Outside

This is a typical scene in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities. Little cafes with outdoor seating are common. Because of the diversity of people in Israel, if you enjoy people-watching, sitting outside one of these many cafes would provide you with a great deal of entertainment!

Israeli Italian

You might not associate Israel with Italian food. But Israel has a number of Italian restaurants. One that we visited is Spaghettim on Hillel Street in Jerusalem. It is good...really good. Using sweet potatoes is big in Israel and they are available in several dishes at Spaghettim. Definitely a nice departure from our more standard fare of economical falafels, vegetables from the shuk, and hummus!

A Little Litter

During one of our visits to Israel, we were walking through the Valley of Hinnom - the same one mentioned in the Bible - and came across this piece of litter. The Arabic and French words caught my eye. Am I the only person who takes pictures of trash?! Perhaps. But it is not every day you see litter with words from two such very different languages.  

Mezuzahs

On the doorposts of many Jewish homes and businesses in Israel are narrow, rectangular containers. These are mezuzahs, amazing visual reminders of an ancient biblical commandment.

The word "mezuzah" means "doorpost." God commanded the children of Israel to post His commandments on the doorposts of their homes.

Inside each mezuzah is a tiny parchment scroll which begins, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4). The entire passage on the scroll is Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21. 

When entering a house, an observant Jew will brush his or her hand across the mezuzah. Some mezuzahs are plain and inexpensive; others are beautifully ornamental, artistic, and expensive.

As seen in this photo, mezuzahs often have on them the Hebrew letter "shin," which is the first letter of the word Shaddai. 

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sites in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Deuteronomy 4:6-9