Festival B'Shekel

Pro stilt walker and juggler rides his baby elephant
January 3, 2007: After a day of celebration and seed sowing, we stopped back at the school where we had learned our street performance skills to entertain the children. I dressed as a gypsy snake charmer (pictured left) and played my recorder flute as Citrin popped out of her Basket of Mystery, catching passers-by off guard to give the kids a thrill. Instead of a snake, we improvised with a plush puppy doll. You'd think that wouldn't be scary, but you'd be surprised to see how many kids crapped their pants when Michelle jumped out and shouted, "Boker Tov!"

If more clowns were like JCS's Sarah G., I'd surely overcome my coulrophobia
After enough kids had crapped their pants, we headed over to the hanger for the Festival B'Shekel. The empty hanger offered the perfect venue, accommodating a few thousand audience members, street performers (including my roommie Aryeh, who I've nicknamed "Boycan" ... as in "Boycan Juggle", see photo left), food vendors, merchants, and a large stage for the musical performances. Participating in the festival was a wonderful way to end our ten-day Leading Up North experience.

Michelle Citrin takes to the stage like a [insert witty analogy here ... I'm too tired to think right now]
Either the band was singing about shoes, or this is the Israeli equivalent of concert-goers holding up lighters aflame