Elderly man resting against the edge of the security barrier protecting Jerusalem's southern Gilo neighborhood from gunfire from Palestinian Beit Jala, in the distance. He appears unaware of the images on the wall behind him, one of a long mural along the barrier painted by schoolchildren and art students.  

Jerusalem's "envelope" folding, closing

"Jerusalem Envelope" barrier wall facing Beit Jala alongside capital's southern Gilo neighborhood.

Jerusalem Separation Barrier

Just a quick pic or two of an article I am preparing for The Jerusalem Post's In Jerusalem local Friday edition about the "Jerusalem Envelope" being more hurriedly established around the city in the wake of the suicide bombing in the vicinity of the old bus station in Tel Aviv over Passover.

Apparently, as I wrote in a blog entry at Little Green Footballs immediately after the attack, the terrorist, who originated in a village near Jenin in the northern West Bank gained entry to Israel via gaps in the still unfinished wall and fence surrounding Jerusalem's eastern bout, at least according to initial reports by Israeli security officials. Maybe here, maybe further north at the capital's northern tiers.

The veteran neighborhood of close to 40,000 inhabitants, situated on Jerusalem's southern edge facing, what was at least, once-Christian Palestinian Beit Jala across a green ravine a about a mile-plus away, was also the target of sporadic mortar and sniping attacks from Palestinian Authority areas over the last few years - with a recent attempt about a month ago to fire some eight mortars into the area foiled by Israeli security forces.

I took a walk through the area this morning 27/04/06 and noted the bulletproof glass installed in one-room-per-apartment to provide refuge against the shooting from the Palestinian areas.

I live close by, and note the daily stream of Palestinians coming into Jerusalem for work, commerce, etc, as they trudge their way up the hill and take the early No. 30, 31 and 32 morning buses into town with Gilo residents.

Police and Civil Guard patrols regularly cover area, but commonly do not bother the Palestinians, except for time-to-time ID checks. I ride with them regularly on those bus lines.

Pics of the area in the next blog entry...

Anti-Idiotarians list at Little Green Footballs

Massive thanks to Charles Johnson over at Little Green Footballs for listing this blog on the (infamous?) anti-idiotarians list.

Much more to say, but let this be a brief note until personal things settle down. Thanks for clicking over, in any case...

This is a warm spring evening view in Jerusalem from near the Supreme Court looking east towards the center of town, Photoshopped 'n' chopped.

High Over Jerusalem

I shot this dramatic image from a municipality-sponsored press helicopter (see other pic), on a cool, crystal clear - and very windy- autumn afternoon.

Nothing like hanging the camera half-out a window into the windstream blast, twisted near sideways about 800 meters over the Temple Mount to get the fear of God in ya.' When doing this kind of photography, "breathtaking," is no idle word...

On High Over Jerusalem
Posted by Dave

Yakub's Ladder. Shot at the famous old Hamam in Jaffa. the bulbous shapes are cupolas letting out steam, some with colored glass inserts allowing in light. I liked how the ladders ascended towards the sky. The man at the bottom is putting on a new coat of whitewash.

Day's End at Acco

Back on my feet and posting after a spring, summer and most of Autumn of many personal changes. Sigh.

I shot this with my Fuji S5000 at Acco's fishing docks. Eye candy for the moment, until I get back into politics and posting yada yada.

Deep in prayer late at night in a Jerusalem synagogue, off the city's Nahalat Shiva quarter.
Posted by Dave

Holocaust Rememberance Day and... MTV

Passover has, well, passed over (as of this posting here in Israel - all you Yids out there - give it another 24 hours. You're not supposed to be reading this now anyway...) and Israelis are turning their collective face to Holocaust Rememberance Day, on Wednesday, May 4th.

Ever see an entire country stop dead in its tracks for two minutes? And I mean four-lane highways and major city intersections with cars and busses pulling over, with people getting out and standing at stock silent attention? Airports and bus stations, business meetings and military maneuvers, tv and radio stations, school playgrounds and college campuses, supermarkets and malls, factories and farmers, religious and secular alike, old and young, Jews and Arab citizens all stop what they're doing when public sirens sound all over the country at 11:00 AM and take a moment to reflect on the, well, inconceiveable. And then, as the sirens die down, echoing across the Land and into the heart, move on.

Yad Vashem, the shattering Jerualem Holocaust Memorial, museum, research center and archive recently dedicated their newly-renovated museum, and it is a website worth clicking over to for background, news and events and the worlds largest database for Holocaust information.

I will have articles, photos, audio and other reports about all this as the week progresses, so check back.

Jewlicious has a surprising (putting it mildly) posting about - wait for it - MTV's Holocaust Day coverage... no kidding:

"I’m Still Here, Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust, presents the diaries of young people who experienced first-hand the terror of daily life during the Holocaust. Through an emotional montage of archival footage, personal photos, and text from the diaries themselves, the film tells the story of a group of young writers who refused to quietly disappear.Academy Award nominated director Lauren Lazin has directed the hour-long documentary. The film is scored by Moby and the diaries are read by some of today’s most talented young actors including Elijah Wood, Ryan Gosling, Kate Hudson, Brittany Murphy and Joaquin Phoenix, among others. Original footage was shot in Vilnius, Lithuania in the remnants of the old Jewish ghetto. Actor, director, and writer Zach Braff will host the program when it airs on MTV."

MTV and death camps. Who knew? This is, frankly, too weird for parody.