints people like to make about the upkeep, cleanliness of Jerusalem, the administration of the Old City, Jewish Quarter does a good job. I mentioned that in my recent Pishers Guide #29 about the WC near the Kotel.

As you can see from the photos in this post, there are some very interesting doors and doorways to admire. We, a small group of women, felt very safe and comfortable walking around.

Enjoy...

Jerusalem, Looking for Our Old Home

Last week the "Senior Citizen" program in Ulpanat Ofra I go to on Thursdays had a trip to Jerusalem. Gd willing I'll write more about it on a different day. For me, the highlight was seeing the model of Jerusalem which is used by the committee that approves new building projects and changes on existing buildings. We all circled around the model trying to identify neighborhoods and buildings. Some members of the group were excited to find their old homes. I searched for our old apartment in Bayit Vigan and then was told that the neighborhood wasn't included in the model. I found other places I know well and where some of my children live, but it was disappointing. Actually a very large amount of Jerusalem isn't part of the model. Jerusalem is so much bigger. They would need a number of models and large halls to accommodate today's Jerusalem, even so miniaturized. It really would be a fantastic project to construct.

Rosh Chodesh Sivan Soon

Shiloh Hakeduma, Ancient Shiloh, the government-recognized archaeological site at Tel Shiloh, is growing in popularity. People come from all over the world and all religions, too. Every time I go there I see lots of tour buses and loads of tourists walking around and picnicking.

Yes, this is the Shiloh from the Bible. This is where the Biblical Hannah successfully prayed for a son who would lead the Jewish People from the anarchy of the Judges and anoint the first two Jewish Kings, Saul and David.

The Tel's administration has been working hard making paths, and even road access,  for those who have trouble walking. It's possible to hire multilingual guides or make do with the signs and recordings which are all over. There's also a short movie and museum. There's also a well-stocked souvenir shop with everything from pictures to puzzles, jewelry, olive oil and wine, among lots of other things. And of course there's food to buy if all the hiking has made you hungry and thirsty.

Women's Prayers at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh

Rosh Chodesh Sivan, 5777 

Friday, May 26, 2017 

1st of Sivan, 5777, 8:30am 

Hallel and Musaf for Rosh Chodesh 

Tour of Tel Shiloh 

Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson 

Please come and invite family, friends and neighbors. 

תפילת נשים ראש חודש סיון
בשילה הקדומה, תל שילה
יום ו' 26-5-2017

א' סיון, תשע"ז 8:30
הלל ומוסף לראש חודש
יהיה דבר תורה קצר וסיור בתל
כדאי לבוא ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות

There's plenty of room, so join us!

Please mark it in your calendar/diary/event planner so you can join us, Gd willing. If you have more questions about it, please contact me [email protected] with "Rosh Chodesh" as subject. Our women's dovening isn't a version of male synagogue prayers. We sing Hallel out loud and then doven Musaf individually.

Topped 20,000 Steps!!

I'm going to be honest. I sometimes have trouble even reaching 5,000 steps and am overjoyed to hit the 10,000 benchmark. So, my topping 20,000 steps may never be repeated, though I wouldn't mind doing it on occasion, though without a heavy backpack. My cellphone is set up to count my steps via Walklogger.  

The occasion was the visit of my niece from america who had just finished Birthright and  was staying a few days here in Israel to visit us and see a bit more of the country. I had my usual "Tuesday backpack," since I usually stay over on Tuesday night for an easy trip to Matan on Wednesday morning. The walk would have had been pure pleasure if I hadn't been schepping that bag on my back. All I really needed was a bottle of water.

We walked all over. The only touristy things were the Supreme Court and Yemin Moshe. Here are some photos: