Rosh HaShana

The past few days was traumatic for everyone here (not that we're many) ... the Internet was cut off because of mis-wiring the entire school and house. Total chaos. The problem is partially fixed ... but we're expecting more ruts and crashes in the next few days.

Thanks for the mooncakes! It marks the coming of the Feats of Sukkot or Tabernacles for the jews. Healthwise I'm recovering slowly from the twisted ankle. Most of the fever, nausea and dizziness have gone. But the ankle still hurts when I'm standing for too long. But right now, its the sheer exhaustion that is weighing on me. Work continues 7 days a week. Renovation is 4 days in delay. I woke up at 3am from nightmares that I cannot get the project finished ... wandered around the library, planning what to do .. all the early morning to 7am. I can't continue like this anymore. I need a holiday to recuperate.

Mooncakes mean Feast of
Tabernacles is near

The Jewish New Year - Rosh haShana - begins this evening. Burt tis not the holiday I need. The morning began with riots in the Al Aqsa Mosque. The Muslim Quarter was closed off by the military. Stun grenades and tear gas fired. Some people were arrested. Military presence has since been extremely heavy throughout the Old and New Cities. Border police and mounted police are also everywhere. It's a bit terrifying. It brings back memories of the Intifada. A bomb attack in busy Mamilla Mall was foiled just 3 days ago.

And this Rosh haShana tensions take place in the background of impending American bombing of Syria. Everyone is expecting Syria to retaliate by bombing Israel ... perhaps with poison gas. Thousands of Israelis have been rushing to collect their free gas masks ... unfortunately foreigners like us do not have one. You need an israeli ID to get a gas mask. Anyway those people living in the north near Syria have begun moving south to Jerusalem. As Yom Kippur is in 8 days time, memories of the Yom Kippur war floods the national conscientiousness and fears of an attack on this Holy Day when jews are not allowed to fight or kill is getting more real.