It’s been a criminally long time since I’ve written a real live blog post about living in Jerusalem – which I’ve been doing for the past 8 weeks. That’s a long time! In those two months, I’ve lived through some incredible happenings.
I spent a Shabbat in the Old City, walking to the Western Wall on Friday night, surrounded by thousands of Orthodox and Haredi Jews partying and singing and dancing like the world was about to end. I’ve spent countless afternoons winding through the Arab quarter of the city in search of the best tiny, usually hidden falafel place. I’ve walked past Bibi Netanyahu’s house and wondered what he does right before bed (my guess: pray, fervently, and not for God to bless him). I’ve bought my produce, and, of course, my pastries, in Shuk Mahane Yehuda; I’ve drank at Jerusalem’s many pubs (compared to Tel Aviv’s many clubs). I’ve gone salsa dancing in a mall in Talpiyot, where there was a Bar Mitzvah going on in the banquet hall next door (read: yes, all this in a mall). I’ve sat in a nargilah bar filled with elderly Arab men smoking like the hose was a breathing tube… and stumbled out after just a few minutes. I’ve sat in the world’s biggest Ultra-Orthodox synagogue (seating for 10,000) and listened to a man tell me none of his 8 kids have ever been on the Internet. Continue reading
