Chaos and charm in Jerusalem

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Some invitations are an easy ‘yes’. This was one.

I was front row and centre of the public gallery as the Knesset descended into very entertaining chaos in front of David Cameron.

Some United Torah Judaism MKs walked out, other MKs heckled Bibi and each other. One was led away. Bibi visibly fumed, Cameron tried to keep a straight face, and I sat watching with a broad grin on mine. Two of the things I enjoy about Israel are the informality and the love of vigorous debate. I was having a lovely little time. Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak was sitting near us in the gallery. Natasha Kaplinsky was there, n’all.

I went to visit the resting place of my favourite Israeli leader, Menachem Begin. He rests on the Mount of Olives. I left two stones on his grave, one from me and one from OvG reader Simone, who asked in a recent comment for me to do that. Here’s to ya, MB.

We dined at the lovely Eucalyptus Restaurant. This oasis of charm and quirk is just a stroll away from the Jaffa Gate. Its biblical menu includes such wonders as ‘Jacob & Esau’s
 biblical red lentil stew’ and ‘Hubeza
warm salad prepared in the style of the siege on Jerusalem’.

The restaurant’s finest asset is its head chef, Moshe Basson. He is prepared in the style of knockout charisma. I had a lovely chat with him about Kabbalah, and he even set us an inter-course task involving food and Gematria.

He asked me to join him in the centre of the restaurant to pray over the main dish.

And to present it to the restaurant.

What a day and night it had been in Jerusalem. Then we went back to Herzliya. I sat on the coach dreaming of the following day, when I would visit the holy city, Tzfat.