Celebrating Sukkot in Jerusalem

The holiday of Succot ("Feast of Tabernacles") follows a few days after Yom Kippur. In Jerusalem, the sounds of hammering resounds through both the ultra-Orthodox Haredi and more heterogeneous neighborhoods, as people erect their Sukkot. In preparation for the holiday, an open-air market operates immediately across from the Machane Yehuda shuk, where vendors hawk the requisite Lulavim and Etrogim (Citron) which comprise the four species of plants required for ritual observance during Sukkot.

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lulav):

"A lulav...must meet certain specifications in order to be kosher and permissible to be used to fulfill the commandment of the four species. Ideally, a lulav consists of a tightly closed frond of the date palm tree.To qualify, the lulav must be ramrod straight, with whole leaves that lay closely together, and not be bent or broken at the top. The twin middle-most leaves, which naturally grow together and are known as the tiyomet (תיומת, "twin"), should ideally not be split at all; however, the lulav remains kosher as long as the twin middle leaves are not split more than a handbreadth, approximating 3-4 inches.

The term lulav also refers to the lulav in combination with two of the other species—the aravah and the hadass—that are bound together to perform the mitzvah of waving the lulav. These three species are held in one hand while the etrog is held in the other. The user brings his or her hands together and waves the species in all four directions, plus up and down, to attest to God's mastery over all of creation. This ritual also symbolically voices a prayer for adequate rainfall over all the Earth's vegetation in the coming year..."

The following images were shot last night (September 19, 2010), using available incandescent light, as the Shuk was crowded with shoppers critically examining the ritual fitness of the lulavim and etrogim. Because there were several religious photography students shooting photos, the Haredi shoppers who normally resent photographers were actually posing for the students.

Etrogim in the Shuk

During the intermediate days of Sukkot, Jerusalem fills with dense crowds of worshipers and visitors, resulting in serious traffic jams and altered bus routes. Where there are crowds, the need for security increases, and the police have been out in force during the holiday. Here are a few images from Sunday, September 26, 2010:

Security detail in the Kotel Plaza.

  

Away from the surging nearby crowds, a Sukkah in the Davidson Archaeological Gardens, adjacent to the Kotel.

A note to be placed among the Kotel's stones.

Approaching the Kotel.

 View of the uppermost part of Temple Mount,
Jerusalem, October 27, 2010

Postscript:

Immediately after the Six-Day War of 1967, General Moshe Dyan decided to cede control of the Temple Mount precinct to the Waqf (the Muslim religious authorities in Jerusalem). This is a decision that many have come to regret. The Waqf rules the area with a heavy hand and any non-Muslim visitors suspected of the slightest outward display of active religious devotion (body motion, lips moving silently, etc) are immediately surrounded and ejected from the mountain. 

So it was very strange to see what appeared to be a small Sukkah standing freely in the area between the Dome of the Rock and El Aksa mosques. Of course, it wasn't really a Sukkah but more probably a visual curtain to prevent people from seeing the extensive illegal and damaging excavations that have been conducted by the Waqf over the last several years.

But it was, even if only for a fleeting moment, an image of how things could be one day, when we've managed to forge a true peace of mind and spirit. But I'm afraid this will require divine intervention.

Cultural Resources in Jerusalem - What gets preserved and what gets bulldozed?

A new bit of history unearthed in my neighborhood.

In a vacant Jerusalem lot slated for construction, workers recently encountered an ancient quarry. There was no official signage, other than a list of construction companies involved in developing the parcel. The site was evidently exposed and prepared for photography by archaeological professionals (situations like this fall under the purview of the Israel Antiquities Authority).

Respecting the site, I took this photo from outside the corrugated metal fencing that surrounds the property:


However, in retrospect, I wish I had gone in and explored the newly exposed site, because less than one week later...


... it was jack hammered into oblivion. The new apartment building is now nearing completion.

Changes threaten Jerusalem's German Colony

At the entrance of Jerusalem's German Colony neighborhood (corner of Emek Refaim and Bethlehem Road) stand two buildings that reflect the architectural character of the neighborhood which was established by the German Templars during the nineteenth century. The church and associated adjacent building are threatened by developers who think we need yet another luxury building at the expense of eviscerating the historical integrity of the Templers' German Colony district. Many neighborhood residents have organized to oppose the replacement of these structures.


The following is excerpted from:
http://www.armtown.com/news/en/htq/20100401/201004011/

"In his book about the German Colony, Jerusalem architect and historian David Kroyanker says that the community used the building for weddings, funerals, prayer services and political gatherings. The Palestine branch of the Nazi Party held its meetings there.

During World War II, the British Mandate government expelled the Templers as enemy aliens. After the war, with East Jerusalem cut off from West Jerusalem, the small Armenian community was left without a place of prayer, and in response to a request by the Armenian patriarch, Israel gave him the small German community center as their church. The caretaker's home was given to Anahid's parents, who had to leave their home in Baka during the fighting, and the couple because the church caretakers.

Since then, time seems to have stood still in the complex. Ohannessian lives in the house by herself with two dogs and a cat. Although the spot is one of the busiest intersections in the capital, there is not a neighbor for hundreds of meters around.

Ohannessian lived peacefully in the house until, a few years ago, she found out the building and land had been bought by a real estate developer, who plans to put up an eight-story hotel on the site."