Dearest readers,

Jerusalem daily photo is going to be taking a holiday for the next 2 weeks. I am getting married on the 24th!

Hope to see you all soon.

D

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the pomegranate!

Now, when I set writing to you this morning about the Hebrew term for pomegranate - RIMON, I thought that I would tell you the interesting fact that in Hebrew the term for the fruit and the term for a handgrenade are the same. After giving it a little thought, and taking into account the fact that Jerusalem has been the site of countless battles and wars throughout her troubled history, I decided to not to reveal this unfortunate fact.

However, when I started reading a little about the etymology of the word, i discovered that in French, a promegranate is known as la grenade, and it was from this source that the weapon derived its name.

Fancy that!

Eurasian Jay

With summer steaming a head, and after a heat wave like none other, this Eurasian Jay was spotted in the evening sun.

Apple Blossom

Shalom,

The apple blossoms are starting to decorate the countryside and I thought that you would like to see one up close. Its weird to think that apples are known more for their fruit than for their flowers, but aren't these guys a snazzy pair?

Ants Matching

Ben Yehuda Street Mall

Eliezer Ben Yehuda, after whom this street was named, was the first individual to compose a dictionary for the Hebrew language. It wouldn't be fair to give him all the credit, because he would not have been able to complete this task without the dedicated assistance of his trusty wife and companion - who actually helped him collate the document.

Hours before the Sabbath arrives in Jerusalem, Ben Yehuda street is a bustling hive of tourists, locals and sooth-sayers. These young yeshiva boys are trying to eek out a living by juggling.

Can't be easy - juggling careers.

This is a photo of a secret garden that my fiance'e and I discovered a couple of weeks ago in the neighborhood. Tomorrow I plan to venture into a few of the other charismatic areas in the city...we'll see how it goes.

Sabres

Okay, so natural born Israelis are often referred to as sabres or sabras - the edible fruits of the cactus, or prickly-pear.

The reason given for this is that Israelis tend to be rather coarse and prickly on the outside, and sweet and squishy on the inside. (Having never really inspected or tasted the innards of my fellow countrymen and women, I'd have to vouch only for the former part of this statement.)

This picture was taken literally a hop-skip-and-jump from our apartment in an old abandoned leper colony hospital. Its overgrown garden has been left fallow for ages. In recent weeks it has become the site of a new community garden.

Running in the Jeans

Today is a special posting - one of my favorite pictures from the new burst of energy I received when I joined this community.

All the comments are so encouraging and supportive - not only the ones we receive on our blogs, but the ones we feel compelled to offer when visiting our neighbors in this virtual world. In fact, we have helped shape this community to literally thrive on the free giving and receiving of positive encouragement in exchange for a little artistic expression.

To me - this exchange is truly noble.

Netherlands...not quite windy enough

This is the Montefiore Windmill in Jerusalem's Yemin Moshe neighbourhood. It was built by Jewish philanthropist Moses Montefiore in the 1860s as a way of encouraging poorer Jews to settle outside the walls of the old city. It was his way of trying to "make poverty history" (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Anyway - after all that effort, the windmill never actually made it to operation because it is situated in an area which doesn't have enough wind.

Oops.

Lion of Judah

So here is the doorway to another home in our neighborhood. The entrance is marked with two lions - the Lions of Judah.

The Lion of Judah is also on the emblem of Jerusalem - as the city is located within the boundaries of the biblical tribal province of Judah, and has made its way in Christian, Ethiopian and Rastafarian iconography.

Since my name is Daniel - its easy to understand todays facination with lions...I just hope I removed all the typos which read "loins"!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Interesting artistic play piece

Barrier

The Jerusalem skyline would not be complete without this little glimpse of the so-called "separation barrier".

You are looking at the view from West Jerusalem eastward towards the neighbourhood of Abu Dis. In the very distance, if you look carefully, the Jordanian mountains on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea.

Have a good weekend.

My cousin Maurice has asked me to post some pictures of the neighbourhood - so this post is dedicated to you cousin!

This house is 2 doors down from our apartment. There are unconfirmed rumours that it once belonged to Golda Meir (fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel, 1969 - 1974), and before that to Edward Said - a well know Palestinian American theorist and activist who passed away in 2003 after a long battle with cancer.

To me, its the house of my neighbours...and we cherish it deeply.

Right to the point.

Part of the cultural adjustment that grips any newcomer to this society, is coping with how direct people are in their communication. Perfect strangers have no problem asking you directly how much you earn, how much you paid for your camera or whether you love your partner..!

It's more complicated than that.

If you are not direct - due to one's own cultural inhibitions, politeness or simply because you'd never dream of asking - you run the risk of being perceived as weak, insecure or disinterested.

As a kid I had one rule: "It is better to remain silent and appear ignorant, that to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Nyanga

For today's May Day posting, I have chosen my favorite place on Earth. Nyanga Village in North Eastern Zimbabwe...about 3 hours drive from where I was born (Harare).

The colours and shapes characteristic of Zimbabwe's untouched outdoors bring the fond memories flooding back.

My heart goes out to the people of Zimbabwe who continue to live under oppression - and challenge all my visitors to learn just one new fact about Zimbabwe today.