Oh no

We are heartbroken. We are absolutely heartbroken. I keep thinking of that quote from Fiddler on the Roof: I know, I know, we are your Chosen People. But once in a while, can't You choose someone else? I know that the strength of the Jews is that we are so closely knit, and that when someone else's children are kidnapped, children that we don't know and never would have met, we all *truly* feel that they are our own children. But it gets to be a heavy weight to bear.

And yet, I woke up this morning to our vibrant Judean hills, and couldn't help but think - these are *my* hills, no one is going to scare me away. This area is known as Derech HaAvot, the Pathway of the Fathers, so named because it is the natural path between Hebron and Jerusalem, the path that Abraham first walked. His descendants, myself included, have been walking here ever since. You really think you can scare me away?

And then I think of the biblical commandment to love the Stranger, and to treat them as you would treat yourself. And I look at these hills and I think Really? There isn't room here for all of us? Just be peaceful, and we can live together, what's the big deal? It's not so hard, just be friendly. Didn't your mother teach you to be friendly? You can do it.

I'm waiting, and I'm trying to be patient. I hope that actual peace, real peace, the kind where people share resources peacefully instead of evicting each other, is something that can be achieved in my lifetime, and I can't for the life of me understand why logically it shouldn't. 

May the memories of Eyal, Gil-ad, and Naftali be a blessing. Please pray for the wellbeing of their poor, poor families. And for us all.

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #135

Here we are, back for your favorite little meme!

Last week I told you that I'd be posting something from outside the Old City in Jerusalem. Well, I've decided to take myself at face value: here are two structures that we saw from across the valley, on our way back to the car right after having been in the Old City :)
Intriguing Structure #1:

 isn't that cool? Wait - here's the cropped version, maybe you can see it better that way:

And here's the other, Intriguing Structure #2:

and its cropped version:

I couldn't tell from far away if that was the design, or if it's being renovated. From the close up on my limited camera, it seems pretty clear that it's surrounded by scaffolding. But I still think it looks neat :)

Now it's your turn! Please play along with us here at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! All you need to do is post a photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, link here, and sign up in the widget, below. Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful, whimsical week, everyone! And please have some prayers, happy thoughts and/or good karma for our three missing boys...

Skywatch - at last :)

Well, it's been months since I last posted to Skywatch Friday, and I miss it sorely! Here are a few of the things that have been happening over here:

That's it for now, I'll try to post again soon :)
If you liked those, be sure to check out Skywatch Friday, so see more sky-oriented photography. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #134

Welcome back to your favorite little meme!

Here we are, just in time for the next edition (and last, for now) of my Old City of Jerusalem series:

And here we are, back again at the less-impressive-from-the-inside Zion Gate:

That's it for now! Can't wait to see you back here next week for something totally different :)
But in the meantime - it's your turn! Please play along with us here at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! Just post your photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, link here, and sign up in the widget, below. Then go and visit our other players, so you, like me, can enjoy our differences and our similarities, from all over the globe :) 
Have a wonderful, whimsical week, everyone - thanks for stopping by!

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #133

Welcome back to your favorite little meme!

Here are the next photos in my Old City of Jerusalem series. First, some hidden arches and a stairway:

followed up by some lovely windows:

 

I really do try to keep this blog apolitical - generally speaking, I try to stay apolitical myself - but we're all just so sad here in Israel, I feel I have to say something. Please send some good karma our way, and pray for the speedy, safe return of the three high school boys who were kidnapped here just a few days ago! 

Oh, and please play along with us here at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! All you need to do is post a photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, link here, and sign up in the widget, below. Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week, all!

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #132

Welcome back to your favorite little meme!

Here we are, back in the Old City of Jerusalem, heading down toward the Kotel, also known as the Western Wall:

And here we are, at our destination!

 And here's a closer view :)

Now it's your turn! Please play along with us here at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! All you need to do is post your photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, and link here. Then sign up in the widget, below! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a fantastic week!

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #131

Welcome back to our little meme!

Something I really like about walking around the Old City is that occasionally, you have the opportunity to actually walk along the tops of the walls. Like this:

 

Those tiny windows at the tip-tops used to be defensive, thankfully now they're just windows :)

I apologize that I haven't been better about visiting all of you, I've been really overwhelmed with a lot of things, and just barely have time to put out these once-weekly posts. Here's hoping that my situation changes soon, so I can go back to a more relaxed blogging lifestyle :)

Anyway... now it's your turn! Please play along with us here at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! by posting your photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, linking up here, and then signing up in the widget, below. Then go and visit the other players, that's the best part! Thanks for coming by, everyone, and have a wonderful, whimsical day :)

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #130

Welcome back everyone, to your favorite little meme!

Continuing my walk through the Old City of Jerusalem, here are a few views (and windows, and even doors) that I found while walking from the Zion Gate toward the Kotel, or in English: the Western Wall.

That's it for now, tune in next week for more Old City views :)

Now it's your turn! Please play along with us here at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! by posting your photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, linking up here, and then signing up in the widget, below. Then go and visit the other players, that's the best part! Thanks for coming by, everyone, and have a wonderful, whimsical day :)

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #129

Welcome back to your favorite meme!

I went to the Old City of Jerusalem very briefly a few weeks ago, when my parents were in town. I don't think I've ever posted windows of a church before, but there certainly are quite a few of them in the Old City - here's what I saw from afar as I approached:

This is a pretty common style around here, and I happen to find it quite charming: a huge round tower flanked by four skinnier ones. I don't know why I find it so appealing, but I really do!

Anyway, here's Shaar Tsion, the Zion Gate of the Old City:

 

Now it's your turn! Please play along with us at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! by posting your photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, linking up here, and then signing up in the widget, below. Then go and visit the other players, that's the best part! Thanks for coming by, everyone, and have a wonderful day :)

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #128

Welcome back to your favorite little meme!

Well, the photos from my nighttime photowalk are finished, but thankfully, I've found some more lovely windows and doors since then! 

Before we jump into everyday architecture, though, I feel that I really must share with you a tiny drop of what we Israelis have been experiencing over the last couple of weeks. First came Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance day. Then, the following week, we had Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for her many fallen soldiers and victims of terror. Needless to say, this is a very difficult day for everyone - everyone in the country knows someone who was killed, and we all mourn together. I had to go grocery shopping that afternoon, and this is what greeted me in our local market, right in front of the produce department:

And the very next day comes Yom HaAtsma'ut, our Independence Day! Full of hiking, happiness and barbecues, this is the day to beat all. And here come the car windows that are decorated all over the country, just for the occasion:

Now it's your turn! Please show us the windows, doors, or anything architectural that you've found in your neck of the woods, and play along with us here at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful, whimsical week!

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #127

Welcome back to your favorite little meme!

Tonight marks Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for her fallen soldiers and victims of terror. It's a very moving and somber day, and it leads directly into Yom HaAtsma'ut, Israel's Independence Day, which begins tomorrow night. It's a real rollercoaster of emotions and events! Windows all over the country are decorated with Israeli flags. And since I've been really overwhelmed these past weeks, I haven't yet found the time to photograph any of them :)

That's okay, I do have my last nighttime photowalk picture to share with you! And I promise to get some flagged windows to share with you for next week :)

And so, with no further ado: here's that last nighttime photo! It's a front doorway, and I found it to be somewhat charming :)

And would you look at that! I just noticed that there's a small Israeli flag hanging from that little window! So we're all set :)

Now it's your turn! To participate in Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! just post your photo of a window, door, or anything architectural, link here, and sign up in the widget. That's it - thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful, whimsical week, all of you!