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My new home in Jerusalem

Ilene Weismehl, who left the East Side of Providence last summer, has been living in the San Simon neighborhood of Jerusalem. She and her husband, a professor on sabbatical, will be in Israel until mid-May 2007. "I have the gift of time to explore the city, read and improve my Hebrew."

In my backyard, there is a fig tree, flowers still in bloom (although we are well into November), and passion fruit vines luxuriously wrapped around the fence enclosing our yard.

Outside, cars honk, brakes screech, radios blare, car alarms squeal, construction thunders, a woman yells from a second floor window, a man stops his car and bellows at a passerby. A month ago, Jerusalem sounded loud, agitated, and intense to me, but this, of course, is not the whole story.

Our neighbor yells from her window, to invite us up for coffee. A man stops his car and yells out to his friend walking by: "Moshe! How are you? Where have you been?" People here have little patience or time for surface courtesies, but plenty of time for warmth, energy, strong opinions, and hospitality.

Our tranquil yard with fig tree and passion fruit vine.

Ben Yehuda St.: a pedestrian-only street in downtown Jerusalem

Street performer on Ben Yehudah.

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Posted by Ilene Weismehl  at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Comments 4