Capital readies for solid week of Jerusalem Day festivities

Hotels offer deals, museums stay open late, and walking tours will crisscross the city

By Jessica Steinberg 5 May 2021, 1:33 am 0 Edit

Jessica Steinberg covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center.

As Israel slowly resumes business as usual, the city of Jerusalem is planning celebrations for Jerusalem Day, Monday, May 10, with a week of activities and events from May 6 through 13.

Jerusalem Day marks the anniversary of Israel taking control of the Temple Mount compound and the eastern parts of the city during the 1967 Six Day War.

The day usually sees a right-wing march through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter ending at the Western Wall, which has in the past been blamed for increased tensions between Jews and Arabs.

This year, the Jerusalem municipality and the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry are aiming for a more inclusive week of activities, with events that can appeal to all Israelis, not just the national religious camp, said ministry director-general Avi Cohen.

The 2016 Alternative Jerusalem Day Parade hosted by the Yerushalmit Movement (Courtesy Yerushalmit)

Museums and historical and cultural sites such as the Israel Museum, Tower of David Museum, City of David, Western Wall tunnels, Ammunition Hill, Herzl Museum, Museum of Islamic Art, Bloomfield Science Museum will be open until 11 p.m.

More than a dozen hotels are offering special prices, including luxury hotels Waldorf Astoria, Mamilla, the Inbal and the Orient, boutique accommodations such as Villa Brown and Harmony, budget hotel Ibis and hostels The Post and Abraham Hostel.

Some of the hotel deals include free tickets to sites and museums and upgraded rooms.

Yad Ben Zvi will offer tours around Jerusalem on May 6-13, 2021 as part of the celebrations for Jerusalem Day (Courtesy Ofer Barzilai/Yad Ben Zvi)

Yad Ben Tzvi will be running tours throughout the city during the week of May 6-13, a 23-year tradition of the Jerusalem-based research institute.

The hour-and-a-half tours will take place in locations and neighborhoods throughout the city every two hours, with a symbolic NIS 10 fee for each participant. There are tours geared for individuals, adults and families with young children.

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