Getting over jetlag: a thankless task

One of the highlights of being here for me is my Monday morning women's class. The intellectual level beats anything I've ever experienced. The class consists of three 45 minute lectures - Prophets, Torah and a guest lecture. In the Prophets class we're studying the relationship between the books of Samuel and the Psalms of David. In the Torah class I think we've moved ahead by two weekly portions in the 6 months since we were here last. The guest lectures vary in quality. This week's guest is someone highly regarded in the ultra-Orthodox world, but her topic was entry-level and honestly I think she misjudged her audience. Oh well, they can't all be winners.

Sid walked me over to the class. It was a perfect Jerusalem morning - sunny and about 75 degrees with a light breeze. There is something about the air in Jerusalem in the morning. You get the scent of jacarandas without the fumes from buses that still run on diesel and leave clouds of black smoke in their wake. This is rapidly changing. The new buses are air-conditioned, wifi-enabled and equipped with charging stations. And they're much nicer to the environment and the air we all breathe.

Afterwards we needed to go to the shuk and then return the car. Well guess what. Another ticket. WHY????? The girl who set up my parking account told me the meter would automatically start at 8AM and shut off at 6PM. But that's not what happened. When I looked at the app the meter wasn't running. So now I'm the proud recipient of two 100 shekel tickets. It's useless to complain to the parking company, but I will throw myself on the mercy of the municipality and claim tourist-ignorance. We'll see how it goes.

So we went to the shuk, which is always a treat It has become the second most visited site in Jerusalem. By now I think there's an equal number of vendors and restaurants. This says a lot about how food is distributed and how the city has developed. 

Once upon a time when I lived here the population was about 325,000. You had three options for buying groceries: the makolet, the shuk or one of Jerusalem's two supermarkets. 

The makolet is more or less what we would call a convenience store. They were very small but had most things people need on a daily basis. At the time people shopped every day or every other day. Fridges were small and there's a thing here about fresh bread, produce and dairy products. There was a makolet every few blocks to serve the neighborhood, and the owners knew their customers. They played a significant role in the economics of the city. It's important to remember that between 1948-1967 Jerusalem was a backwater. There was very little business and almost no industry. It was a struggle to make a living, and to make it to the end of the month as we used to say. A lot of people had to buy on credit until they got their monthly paycheck, and they could do so at the local makolet. Fast forward 50 years. The population of Jerusalem is about 860,000 and new planned neighborhoods sprang up all over the place. Part of the planning included shopping centers with supermarkets, hardware stores etc. In the older neighborhoods many of the makolets have turned into 24-hour stores, or disappeared altogether. We have an authentic from the old days makolet a couple doors down from this apartment. 

The first supermarket in Jerusalem, Supersol, opened in the early 60's. It was a phenomenon and a curiosity. People flocked to see this new world of shopping and it was a great success. But it didn't replace the local makolet. Back then owning a car was the exception and shlepping a week's worth of groceries on the bus was difficult. Besides, there was the freshness factor and Supersol didn't extend credit.

Third was the shuk. No question about freshness. Produce that was picked in the morning was sold the same day. Everyone had their favorite vendors and they got to know each other. They could chat, get advice on cooking (and life in general), exchange political opinions. Most of the shopping was done on Thursdays and Fridays in preparation for Shabbat, and people did shlep on the bus. But the vendors didn't extend credit. 

It's different now. Everyone has a car, a credit card and a larger capacity fridge. Shopping habits have changed, the makolets began to disappear and even the shuk sees nearly as many tourists as shoppers.

A few years ago someone had the brilliant idea of developing the shuk after-hours. When the vendors went home at the end of the day it was a large empty space. The metamorphosis began when a famous graffiti artist started tagging the metal shutters that came down on the stalls at night. That in itself was a draw. Then someone figured out that where people gather maybe they'd like something to eat or drink. The idea caught on; now the shuk is full of restaurants, cafes, bars and a few boutiques. When it's time for the produce vendors to retire one of their options is to sell their space to a restaurateur. The ratio is changing and this has become a concern. The vendors' association is considering putting a limit on the number of non-produce businesses that can open. 

Then we returned the car. When I pulled into the rental garage the guy who took the car said I look angry. Was something wrong with the car? I was taken aback. I explained about the tickets. He listened patiently and said calling the parking company wouldn't get me anywhere, but calling the city parking department might. When he handed me the receipt I asked him if I still looked angry. No, he said, and I really did feel better. Shows what a sympathetic ear can do for a person.  

We walked home and I made one of our favorite dinners - schnitzel. 

On Tuesday we went to Tel Aviv for a meeting with the Jaffa Institute. They provide three types of social services to a very disadvantaged population in south Tel Aviv and Jaffa: a residential facility with 10 kids, after school programs and a parent-child drop in center. The stories are heartbreaking, and the work they do is amazing. Details on their website www.jaffainstitute.org. 

The residential facility

We got back to Jerusalem around 630PM and had dinner in the shuk. Someone set up a large screen and broadcast the World Cup game between Poland and Senegal. It was a sensational game. The Senegal goalie was amazing, but one got past him. Still, they won 2-1.

Last night we went to Nissim's for a barbecue and family reunion. Cousins from the States were visiting, and their kids, who are second cousins, met for the first time. An Israeli barbecue is serious business. Mountains of chicken wings, lamb ribs, burgers, kabobs, grilled vegetables and the requisite selection of salads. Plus dessert.

Wings

Salads

All this waiting to be grilled

Nissim, Shlomit & Sid

Some of the kids in the trampoline cage, where they can't get into too much trouble

Nissim and Shlomit live in the suburb of Mevasseret. It used to be a small village; now it's almost all the way to Jerusalem

Sleep still eludes us. They say (whoever "they" are) it takes one day for each hour of time difference to adjust. We arrived a week ago so maybe we're in sync. Maybe.

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem,
Peggy and Sid