Grapevine: Kafka in Jerusalem

Responding to an item in last week’s Grapevine about how difficult it is for senior citizens to navigate their way around Jerusalem with all the construction projects that are under way, reader Daniel Rosehill writes:

“My wife and I are both in our late thirties – my wife is an architect, so she is much more qualified than I am to pass judgment on urban planning. Neither of us is old. Neither of us has mobility issues. We’re just two olim trying to make our way around the city with a 14-month-old in tow.

“‘Kafkaesque’ gets a bit overused in Hebrew, but I think it’s the only word to describe what Jerusalem feels like these days. Anytime I’ve thought to go wandering around the north or south [of the city], including neighborhoods I used to live in, like Talpiot, I’m between aghast and saddened by what the city is becoming.

“What gets me is that all this light rail project and high-rise construction is being done seemingly at the same time and seemingly without any consideration for those living here. It’s the complete lack of concern from city officials.

“How many Jerusalemites want or will have any remote chance of being able to afford to live in one of the endless high-rise towers being marketed enthusiastically to Diaspora communities?

“But if you’re going to dig up our streets to make this strange vision for Jerusalem’s future reality, at least have the courtesy to let us know how to get our groceries.

“Other issues: zero enforcement around noise abatement. Projects are delayed endlessly, and heavy excavation equipment begins running at 7 a.m. No permit regime, no way for those thinking about buying in a building or living next to one to know when the daily misery might end.

“And regarding public transport – I’m delighted to see some of the light rail projects come to fruition, but every time I’ve tried to take one recently, we’ve been accosted by the marauding gangs of inspectors that the city either encourages or turns a blind eye to.

“We’re investing in infrastructure as we should, but then doing everything in our power to make the process of using it as off-putting as possible.”

Several airlines that had suspended services to Israel have returned – but not all. Having to take connecting flights is often a deterrent to potential tourists living in places where direct flights were the norm before Oct. 7

Aside from being within a 15-minute walk of at least 10 hotels, ranging in price and amenities from budget to luxury, the Great Synagogue is a gem for people who are fond of choral services.

■ BUT BEFORE that, there will be several slihot recitals around the city. Among the more atmospheric experiences is “Melodies and Slihot on the Ramparts” of the walls of the Old City, on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 8 and 9, plus a walking tour of the area.

A somewhat different program, beginning at 8 p.m., will be held on September 8 at Hebrew Union College, where Shani Ben Or, Ofir Ben Shitrit, Shir Yifrat, Nitai Kalay, Amitai Mann, David Dagami, Dror Teboul, Einav Lahav, and Anastasia Sobolev will provide music. Doron Levin will produce the event, with Akiva Segal as artistic director.

Also on September 8 and again on the 15th, singer-guitarist Ehud Banai and poet Yonadav Kaploun will read from the Zohar, the gateway to Kabbalistic literature, at Mishkenot Sha’ananim.

Rivlin, who was born on September 9, prefers to mark the Hebrew calendar date of his birth, which is 25 Elul. Sometimes the two dates are as much as a month apart, but this year they fall within two days of each other.

Rivlin is a multigenerational Jerusalemite whose forebears came from Lithuania in 1809 at the behest of the Vilna Gaon, who believed it was the year in which the Messiah would arrive.

Rivlin, known for his well-developed sense of humor, would quip that his family members always went to bed with their shoes on so they could run to greet the Messiah when he came.

The extended Rivlin family includes many distinguished figures, primarily in law, academia, and the entertainment industry. Family members are found all over Israel and around the world and now number in the thousands.

Two major family reunions took place in Jerusalem in 1980 and 2009, with more than 3,000 participants.

■ AS OF this week, buses will be much more crowded early in the day and in the afternoon, as thousands of youngsters make their way to and from school.

During the vacation period, it was fairly easy to get a seat on the bus, but now it is a lot more difficult, as not all students are willing to give their seats to adults, though there has been a marked improvement.

Some of the credit for this must go to American students studying at yeshivot and seminaries for girls, who are often among the first to sacrifice their comfort so that an older person can sit down.