Jerusalem

Jerusalem means "City of peace" in Hebrew. I used to visit Jerusalem

every week-end when I was studying for my Bachelor of Arts degree

in Tel-Aviv University. The old city was, then, open to the Arab section

and we used to dine in an exotic restaurant serving tasty dishes.

The old city is built with a special sepia stone that is polished and

gives a unified impression of this symbolic city as one approaches

it by the highway from Tel-Aviv with the Judean hills under mist

towards the South East. The city is home to orthodox Jews who

maintain their faith and keep to themselves exclusively. One can

see them praying around the Western Wall during the high

holidays. With their tall lean figures, their long black coats,

long hair and high hats, they pray and pray for mankind. Today,

after so many years, I am back again, in the spirit of this unique

city flourishing in the Judean desert though contact with poets

writing in Hebrew and English there. Very recently I organised

a seminar with three poets living in Jerusalem about the pandemic.

And we continue to collaborate...with the hope that I, one day,

will return to Jerusalem to see this austere city and drink from

its fountains.