Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, Has Sure Changed

We lived in Bayit Vegan, and even owned an apartment there, before moving to Shiloh. When we bought our apartment in early 1971, Bayit Vegan was a stronghold of Mizrachi, Mafdal, National Religious Party neighborhood. Rabbi Min-Hahar was the official Chief Rabbi of the neighborhood. There was a large mamlachti dati, state religious elementary school, Neve Etzion, Most of the men wore crocheted kippot and the women some sort of scarf or hat. Admittedly there was a sizable Chareidi population, too, and they had their educational institutions. There were also quite a few non-religious residents, mostly on Rechov Uziel and the beginning of Rechov Bayit Vegan. Our building was mixed. There were a few non-religious among the twenty apartments.

By the time we moved to Shiloh in 1981, things were changing, and it was pretty clear that the chareidim would be the majority. Many of the dati le'umi, national religious, like ourselves moved to yishuvim in Judea and Samaria and even Gush Katif, like Rachel and Moshe Saperstein.

I hadn't taken a walk around Bayit Vegan for a very long time, decades. I've only been on Rechov Uziel to visit a friend in the Shalom Hotel. Actually, that was my destination last Wednesday. But since there no longer is an easy to take #21 bus from downtown Jerusalem to the hotel, I took the train to Mt. Herzl aka Rechov Hapisga, the main drag of Bayit Vegan. I had time, so I took a leisurely stroll by my old haunts.

I just want to make things clear. I believe in free enterprise and don't consider us as being pushed out of the neighborhood. We wanted to move to a small community in Land liberated in the 1967 Six Days War. There are natural dynamics in how populations change. The fact that today's Bayit Vegan is not the Bayit Vegan I enjoyed living in forty years ago doesn't bother me. I find it interesting. One of the reasons we sold our apartment was that there was no market for rentals on the third floor in the early 1980's. If we had been making good money  on rent, then we probably would have kept it. We used the money to build a house using a quality contractor. 

Here are some pictures:

The Calder is familiar, overlooking Mt. Herzl, Yad Veshem, but there weren't trains way back when.

None of this was here. At most there was some felafel, small grocers, a stationery store, butcher shop. There weren't enough customers for the chains to care.

This sign protests internet. Hmm sure not my neighborhood.

Migdal, the old NRP shul looks the same, but I've been told that it's now Chareidi. There isn't much of a dati leumi synagogue left in the neighborhood.

There were hundred of kids exiting the old Neve Etzion school, which is no longer a state religious school. There is now a chareidi school, actually two. I could see the campus divided by a wall for girls and boys. It's also full of caravans or prefab classrooms. 

The only familiar site was a friend who was volunteering as a crossing guard. There are so many children, cars and buses, that they have to use adults to conduct the traffic. I stayed an spoke to her for awhile to get more information about the changes in the neighborhood.

Two of my daughters went to a small private gan, nursery school on Rechov Hachida. It was then a very quiet, sleepy street. 

Just across from our apartment was a large private home, the size of an apartment house, with a big beautiful garden facing us. I was shocked to see it surrounded by a fence, and then I peeked in and saw that the house and garden are gone, and apparently there will be some new building there.

And here it is, our building. There's now a fourth floor, and the people in our apartment closed off the front merpeset, balcony. My kids and their friends had so much fun playing there. I thought it was the best thing about the apartment. 

a view from the side
The building was known for its green and white trissim, shades. Not too many are left.

There had been, all the years we were there, an empty lot next to us. And next to the empty lot was a playground. Building had begun on the lot when we were planning our move.

This ugly thing is what they built.

The playground is being redone. We used to go there every day.

I used to be able to see it from my kitchen balcony.

I'm truly glad that today Bayit Vegan is thriving. And I'm even happier that I live in Shiloh.

The Beginning of Something New

I'll be writing more about this as we adjust to it. From today we have a new bus system. We have two new routes. Our buses look different, and they no longer go to and from the Central Bus Station. For those who can read Hebrew you'll see that they are from Pisgat Zeev, across from the mall.

The good news is that more buses will come up to my neighborhood. That's the 461. It will be much better for me.

The bad news is that we'll have to take another bus or the train just to get to the bus, and not enough lines go to the Pisgat Ze'ev Mall. And it's also pretty far, not walking distance from all the other Jerusalem neighborhoods.

