On March 1, 22 days before Israel’s election, I joined my colleagues Liat Collins, Greer Fay Cashman, Walter Bingham and a minibus of a dozen foreign journalists on a tour of the Jerusalem Follow the Lights Festival. After not being on a tour for more than a year due to the pandemic, it was a little uncomfortable being so close to others in a closed vehicle, but after reassuring one another that we’d all been vaccinated, we sat back and enjoyed the ride – and yes, I found a spark.
The Jerusalem Follow the Lights Festival, which ran from February 21 to March 3, billed itself as “a breathtaking and exciting project that brings back the light and fun into our beautiful city during this difficult corona time.”
We were driven to brightly colorful light installations at 22 of the holy city’s iconic landmarks – historic and modern. The idea is that one can enjoy the lights from the safety of one’s car – or alternatively, bike, walk or take a taxi. Except for the latter option, it was free – although you could order food to your car along the way at the Israel Museum drive-through. We journalists were provided with a bag dinner containing Jerusalem bagels and za’atar, a herb believed to be the biblical hyssop.
The event was the brainchild of Gil Teichman and the Jerusalem Development Authority, based on past light festivals in the city, and we had a charming young guide named Jessica Cohen, who made aliyah from Argentina.
We started at Cinema City, driving on a road decorated with lighted lion sculptures (the lion is the symbol of Jerusalem). I was delighted to see lights on the Knesset ahead of the election and the Supreme Court on the day it made a landmark decision on non-Orthodox conversions.
My favorite stop, though, was at the Haas Promenade, from where watched a spectacular laser show over the Old City.
For me personally, the landmark sites we visited reminded me of the history of my love affair with Jerusalem.
• The Khan Theater is where I saw a show of Israeli dancing with my mother and sister during my first visit to Jerusalem at the age of 11 in 1971.
• The Tower of David is where I got my first job in Israel in 1990 as a guide for groups of school students.
• The YMCA is where I worked out, swam and played squash for some 20 years.
• The Monastery of the Cross – where I love to take visitors – is on my walk from my home in Katamon to work.
• The Israel Museum, my place of comfort, is where my friend Betty Eppel is a guide.
During the tour, you could click on a link on your cellphone and listen to a commentary with interesting facts about each location.
Ironically, it ended at the First Station, which had a drive-in dance party hosted by DJs from the popular 106 FM radio station. You sat in your car (or in the case of the children in front of us, on your car) and delighted in the dazzling lights and upbeat music while chomping on fresh pizza.
Although international tourism to Israel has not yet resumed, the Jerusalem Follow the Lights Festival gave us hope that tourists will be back – the sooner, the better.
If you’d like to get a taste of the experience, go to followthelights.org.il and click on the English icon. Try to find a spark!