Beit-sefer Shazar and a mega event

 This is my school, Shazar! It's an elementary school in an area called Ezgorim/ Nordor. We help with kita  ו  ,ה ,ד ,ג (grade 3-6).

Bleachers on the playground where the kids dance during recess.

Our playground

 A few weeks ago, we went to Jerusalem to see the Idan Raichel Project in concert. The Project is a multicultural exploration of music that features musicians from varying ethnic backgrounds and songs with lyrics in Amharic, Hebrew, Yemenite Hebrew, and Arabic that all feature similar messages: peace, love, and tolerance.


As you can see, there were about a dozen musicians on stage collaborating at once, including four singers, a percussionist (or two), guitarists, bassists, a horn section, people playing instruments that I didn't recognize, and of course Idan Raichel. It was a bit crazy, but the effect was really cool. I have one of their CDs, but it was a real experience to see him in concert.

Everyone jamming out after the concert.

This is his website: http://www.idanraichelproject.com/en

Jerusalem Fair and Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day

 Last weekend, I went to Jerusalem for a Renaissance Fair in the Old City. The fair was in a loop in the Christian Quarter of the Old City.

This guy was channeling Stomp and banging on his display of weapons for us.

This guy is apparently a prophet. He was on break eating a sandwich when we passed him, but he still asked Melissa to pick an even number between one and three....

Street musician singing in French. 

Naturally, we got crepes.

 And then it began to rain....

And rain and pour until we found ourselves hustling back to our hostel over cobblestones running with water. We got pretty soaked! And they say it doesn't rain in Israel...

One of the entrances to the Old City

 The next morning we got a fresh start with bagels and some delicious rugalach from a bakery called Marzipan before walking around the Old City.

Chilling with Kind David

Holocaust Memorial outside a Synagogue near David's Tomb

In the Shuk

In the Christian Quarter

Last week, Israel celebrated Yitzhak Rabin memorial day. Rabin was a Prime Minister of Israel who was assassinated in 1995 by an Israeli man who did not agree with Rabin's willingness to give up land for peace.
The schools here mark Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day with assemblies. The older grades at our school read to the assembly about Rabin's life and sang songs associated with his life and death.

You can find more information about Rabin, his life, and his assassination here:
http://www.rabincenter.org.il/english/themanandhislifework/pages/default2.aspx