Art and Suzanne's News Our Month in Jerusalem

We walked through Liberty Bell Park Saturday on our way to Succat Hallel. It was a beautiful evening with the end of Shabbat approaching, so lots of families were enjoying the park. We decided to check out the playground to see if Sophie and Sam would approve. They’re connoiseurs.

We reminisced about taking our kids to this same park in the summer of 1983 when we lived in Jerusalem. Sure enough, the dragon statue they climbed on is still there, and we were pretty sure Sophie and Sam would be all over it. But that was nothing compared to the fountain. They would be in the water in a flash. Margaret would be chasing Sam as gracefully as she chased him down the aisle in the Catholic church a couple of weeks ago when he broke loose and was running full-speed toward the altar and the priest.

One of the things we were so impressed with in 1983 was the creativity of the playground facilities. The three-tongued monster slide–”the mefletzit” was our children’s favorite, and it’s still there in Kiryat Hayovel where we lived then. It was such a stark contrast to what we saw when we lived in Slovakia a while after the fall of communism, and we were saddened that there were no good places for children to play. Sophie and Sam would definitely not have approved of communist life.

We’re learning our way around. Art actually likes getting a little bit lost because he loves hauling out the map and pouring over it. I’m more like Sakajawea–”I feel like it’s over there somewhere.”

Ohad told us that bus 18 goes to Mahane Yehuda and that we can buy tickets from the driver, which is so much better than trying to figure out a vending machine in a language you can’t read. It was tough enough in the grocery store trying to figure out which bottle is shampoo and which is conditioner. Fortunately, Art’s Hebrew is good enough to read the word “shampoo.”

In 1983, when the kids were little and we lived in Jerusalem for the summer, we rode the buses all the time. Once I left my bag with our passports and apartment keys on the bus because I was trying to make sure I got off with three kids and Don’s umbrella stroller. The rule was that any unattended bag was dangerous and was taken to the dessert and blown up. I panicked, but Margaret, who was eleven, remembered seeing a police station near the bus stop. By then the bag had been evacuated from the bus and turned in. By the time we reached the police station, we looked so pathetic that the officer agreed to open the bag and look at the passports that proved we were the guilty ones.

It’s wonderful to just live here and not feel the obligation to rush around seeing the sights. We’ve already seen them. Now we’re just interested in enjoying the place and the people. So, our purpose wasn’t really to get to Mahane Yehuda, but to find King of Kings, the church we want to attend on Sunday. We did it!

Please watch the slideshow, and you can enjoy Mahane Yehuda without all the sweating. Shalom.