Shabbat Shalom

Travel, Tremping and Public Transportation, a "Typical" Day

Just in case you're curious as to how I travel... Yesterday after studying in Matan I visited an elderly friend in the Shalom Hotel, Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem..

sunrise, while waiting
for a ride

But let me start from the beginning. Once a week I study in Matan. That's the day I try to do all sorts of errands in Jerusalem. I get up very, very early. One of the reasons I have to get up early is my morning "elimination" routine. I once read that it's important to clean out old food before putting in new food. So I can't leave home until that is finished with.

I leave the house just after 6am. I've been hitching a ride with a school van driver who goes to Ofra. In Ofra I wait for a ride to Jerusalem. It usually takes a few minutes for someone to come out with empty seats in their car and offer us rides. As we get close to Jerusalem I check to see what their destination is and figure out where to get off. Last week I got a ride to walking distance (and I had enough time) from Matan which was great. The only problem has been that there are terrible traffic jams even so early in the morning. A half hour trip has been taking over an hour and a half. That means that instead of the lovely walks I used to take to Matan, I now have to rush from bus to train to bus, depending on where I'm let off.

Yesterday, I was let off at Givat HaTachmoshet, between Ramat Eshkol and French Hill. I caught the lightrail and took it to "City Hall," used the WC's and then hopped on the train for one stop to Strass and Yaffo Streets. There I caught the 18 which goes closest to Matan. And on the bus I ate my breakfast. I got to Matan just in time for my class.

Going home was less direct, because I had a few errands. A friend dropped my off at a bus stop which had the 18 and 77. I had to go to "Jerusalem Center," downtown, near Ben-Yehuda Street. Unfortunately, I forgot that the 18 takes King David Street in the other direction, and I had a bit of a walk to get to my destination. I had planned on printing pictures, but the picture place no longer takes dvds, so I'll have to do it from home. They told me how. From there I went to the corner of King George and Yaffo to buy my ns10 salad and ate it.

Then still on my 90 minute bus ticket, I was able to take the train two stops to Machane Yehuda to buy some fruit. After that, still within the 90 minutes I caught the train to the Mount Herzl stop so I could walk to my friend. I had plenty of time, so I wandered around, which is something I hadn't done there for over 33 years, even since we had moved to Shiloh.

Nothing stays the same, not even our old building.

Our old home in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem. We were on the top floor, which today isn't the top floor.

But I'll blog more about that visit at a later time, G-d willing.

After visiting my friend, I took the #21 to the train on Herzl Blvd. From there I caught the #143 to the "city line." The bus, train and bus were all on the same ticket; we get 90 minutes of free transfers. There I waited for either a Shiloh bus or ride. I got a tremp to Ofra and then another tremp to the Shiloh Junction where I saw my friend waiting for a ride in the other direction.

Then I got a ride to the Shiloh-Shvut Rachel Junction, and from there I got a ride to the "downtown" Shiloh parking lot, which is half way up the hill which goes to my house. I started walking up, and someone stopped to give me a ride to near the start of my street. When I got off, I met a friend there and talked. And then I got home, thank G-d.

Just in case you were curious about how I manage to live without a car, and without patience to sit around waiting for buses.

This Year Too Many Olives Have Gone to Waste

No, this isn't a political post. There's nothing controversial about these olives. They grow in the tree by my house on my land, near the front door.

The problem is that unlike in previous years, I haven't had requests by people to pick them. The ground underneath is splattered with olives that had fallen. Usually all sorts of neighbors as for my olives, and I usually say "yes," hinting that we'd like some of the oil.

They probably should have been harvested about a month ago. We've never collected olives to take to the olive presses for oil. One of my daughters tried a few times to salt/pickle them or whatever people do to make olives for eating. Hers never came out tasting very good, so these olives are waiting.

Davka, yesterday one of our regulars asked, so maybe they will be harvested and maybe we'll get some really fresh and pure olive oil. It's such a waste not to use them. They are gifts from G-d.

That Chessed חסד Kindness Mitzvah Bonus

Financially my job pays as low a salary as any job in Israel legally can, but there are other bonuses. I'm not referring here to the enjoyment meeting old friends and the funny situations we get into, but those unplanned opportunities to do Chessed חסד, a kind deed to others.

