Day in Jerusalem

Last week a I had errands in Jerusalem and was lucky to spend some time at Machane Yehuda Market. Visiting Jerusalem, which is only one hour drive from my house, always feels to me visiting very far land. This city is not like any place, it has so many levels in any aspect, so each time I touch it, it feels like a magic, something I will never get to know, but it always will magnet me.
I think I can seat and absorb its citizens for a hours, but at some level I feel pity not trying to capture them in my sketchbook. So I did, sitting at one of the pubs in the middle of the market.

people are buying food for the holidays 

I love to sketch Hassidim in their fur hats

it's tradition to eat (and sleep) in nicely decorated Sukkah (kind of tent) during the Sukkot holidays

Trainmen of Jerusalem

Friday morning of the middle of August. Streets of Jerusalem are hot and blinding. Movement of people holding drawing pads flows to the direction of Clal building. After while they spread out at the train station and start to draw the surroundings.
It looks like a beginning of the regular sketchcrawl, but still, around of 30 people, mostly not from Jerusalem, took trouble and went up to the capital at the morning of this very summery Friday, and are sketching with a lot of energy among the burning Jerusalem crowd.
It was very special and exiting meeting, an initiative of the organizers of "Outline - Illustration and Words in Jerusalem." We came to draw toward the group exhibition "The Trainmen" - cooperation with City Pass - the light rail in Jerusalem. This time the exhibition will not be displayed in the gallery, but will be integrated into the urban space - our drawings will be printed enlarged and displayed at the light rail stations, which fits perfectly the spirit of urban sketching.
It was so fun to sink slowly into the surroundings, to feel for a while that I belonged to this movie too - I'm waiting for the train, listening to street musicians, rushing to the market to do the shopping before the Sabbath... In Jerusalem everyone is a little strange, so it seemed to me very natural to stand in the middle of the street, between the Chabad stand that invited to put on tefillin, beggars, a blues singer, and draw all this.
"How much do you cost to draw me?" "Madam, this is a restaurant, do you think it's okay for you to sit down and dirty the table with your colors?" "You drew me! am I so fat?" These are just some of the turns I received that day.
Here's what I've caught. Time passed at the speed of light. I have to go back!

newspaper man busy with his phone

Arkadi from Gomel (Belarus) spoke endlessly, complained to me that he was no longer young to go to play at weddings and parties at night, and that being a musician is not easy, asked me what I do with the drawings. Accordion - this is the tool in his opinion!

The old Chabadnik with the white beard approached me and asked to see the drawing. "Am I so fat?" offended. The boy also jumped to see - "And that's me?" He was actually pleased :)

There was an old man with a kippah and a cool T-shirt with a print of Indian sitting across from me, when I started drawing him, he suddenly decided to get up. I asked to stay a little longer and he agreed. He told me he was a man of the world when he was young - he went to America and stayed there for 20 years. He lived in various cities - from the east to the west, there is no city he had not visited. "What are you do for living?" I asked. "I'm Jack of all trades! I was good there!" "So why did you come back?" "My wife died ... I had a good wife ... I'm going to America again soon." He asked to see the drawing. "You've also painted the Indian!"

Feeling like a tourist in Jerusalem.

Last Friday I joined newborn Jerusalem USk branch for a sketchcrawl. Every time I visit Jerusalem I feel like a tourist, this city is so different from every place in Israel, it has a plenty of levels, each time it shows me his different side.
The skechcrawl was at very colorful part of Jerusalem - Nachlaot Neighborhood and it was fun to meet new sketchers. Here what I managed to sketch.

I loved colorful lamps decorating pedestrian street and couldn't help not to draw it.

 I did this sketch trying to capture other sketchers sketching :)

Various public filled Zion Square

 There were a group of teenagers dancing and trying to fund-raise money for something.

group of young people smoking Shisha

amazing girl-violinist playing at the Zion Square

people passing by

and listening to the music

religions Jews offering to put Tefillin  

two religious Jews

It was a great sketching-trip - feeling a tourist sharpen my vision and makes me look better.

Hanukkah Candle Lighting Tour in Jerusalem

Hanukkah's holidays are over - a lot of family meetings, tasty food and light, of course. Last Saturday we've took a trek through the burning oil laps in the Old City of Jerusalem. The experience was magnified with the special atmosphere of Jerusalem,the glowing candles in the darkness of the night. Here are some photos and sketches.

selling pomegranate juice near walls of the Old City

Travelling through time and place

Every time I visit Jerusalem I feel I bit aboard. I wouldn't even start to write about this mysterious full of contrasts city. It take me to different places over the globe and to different times during the history.
I was too lazy to stop and sketch on a street, but took a lot of photographs.

 Here are some sketches I did, mostly while stopped to eat, of course ;-)