A divided city

By now most of you have probably seen my in-laws’ incredible pictures of the Kotel from the summer of 1967 – i.e. just a few weeks after the Six Day War. (If you missed the photos, be sure to check them out here.)

Well, I recently discovered that my paternal grandparents z”l spent Pesach 1967 – i.e. just BEFORE the Six Day War – in Israel and took their own amazing pictures of Yerushalayim.

As always, I highly recommend that you click on each of these historic photos for a much better view.

First, two pictures of my bubby z”l standing in front of the Mandelbaum Gate (the former checkpoint dividing Yerushalayim), which was torn down immediately following the war:

The sign reads, “Halt. Frontier Ahead.”

Next, a view looking up Rechov Agron toward the intersection where King George Street becomes Keren HaYesod Street:

Note that modern landmarks such as the Plaza Hotel and the Great Synagogue did not yet exist in 1967.

As you can see in the next picture, Heichal Shlomo, which was only nine years old at the time, still had no neighbors:

The old Yerushalayim train station:

Looking over the King David Hotel toward the walls of what was then the Jordanian-occupied Old City:

Little did anyone know that within a matter of weeks, Yerushalayim would be miraculously reunited, and the Old City would once again be accessible to all. No longer would the Jewish People have to gaze at the heart of the city from afar.

A view of Migdal David (the Tower of David) and Shaar Yafo (Jaffa Gate):

And finally, two views from Har Tzion (Mount Zion) – which remained in Israeli hands after the Jordanians seized control of the Old City in 1948 - looking back toward the Windmill and Yemin Moshe:

Apparently, my grandparents z”l took part in some sort of festive procession (a hachnasat sefer Torah?) leading up to Har Tzion.

לשנה הבאה בירושלים הבנויה!

Happy Yom Yerushalayim!

Little Bo Peep has lost her… cows?

Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for parental boasting. Proceed at your own risk.

It’s like watching a train wreck.

What with Yom HaAtzma’ut and even Pesach Sheni behind us, it’s just a matter of days before Lag BaOmer arrives in all its flaming, sooty, and incomprehensible glory.

For those just tuning in, Lag BaOmer, aka “the Night of the Tightly Sealed Windows,” consistently ranks (at least for adults) alongside Chodesh Irgun at the very top of the annual “what time of year do you dread the most” poll.

But while there’s absolutely nothing one can do to prevent Lag BaOmer from happening, one CAN turn to the time-honored traditions of avoidance and denial in a desperate attempt at mitigating some of its inherent unpleasantness.

To this end – and with your indulgence, of course - I’d like to take a few minutes to remind myself that being the Anglo parent of Israeli offspring isn’t always about heaps of smoke-infused laundry and enough stockpiled wood to light up, well, a small country…

After all, upon occasion, those very same Israeli offspring have a habit of accomplishing some pretty amazing things.

(Yes, this is where the aforementioned parental bragging begins…)

For instance, as you may recall, a few months ago I featured a poster that a certain Shiputzim daughter had skillfully drawn for her Mishnah class.

Recently, she had to make another project for the same class, and this time, she chose to make a diorama about Bava Metzia 2:9, which asks, “what is an aveidah (a lost item)?”

As you can see in the following pictures, the right side represents a case which isn’t considered to be an aveidah (“one who found a donkey or a cow grazing along the road”), and the left side depicts an example of something that IS an aveidah (“a cow runs among the vineyards”):

As always, please click on the pictures for a much better view.

</parental boasting>

What is your preferred method for dealing with Lag BaOmer’s nuisances?

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Hinei Rakevet…

In between partying at last night’s wonderful Yom HaAtzma’ut celebration, watching the Chidon HaTanach earlier today, and then enjoying a delicious BBQ (i.e. a mangal, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you), the Shiputzim family managed to find time to revisit Israel's version of the bridge to nowhere.

As you may recall, the bridge was built for the high-speed train which will eventually run from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim.

Since those pictures were taken, considerable progress has been made, and in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israel Railways offered free bus tours of the bridge and the tunnels behind it.

In addition, they had set up a festive fairground of sorts – complete with various attractions for the entire family.