Last night at work, I got a call from a neighbor. I didn't know him by name, but he said that he lived in the caravans (mobile homes) just across from me. He needed an emergency purchase from the Rami Levy discount supermarket which is in the shopping center right next to where I work. He needed baby formula. There are things I won't get, but that was something I was willing to get to help a tiny baby. I ran into the supermarket and found the formula he needed and even found some other neighbors shopping who could take it home immediately. I called him to let him know and figured that was it.

Then just as I was leaving work, a few minutes early, because a friend came by to get me and I was no longer needed, he called again.

"According to the date on the can, it has expired. Can you get another with a later date?"
"Sorry, it never occurred to me to check. But so and so  is still working. Call him, and he can probably pick it up for you."

And that's what he did. He told me when he came over a bit later to pay me. That was quite an evening. A whole bunch of neighbors became involved with helping a little baby get food.

While I was riding home with my friend, we both commented gratefully that we were able to breast-feed our children and never had such emergencies. We are both grandmothers now, and just thinking of  the idea of having to try out and choose formulas, bottles, nipples, level of sterilization etc seems so impossible to imagine.

The bottom line here is that I do live in a wonderful community, Shiloh, in which we truly do our best to help each other, thank G-d.

Trees, Wow, the 52 Frames Challenge/Theme

I took a lot of pictures of trees this past week for 52 Frames. It was easy to find trees but hard to pick a striking picture. You can see some of them on my facebook album from this month.

Here's the one I chose, after feeling like I was ODing on green.

picture on album, you can like or comment there, too

And here are a couple I almost chose.

Who knows where the photo I chose was taken?

Did I choose incorrectly? Please let me know in the comments, thanks.

Havel Havelim in Aliyah Land

Tzivia, the blogger and children's book writer is the host of this week's Havel Havelim.

She has done a fantastic job as usual. Take a look, read the posts, comment and share.

Your don't have to be a blogger to read, share and comment on blogs.

Havel Havelim is the weekly international Jewish blog carnival which floats from blog to blog. We organize on our Facebook page, and next  week's host is rickismom at Beneath the Wings.

Blogging is still a great invention. We can all run our own magazines...

G-d is Great! Amazing "Tremp" Story

First of all, as proof to my statement that "G-d is great" just look at this picture:

No artist could do it better!

And I also must thank G-d for providing me with such wonderful transportation recently.Yes, this picture is the introduction to rides only G-d could orchestrate.

Last Thursday just as I was about to leave the store and sign out from work, someone I know from the Shiloh area came in. I already had my coat on, but I began helping him. He said that I shouldn't bother, he'd manage. I should go home and not worry.

"But I'm not going home."
"Oh, are you going to Jerusalem?"
"Yes."
"Then you can come with us. My wife is waiting in the car."

And I went with them to Jerusalem. When it was time for me to go home, I got a ride to the "city line," aka the Jerusalem-Hizme "border." After a few minutes a car came going to Eli. Just as I was asking if I could get off at the Shiloh Junction, I looked up. Behind that car was the same family that had taken me to Jerusalem. They signalled me to join them, which I very happily did. And they took me home, straight to my door.

G-d is Great!!

Riding the Jerusalem Light-rail in Times of Terror

Cross-posted on Shiloh Musings

Ever since the summer war and terrorism, when Arabs attacked the lightrail which goes through their neighborhoods between Pisgat Ze'ev and Givat HaMivtar Jerusalem, I've ridden it much less than previously. There have been many reported Arab terror attacks and harassment of Jews. Besides the safety aspect, there have been times when the train was delayed, so a long indirect trip, although comfortable, had become an unsafe one.

Many people avoid taking it further north than French Hill, and now after a couple of fatal terror attacks on the "seam,' the stops between Givat Hatachmoshet, Ramat Eshkol and Sha'ar Shechem, more people are looking for buses than ever.

Yesterday I ended up getting off a ride to Jerusalem at Pisgat Zeev, and yesterday was Thursday afternoon when the traffic is pretty heavy, especially on the routes I'd need to get to downtown Jerusalem. My mind was busy going over the pros and cons of the routes I know which can be caught in Pisgat Zeev.

