The Streets of Jerusalem

I’m usually the last person to know what’s going on in the news. When something scary happens in Israel, I hear about it from my friends in the US when they check up on me to make sure I’m okay. For example, last week, when Iran attacked Israel with missiles, I woke up at my usual time in the morning and found several text messages from friends in the US saying that they were praying for me. It turns out that despite sleeping with the window open, I had slept through bomb sirens and the sounds of the Iron Dome shooting down Iranian missiles.

With the Shiloh excavation season coming up in less than a month, I have been getting a lot of questions about the situation in Israel, and how safe it is here. And, perhaps I’m not the best person to ask, since I am fairly oblivious to what is being reported in the news. But, what I can do is share my perception of the current situation based on what I’ve personally seen and experienced in the past few months.

The streets of the Old City in Jerusalem are quiet these days, comparatively speaking. Tourism has been very low since the war started. Yet, without the throngs of noisy tourists, the life and heartbeat of the Old City shines through in ways I never experienced before. Shopkeepers still faithfully open their shops and sit out front to woo passersby. The downturn in tourism has hurt their businesses badly. The shopkeepers on my street all know me by now. They smile and say hello when I pass by.

School children fill the streets for a few minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon. On my morning walks, I often pass mothers dropping their children off at Jaffa Gate or New Gate. They stop for a moment to watch their little ones march boldly up the stone cobbled streets in their tidy blue uniforms with their backpacks dragging behind them. In the afternoons, the slightly older children congregate at the pastry shop to purchase after-school treats. The little ones return to the city gates where their mothers are waiting for them, but the return journey is punctuated with giggling, bouncing balls, and some roughhousing, particularly amongst the boys.

The different types of locals in the Old City are more obvious in the absence of tourists. In the Christian Quarter, where I live, the locals are mostly Arabs, but there are also quite a few European priests and nuns. At Jaffa Gate, I see a wider mix of locals – Jews, Muslims, and Christians all coming and going, and all making a point of minding their own business and not stirring up any trouble. The police presence in the Old City is a little more pronounced than usual, especially on weekends. The police and the locals alike seem unified in maintaining the peace.

In the past month or so, I have noticed an increase in tourism. I have only seen a couple of large groups. Mostly I have observed groups of four or five people, often with a tour guide. Yet, it is encouraging to see that people are once again venturing into Israel.

I usually go on my morning walk before the city starts to wake up.

This is the same street a little later in the day. Only about half of the shops are open, and most of the people in the streets are locals.

This is a street that I often take on my way to Jaffa Gate. At certain times in the mornings and afternoons, this street is filled with children. In between, it is usually quiet.

This has been the view out my front door for the past couple of weeks. Workmen have been fixing a sewer pipe, as is quite obvious by the smell. One day, they got carried away with securing the area, and locked me into my apartment. I had to text a friend to come help me get out!

The Mamila Mall, just outside Jaffa Gate, is a popular hangout for locals, and it is as busy as ever. I took this photo in the morning just when the stores were starting to open, and it was already bustling with people.

Jaffa Street is a favorite of locals and tourists alike. The lack of tourism is noticeable here, but the local population continues to enjoy the shops and restaurants, so this area is certainly more lively than the Old City.