As always, click on the pictures for a better view:

There were entertainers and patriotically-shaped balloons:

Other attractions included model trains, a picnic area, blue and white Lego, a movie, and inflatable rides for the kids:

Rounded concrete slabs which are used to line the tunnels and are installed robotically:

The erstwhile bridge-to-nowhere:

One of the tunnels:

The bridge leading into the tunnels:

Looking down at families on a Yom HaAtzma’ut hike in the valley below the bridge:

And finally, a video from inside the tunnel, which was bedecked with flashing lights in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut. As you can hear, the bus driver played loud music, and if you watch carefully, you can catch a brief glimpse of the tour guide:

מועדים לשמחה

!לאלתר לגאולה שלמה

Happy Yom HaAtzma’ut to all!

J-Blogosphere notes

Several items of note:

1) Rav Natan Slifkin lists the seven wonders of the Jewish world.

2) Maya has some great tips for getting what you want in Israel. (Mazal tov to Maya and her husband on the birth of their baby daughter!)

3) Rafi G. shares a very funny pretzel commercial.

4) Laura baked a well cake and ring cookies in honor of Parshat Chayei Sarah.

5) Batya discusses the future of the Jerusalem Light Rail.

!שבוע טוב

Here comes the trolley

Guest blogger Malke recently experienced a new low in higher education.

Take it away, Malke!

On the Right Track?

A Guest Post by Malke

This week, I began teaching, for the second time, a course in medical ethics to nursing students at one of the country's colleges.

Like last year, I began with a famous problem in ethics known as "The Trolley Problem" - except that I call it "The Train Problem," because I don’t know how to say trolley in Hebrew… :-)

Basically, it goes like this: There’s a train (or trolley) speeding down the tracks, and tied to the tracks are 5 innocent people.

You don’t have time to stop the train or to untie the people. But you can flip a switch that will divert the train to another track, where there’s only one person tied. What do you do?

The point is to get the students discussing the problem and the moral differences between their answers.

The discussion was going rather well… until one student raised her hand.

The following represents the ensuing dialogue between me and said student - whom, I will remind you, is IN COLLEGE:

Student: You don’t have to do anything, because the conductor will know how to stop the train in time.

Me: No, he won’t.

Student: No, no, he will. They learn how to do that.

Me: Okay, there’s no conductor in the train.

Student: How can you drive a train without a conductor?

******

Thanks, Malke!

Your student’s parents must be so proud…

Guest Post: Stop and go

Hey, kids!

Listen up.

If you stay in school and practice your Heblish, you, too, can end up working for the Israel Railway Authority.

Guest blogger Malke has the scoop:

Heblish - Israel Railway Authority Style

A Guest Post by Malke

Usually, I take the 7:43 AM train to Tel Aviv, which is an express, or as the intercom proclaims in both Hebrew and English:

"Harakevet hina rakevet mehira l'Tel Aviv - This train is an express train to Tel Aviv."

Yesterday, though, I took the local, or as Rakevet Yisrael (Israel Railways) informed me:

"Harakevet hina rakevet parvarit l'Kfar Saba - This train is a stopping train to Kfar Saba."

Now mind you, this wasn't some young Israeli guy picking up the mike and talking. This was the official, pre-recorded announcement of the Rail Authority…

Thanks, Malke, and I’m glad to hear that yesterday’s commute was less stressful than usual. I mean, it must have been nice not to have to jump out of a moving train, for a change…

[Nobody’s] been workin’ on the railroad

Recently, the Knesset State Control Committee met to discuss the Yerushalayim-Tel Aviv high-speed railway, a project which is way behind schedule and way over budget.

Although the Tel Aviv-Modiin portion of the line is currently in use, most of the Modiin-Yerushalayim section is nowhere near completion.

Meanwhile, a few years ago, railway workers finished building a long bridge just outside of Modiin.

The bridge was designed to lead into a tunnel under a nearby mountain, but it remains to be seen when – or, perhaps, even if – construction will commence on the tunnel.

Here’s what the bridge looks like from above. (As always, click for a closer view.)

And there you have it.

The Israeli version of the bridge to nowhere…

___________

Special thanks to YZG for taking these pictures during a recent road trip.

Update: Leora has another view of the same bridge here.