But without any bus in view, I got on the train with the intention of going just two stops within Pisgat Zeev to change for a bus. I was curious to see how the #66 route was. I called the son I was to meet, and he told me to stay on the train, which would take me right near his apartment. So, that's what I did.

I sat in the front behind the dirver, where it reportedly is and feels much safer. There have been reports of more harassment in the rear of the train.Hardly anyone was on the train even though it was Thursday afternoon, a busy shopping time. Maybe the other direction was fuller.

As we approached, Shuafat, the first stop after Pisgat Zeev, I got nervous, because I could see a whole bunch of men crowded together at the stop, in what appeared in my mind to be a threatening manner. There's no picture of them, because I thought I'd be safer with my camera and phone tucked away.

It wasn't until we stopped that I saw their uniforms and realized that they were Border Police or regular  police, not sure with all the bulletproof vests and all.

Besides them, nobody was waiting to get on.

A security guard walked up and down the train. For the first time, he was equipped with a very impressive weapon. I overheard him telling another passenger that it was new. Prior the guards were protected by bulletproof vests, but didn't have much else. I'm not sure about pistols.  People were more afraid of the ticket inspectors and the fines they could impose.

I don't think a dozen people got on the train at the three Arab neighborhood stops. I don't know how much they wanted to avoid security inspections or because they had nothing to do where the train was going. Many usually get on and off at the Old City (Sha'ar Shechem) or the seam stops (Shimon HaTzadik and Shivtei Yisrael) which skirt Arab neighborhoods. They do have lots of buses to use as alternative public transportation.

The streets of East Jerusalem were quiet.  You could see more security than ordinary shoppers.

As we got to the areas of the recent Arab terror attacks, there was a lot of police to be seen.

And soon the train was packed. At the two first downtown stops, the Municipality (City Hall) and "Jaffa Center," so many people tried to enter the train that the driver had to override the passengers option to open the doors. He locked the doors while people were clamoring to get into the suddenly packed train. I was afraid I'd have trouble exiting.

Just before my stop, I caught the eye of an older woman who was standing and told her that I was giving her my seat. She kept insisting that she was fine standing and I should sit. It took me a bit to convince her that I needed to get off at the next stop, so I wasn't getting up because I thought she looked more decrepit/elderly than myself.

The bottom line is that I had a safe trip on the train and got to where I needed to be without any hassles and relatively quickly, when you take into account I didn't wait long and didn't need to get off and then wait for a bus which could easily have been slow due to the hour.

The talk on the train among strangers and conversations I've had with friends about the lightrail centers on one theme. There should be a way for the train to bypass the Arab neighborhoods. The train should be able to get from Pisgat Ze'ev to the depot. It can already go from the depot straight to Givat Hamivtar/French Hill. That would have the double advantage of making the trip faster and staying out of the Arab neighborhoods where trains and train stops have been attacked. None of the ticket machines can be used there. The Arab terrorists/rioters have destroyed them.

The train goes right by the location of "my terror attack" making the trip a reminder of how G-d saved me. That attack was long before the lightrail was built. And that terror attack was the first one in which a terrorist used a vehicle to mow down innocent people at a bus stop. It happened over eighteen years ago and now is the popular one by Arab terrorists. It's also the most impossible to fully prevent or predict.

And about predictions, I wouldn't dare try my hand predicting what's next concerning security and terror in Jerusalem.

Let's pray that our leaders get wisdom and use it.  And let's also pray for the speedy and complete recovery of all the injured in previous terror attacks.

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach
May it be a Peaceful and Blessed Sabbath, G-d willing

Pishers' Guide to Jerusalem #4, First Station

Please check out #3, #2 and #1 of the series. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments, thanks.

Yesterday I had some amazing "tremps," aka rides aka hitchhiking...

I ended up catching a ride in Ofra to Jerusalem. My hearing is awful, so I wasn't quite sure where they were taking me, but they said Derech Hebron, near the Menachem Begin Heritage Center which is close to Matan where I study once a week. That was perfect, since the Begin Center is a short walk from the Liberty Bell Park public toilets, which I've written about in #2 of this series.

But when he stopped to let me (and his wife) off, I saw that we were in front of the "First Station," the newly opened fun place, which had once been the Jerusalem Train Station, when a train ride to Tel Aviv or Haifa was a long picturesque indirect adventure.

