The umbrellas shade a narrow, old city street in Jerusalem on Yoel Moshe Solomon Street in the historic Nachalat Shiva neighborhood. This section of Jerusalem is famous for being one of the first refurbished neighborhoods in the turn of the century. Many families were living within the cities’ walls and only seven known families were bold enough to buy land outside of the protected city. At that time, the Israelis biggest enemies were wild beasts and robbers coming in from the Jaffa Gate.
One man named, Yoseph Rivlin, didn’t seem to be bothered by strangers and opened a coffee bar on his roof top. He may have been the first to have started the coffee café tradition, for it’s hard to miss the array of coffee houses wedged into the city scape.
The umbrellas showcase this quaint section in Jerusalem and are part of a program which is produced by, Eden-The Jerusalem Center Development Corporation for the municipality. Musicians and artists are scheduled to share their talents under the canopy of colorful umbrellas, bringing the community together, shaded beneath the scouring sun. The umbrellas were initially used as a promotion in Israel to announce the installation of Wi-Fi in the city. The idea of hanging umbrellas in a public place originated with Christo and Jeanne Claude, the artist duo who was famous for creating art installations. Since it never rains in Israel during the summer months, the umbrellas act as a welcome shelter and help to maintain a fun “under” the sun spirit.
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