On my own in Jerusalem

I have now been in my Airbnb for two days. The Melton tour people put up a website with additional pictures. I would like to include some of them in the blog.

At the furniture factory with one of the survivors of October 7. She is in the foreground.

Re-organizing the lettuce forms. Avi was our Israeli tour guide.

I’m putting on gloves so I can process chicken hearts on the evening that we cooked dinner for IDF soldiers.

An incredibly emotional scene at the side of the music festival.

Lydia Aisenberg, international journalist and educator, from Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek.

Appetizers at this incredible restaurant in Tel Aviv.

Osi Lankri, our host and chef, talking about her experiences living close to the Gaza border.

The group at the site of the music festival

The group near the green line and near Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmet. In the background is the West Bank.

Another picture of me trimming grapevines

On my first day on my own, I was too tired to do much of anything. I just took the light rail up to the Mahane Yehuda market to get food for the days that I will be here. I love shopping at this market. Luckily, on a Monday morning, it’s not very crowded.

One of my go to shops to buy Israeli salads. They make the best eggplant salad here.

The results of my trip to the market. Starting from the olives and going clockwise is matjes herring, lox, eggplant salad and a mushroom salad. I also bought pistachio halvah and lychees.

On my second day on my own, I wandered into the old city. I went through the New Gate this time instead of the Jaffa gate. The new gate brings you right into the Christian quarter. I succeeded in getting lost and wound up after going through a number of turns at the Jaffa gate. I thought I was taking a shortcut. From there, I made it down to the Kotel. They have significantly increased the size of the women’s section. I was glad to see that because most of the time that I’ve visited, there have been more women than men. The men’s side is still larger. Also, a large contingency of police officers were at the site. I know that the IDF swears in its soldiers at the Kotel. I wonder if it is the same for police officers. An interesting coincidence, when sitting at the Kotel, I heard the call to prayer coming from the TempleMount. I sat there for at least 45 minutes before making my way back to my Airbnb. On the way back I was able to figure out how to get to the New Gate without getting lost.