And then it hit. There definitely are public toilets in the First Station, and since I saw people entering with exercise mats, (I could see that there was some sort of class about to start) the WC's must be open. And at my age, I've had to develop a good sense of where to find them.

Maybe it's because  this "fun spot" was supposed to appeal to the more secular Jerusalemite, or parents, sometimes fathers with daughters or mothers with sons, or whatever the reason, but this is an "everyone" public toilet. No public peeing for the men. Stalls for all.

It could have been because the morning cleaning and maintenance  hadn't yet been done because it was still a bit early, but there wasn't any toilet paper in my stall. Luckily I found some crumpled up tissue in my pocket. There wasn't a hook for my bag either, so I was forced to put it on the not too clean floor.

But as they say in business, location is everything, and I was happy to find a reasonably clean WC just a few steps from where I entered. It's to the right of the main entrance.

You can see the people exercising if you look closely.

I didn't have the time to search out the other WC options there and have no doubt that during their main opening hours there are many more. If you can add information, then please write a comment, thanks.

I found the other way out, which took me closer to Emek Refa'im and got to class safely on time.

It Rained So Hard That...

When I went out the other day for a couple of errands and to help a neighbor, I didn't think it would rain much. It wasn't raining when I left the house, but by the time I left errand number one, it was raining. Considering that it was a short distance to my next stop, I mentioned to a friend that "this rain should be a blessing." She agreed and then we both went out together.

Complaining about the rain seemed pretty pathetic, considering that the neighbor I was talking to is a bereaved mother, and getting wet is "small potatoes" compared to what she has been through. 

After that next errand, the rain hadn't stopped, but I didn't have much time, and there was some blue peaking out between the clouds, so I told everyone, that the rain will stop soon. Oops! Was I wrong!

It Rained So Hard That...

...when I got to my friend's house, just a few minutes later, she had to give me an entire change of clothes I had gotten so wet!

This rain should just be a blessing. Last year we didn't have enough rainfall, and that includes the great snowstorm.

Shiloh, You Can't Miss It!

It seems that the local farmers want to make sure that Shiloh can be easily recognized. I noticed this when I was at the Tel last week.

What a Difference Color or Lack of it Makes, Quest for Scary Photos for 52 Frames

During the mental planning for this week's 52 Frames challenge/theme "scary" I thought of holding or getting someone to pose with either a knife dripping bright red ketchup or shooting the shadow of such a scene, but I didn't. It ended up easier to just work on my own.

Since some people are afraid of dogs, I took a couple of dog pictures.

And then at work I tried to show how frightening it can be from the top of a ladder.

But the photo doesn't show how the ladder shakes and how frightening/scary it can be standing up there.

So when waiting for a ride home, I took some photos of the threatening sky and silhouetted buildings in the direction of Tel Zion. As seen in real life it reminded me of the tower in Gretta's painting, which hangs for sale at Joe's Place, which I had photographed as another "scary" option.

When I went over the photos I had to choose from, this one spoke to me, though the colors were too warm and beautiful. So I went into the photo-editing program on my computer and played around. In the end I just took out the color, leaving it as black and white. Without color it needed a small amount of cropping, which I did.

original photo, taken at Sha'ar Binyamin

in black and white and lightly cropped for 52 Frames

What do you think?

Touring With AFSI in Shiloh

The indefatigable Helen Friedman
of AFSI, at Joe's Place, Tel Shiloh 

Last week I had the great privilege of leading the foremost American pro-Israel group, AFSI on a tour of  Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh.

We toured the archaological digs at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, had lunch and learned about the best red wine in the world made by Joe Bazer of "Joe's Place" and his biblical flutes. And then we saw the outstanding and inspiring movie at the tourist center of Shiloh Hakeduma.

Following are some photos I took:

In the lead is the legendary Glenn Richter of SSSJ 

For more information about AFSI, AFSI@rcn.com. You can visit the holy site of Tel Shiloh anytime. Guided tours can be arranged through the Shiloh HaKeduma, Ancient Shiloh office. Email visit@telshilo.org.il  or phone 02-994-4019.

Go Read This Week's Havel Havelim!

It's on Shiloh Musings...

Go! לך לך! Weekly International Jewish Blog Carnival, Havel Havelim

Enjoy!

Remember, you don't have to be a blogger to participate, read, share, Havel Havelim!!