Jerusalem Comes Alive

Festival of Nights - Sunday
To begin another cultural adventure, I hiked over to the Old City to meet my new-found Aussie friends Sam and Shell at the Kotel. We sat around for a while and did quite a lot of people watching and as it turns out, Shell was among the people being watched: the 'modesty patrol' gal came around a number of times as Shell's scarf fell from the nape of her neck and down below her shoulders. Unfortunately for those interested in that story, it was not at all immodest by modern standards, but just was not in line with the customs and rules of the Western Wall Plaza area. We exited the Jewish Quarter and wandered about in the Christian Quarter, passing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as well as a number of stalls selling anything from Christian blessings to Israeli army shirts (quite ironic from Arab shopkeepers) to coins and vessels many hundreds of years old.

After saying goodbye to Shell and being as nice as ever by walking her to a sherut in hopes of meriting a place to stay in London, Sam and I headed over to Hutzot haYetzer. Celebrating its 35th year, Hutzot haYetzer is a two-week long open air arts festival featuring an assortment of eclectic wares from Israeli artists in all mediums as well as a large area that highlights artists visiting from around the world. As with any respectable festival, there was a bunch of food, including two free samples of yogurt (score!). I had an entrecote burrito for dinner, which consists basically of steak (entrecote, in Israelicized French), some guacamole spread and sauteed onions - don't forget the medley of sauces though! Despite the good food, the highlight of the evening was definitely the concert. Every night there's a show with a different famous artist. Tonight's show was K'nisiat haSechel, meaning Church of the Mind. I had only heard of them prior to tonight's show, but they turned out to be very entertaining, complete with catchy songs that now elude me. Aside from my Aussie friend, I was singing and dancing with Sheeran (male, roommate) and Sharon (female, cousin of roommate, translator of songs). It was a great time and fulfilling to be enveloped in the atmosphere of Israeli culture.

Bargaining by Day, Music by Night - Monday
Machaneh Yehuda is the daily open air market in Jerusalem, known for its fresh pita, exotic spices, tasty fruits and vegetables, delectable desserts and smashing of fish heads. At least those are my fondest memories of the place. Never before tonight had I heard about or been to the market at night. Every Monday night during the summer, though, after most of the market stalls are shuttered, the festivities start up. I went with a number of friends from ulpan to the market and the first area we came upon was Israeli dancing. We watched, enjoyed and admired...and then I found myself participating when I heard one of my favorite Israeli folk songs. It was a great time - but still just the start of the night. I meandered through the market aisles and came upon a jazz band playing. They were pretty cool and attracted quite a crowd, including my Aussie friend Sam from the previous night. Continuing on even further, we ventured to another avenue of the shuk (market), where a band took control of the area and offered some improv electric rock. They had a lot of energy, sharing it with the dancing crowd. I took the video below to give a sense of the atmosphere of the place.

Two back-to-back Jerusalem nights evidenced the electricity and dynamic faces found in the culture and people of the city. Yes - there is a lot to do in Jerusalem! Actually, there is an interesting video/article courtesy of @Israel21c that explores the depth of culture here. Reflecting on these different experiences, Jerusalem simply feels alive and vibrant. The quantity of opportunities and the quality of entertainment and civic exhibitions here truly underlines the wealth of culture that embodies the city. Next week, I'm definitely going back to the late night shuk performances.