A Jerusalem Winter in 1921

I grew up near Jerusalem. The winters were always cold, but only in some of them did snow make an appearance. Often it didn't last long. But on some years it came down heavy and thick and showed remarkable stamina, coating the streets for days.

One such winter was in 1921, when the streets of Jerusalem were covered in heavy snow. This was just three years after the end of the Great War, and just three years since the armies of Great Britain expelled the Ottomans who ruled the area for centuries.

In the Adam Lapid books, I write about Jerusalem in the 1950s. Naturally, it was much different than it was in 1921. But I still found the following photos of 1921 snowy Jerusalem fascinating. I hope you will too.

All the photos are courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The first photo shows a group of children having fun in the snow. Many of them were probably seeing snow for the first time.

Children playing in snow in Jerusalem, 1921


Adults too can have fun with snow. Here are a bunch of Jewish Jerusalemites after having built a towering snowman.

Men building snowman in Jerusalem


And finally, here are the majestic rooftops of Jerusalem coated in white.

Jerusalem 1921 covered in snow


Jerusalem is a special place. Seeing these photos makes me want to visit there again.

If you wish to take a trip to Jerusalem in 1952, check out my novel A Death in Jerusalem, which was recommended by the Jerusalem Post.
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