In central Jerusalem, near Binyanei HaUma and the city’s main entrance, a quiet morning ritual unfolds without most passersby ever noticing. Larisa, 91, from Mishkenot HaUma, walks the same short route every day with her walker carrying three bags: food for pigeons, food for street cats, and a bundle of recyclables. Above her, pigeons sketch her path in the air, and beside her walks her loyal black cat — the only one she allows to accompany her through Jerusalem’s streets. Any other cat attempting to join earns a quick, unmistakable look of disapproval.
How to walk from the Chords Bridge to Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem?
It’s a very short distance: about 350 meters, roughly a 4 minute walk. Anyone coming from the Chords Bridge and heading straight toward Binyanei HaUma steps directly into Larisa’s morning world, where pigeons circle, cats follow, and the urban rhythm softens as she moves.
