HOY III – Humans of Yerushalayim, Part Three

Yom Yerushalayim… I love walking out of my home every day and seeing the sites of Jerusalem on the way to work. I’m very proud to have the opportunity to fulfill the dream of my ancestors and my parents, and to live in the modern city of Jerusalem. With all of our issues, I still am moved by what I see around me; the beautiful hills, the weather, the diversity I see daily. This year on Yom Yerushalayim, we can look at Jerusalem and feel hopeful for the future. In the spirit of tikva (hope) in Yerushalayim, here is the next installment of HOY – Humans of Yerushalayim. The high school students of Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY) took snapshots of individual people of our city.

If you haven’t seen the first two installments, don’t miss HOY I and HOY II. Also, take a look at the documentary film about that day in Jerusalem with TRY students.

Soccer Star Dreamer

Photo credit: Esti Lieb, Sarah Goldberg and Noah Aaron

“Where are you from?”

“I come from Eritrea. Twenty-three years ago it was one country [combined] with Ethiopia. It’s now [divided into] two countries. I come from there. I was in Ethiopia for one year and then I went to Sudan. I was in Sudan for two days. From there I go to Egypt… for a week. And then, from Egypt, I go to Israel.”

What do you want to do when you grow up?

“From the time I started to understand about soccer, I loved soccer… It’s my dream [to be professional soccer player].”

Curls

Photo credit: Ariel Roitman, Rebecca Weiss and Dotan Appelbaum

“What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Bubble gum.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s pink.”

Saleswoman

Photo credit: Dani Goodman, Jessica Kagal and Jonah Kessler

“What is the most frightening experience with a customer you’ve ever had?”

“This one time, a woman came and complained how we were sending her texts about discounts and catalogs. She wanted to unsubscribe herself. She began to scream and yell and we called security and it was just intense.”

Israeli/American Family

Photo credit: Edden Silverstein, Jonah Butler and Sam Berman

“We moved to Israel 10 years ago.”

“Why did you decide to move to Israel?”

“We’re Zionists. This is it, this is where Jews live. You walk down the street and see someone Jewish, and that’s your family.”

Homeless man

Photo credit: Zach Friedman, Becca Lovitz and Tamar Eisen

What is your biggest fear?

“No matter what the the Almighty(קב”ה) will protect me.”

“You look so happy.”

“What can I do? What is there to do? You always need to be happy. There’s a G-d; you should be happy…There are problems. But it’ll turn out well, we say, it’ll turn out well. Slowly, slowly, maybe.”

Happy Father

Photo credit: Dani Goodman, Jessica Kagal and Jonah Kessler

“What brings you to Israel?”

“I was drafted in the Russian army. So I ran away. It’s better here.”

“Why do you make balloons?”

“Every day, it brings happiness to the children.”

“What is the happiest moment in your life?”

“When my son was born.”

Bubi

Photo credit: Shelby Kaufman, Matt Federman, and Jacob Ludwig

 “This is Bubi. We got him a year ago from a breeder and have loved him ever since.”