Israel Matzav

Chol HaMoed Pesach in Jerusalem

In the summer of 1988, we brought Mrs. Carl's oldest niece to the US to be a mother's helper, while Mrs. Carl was busy being pregnant with son # 2 child # 3. Said niece - who at the time was the eldest of six children (there are now 8 bli ayin hara) - told us "if there were as many free things to do in Israel as there are in New Jersey, I could easily keep my younger siblings occupied for the entire summer."

Fast forward 20 years and more. If you think keeping kids occupied is nightmarish in the summer, the holidays are even worse. Nearly everyone is on vacation, plus there are lots of tourists around, and what's available is way overcrowded. A couple of years ago, Bank HaPoalim (the Workers Bank), which is the largest bank in the country, started sponsoring museums and national parks so that the public gets in for free during Chol HaMoed (the 'intermediate days') of Pesach and Succot. The good news is that it's free. The bad news is that it's free for everyone else too. It's mobbed.

And so today, Mrs. Carl and I took the four youngest kids (16.5, 11.5, 9 and 6.5 - lots of birthdays coming up) to the Bible Lands Museum, a multi-culti kind of place that probably doesn't usually attract much of a right wing religious crowd. Of course, free admission means that you get into the museum and get a guided tour by Moses, Pharoah and a woman dressed in 'Egyptian' costume for free. If you want your kid to be able to make something, that costs extra....

But at least we kept the kids occupied for a few hours (we were gone longer than the break between posts.

Let me get some more posts up for you.

Labels: Bank HaPoalim, Bible Lands Museum, Chol HaMoed

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:18 PM