Jerusalem Through the Window

This week is the week of preparation for Passover, one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar. It's a frenetic time partially because people prepare by cleaning every nook and cranny of their houses, their cars, baby carriages, etc. It's the most incredible spring cleaning you've ever seen. There are also proscribed things that have to be done and Jerusalem is ground zero for this. Jerusalem is a very busy place under normal circumstances but this week particularly so. Most people are off from work this week to help them prepare, the children are off from school and will be for next week as well as the holiday itself lasts for 8 days. Here are some images to give you some idea of what's going on.

From my hotel you can look out onto the city with lots of people walking by, lots of different kinds of traffic, and an amazing array of buildings from ancient to modern.

Not a view through a window though inside there are many inside. This is now the Natural History Museum and is one of the oldest museums in Jerusalem. It's housed in a building dating from the 19th century. It was a Turkish mansion turned British Officers Club turned Nature Museum.

Fireplace left from the previous iteration of the museum and that's a heart in a glass jar sitting on the mantle.

One of the displays shows a typical backyard in Jerusalem. At least in the neighborhood of the museum, which is called the German Colony.

Lots of food is consumed during the Passover holidays and people buy in bulk for this, especially fruits and vegetables.

Some people have separate dishes and cutlery for Passover but in case you don't there are street corner dipping stations with vats of boiling water where you can bring your silverware to make them usable during the Passover holiday.

Just before the start of the holiday, people burn the remaining leavened bread from the house. Some of the bonfires get pretty big but don't last long.

One last trip to the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. They are displayed in a temperature and light controlled environment. These scrolls are from the last three centuries BCE.