Pesach in Pisgat Ze'ev

Today is the first day of Chol Hamoed Pesach (the intermediary festival days of Passover.) I decided to bike around Pisgat Ze'ev and snap some photos. Enjoy.

Signs advertising "Pesach in Chevron!" (Passover in Hebron)

The grocery store uses plastic to block off items which are not kosher for Pesach.

Long lines at the store. After the first day, everyone realizes what they forgot to buy (in my case, salt.)

I did a little bit of work, but it was such a nice day, I decided to go for a ride. Pisgat Ze'ev, and neighboring Neve Yaakov, are completely surrounded by the ever-present security barrier. It gives the whole area a locked-in ghetto feeling, and pretty much everyone hates the idea. Still, the wall included the Neve Ya'akov Forest within its boundaries, so I decided to ride over that way.

The wall, now an unpleasant reality. In Europe, the first Jewish Ghettoes were built by the Jews themselves.

I see the forest every day, when I go jogging. It really doesn't look like much from up high. A few trees and paths.

The Neve Ya'akov Forest.

Downhill is always easier.

But once you get closer, the forest envelops you, and it starts to feel a little bit like the pine forests of the California coast.

Inside the Neve Yaakov Forest.

Kids looking at frogs and tadpoles.

Ruins and fields, looking north.

Walking along, I came across an Arab shepherd and his flock.

One of his goats had given birth less than an hour ago. Here you can see the umbilical cord, still attached.

A crowd gathered around the spectacle.

Hikers and day trippers pass by.

Children playing in some ruins. The houses above are Neve Yaakov.

Of course the ever-present security fence watches over our comings and goings.

Yours truly on bike.

A new grove planted to the right of this photo. And now to head back uphill.