School starts ... well almost all

A jug of cold water with
mint and lemon ... perfect
for a hot day

Schools in Israel and Palestine officially start today or tomorrow. Universities and other higher institutions start a month later. But in Israel, the association of teachers have decided to call off the opening of the school year because they had issues with the Ministry of Education regarding textbook materials. So no school for Israeli kids this week ... teachers go on strike. And if we should go by tradition, university staff should also go on strike ... they've been doing it for decades. One nice thing about the start of the school year - the streets, cafes, malls, beaches, trains are all a lot quieter and orderly.

The heat is still on us but it lasts only during the daylight hours. By evening it gets so cold I wear a hoodie. It's practically the beginning of autumn. The High Holy Days of Judaism will soon begin ... Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and Sukkoth beginning Set. 13th and lasts for 3 weeks. Usually Sukkoth is the time when tensions with arabs as jews expect the coming of the Messiah and it necessitates the destruction of the Al Aqsa Mosque and the rebuilding of the jewish Temple. Not quite sure how violent this year will be. But violence on ancient temples are in the news this week. ISIS had destroyed the Palmyran temple of Baal Shemen and yesterday they destroyed the other iconic temple of Bel (or Baal). Awful.

September is upon us and soon 2015 will be over. How quickly time flies. Hopefully event the violence will blow away. Tourism has dropped to an all time low in peace time. The war around us is frightening people away. It will hit us hard toward Christmas.

Disastrous weekend

The weekend passed without incident despite the tension in the Old City. Small streets and alleys are still closed by soldiers and police but life goes on ... it's the inconvenience that we've all learned to bear with.

A lovely Bauhaus in Tel Aviv

Meantime I had to rush off to Tel Aviv for a check up. Took advantage of the trip also to meet up with some people. I had planned to return home by evening but being my luck, I broke the key in the gate. We could not extract the broken part of the key from the keyhole. Disaster! As it was Sabbat, jews don't work so we had to find an arab locksmith to come. He stupidly sawed off the little part sticking out of the keyhole ... thus ending our chance to even grasp at that little end to pull it out. I was terribly upset. The locksmith said he'd come to redo everything 3 days later. So very typically local.

So instead of going home, I decided to stay back and watch the door as no one could enter the monastery from the outside ... and many of the fathers were outside celebrating Sunday Mass in other cities. From 2.30pm to 11.30pm I sat at the doorway waiting till everyone returned. It was exhausting, But the community was very understanding and kept asking me to go to sleep, that it could have happened to anyone. And the stalls in front of the church also stayed opened till midnight as there was a concert in the opposite hill and there were lots of tourists and local visitors. The shop keepers were very kind. Shlomi who runs a juice stall gave me fruit and juice free of charge as it was very hot. Rudy and Mier who both run trinket stalls, came to help me try extricate the broken key but failed. Every one was very nice ... but I still felt terrible.

Anyway I did finally fall asleep and when I was up in the kitchen at 6.30am, indian Fr Tojy was also there and he said he'll try to remove the broken key. I wanted to say "forget it, we tried everything" but he seemed very sure of himself. So he went downstairs while I stayed in the kitchen drinking my morning honey/lemon mix. After 10 minutes he came back and said it's fixed, the broken part had been pulled out and there's no need to replace the entire lock. Tojy really knows his stuff.

Fr Tojy (r) with Fr Roshan at
Kohinoor for lunch as my thanks to
Tojy for helping me with the door

I was very happy and relieved. Tojy and his guest Fr. Roshan were going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Malayalam Mass so since I was going home, I offered to bring them back with me. Just my luck. As we entered Shaar Haggai valley  - the narrowest part of Highway 1 linking Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, our car broke down. The radiator was overheated and we had no water to cool it off. Cars refused to stop and help because it was the narrowest part of the Highway. We stood in the sun and heat and dust for over an hour waving down for help but no one did. Luckily our call to Automobile Association of Israel got through and they sent a truck over. The man was very kind, checked the entire car and filled up the radiator with 10 litres of water. The he drove behind us along the Highway till we reached a petrol station where we could get another check. When this was done, and our driver and the technician were satisfied, then he drove off. We were very impressed by this. The technician refused to accept payment as it was AA's policy to offer free service. Thanks to our AA angel ... we arrived safely in Jerusalem and just in time for Mass.

Orthodox Assumption feast

Today is Friday and though there's tension in the air as hundreds of arabs enter the Al Aqsa Mosque with tight police control, no incidents occurred. Thank goodness.

Solemn entrance to the Tomb of the
Virgin Mary in Gethsemane 

The crowds in the Old City have increased because the Greek Orthodox celebrated the feast of the Assumption of Mary yesterday. Thousands of orthodox christians gathered at the Holy Sepulchre, waiting for the procession of the icon of Mary to be carried out and into the Church of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary down in Gethsemane which is 1 km away. Church bells were ringing at 5am till 6am while the procession slowly moved toward the valley, passing by our house. Tomorrow the Armenian Orthodox will celebrate the same feast - they use different calendars - and we expect a smaller crowd in the procession. Anyway for the entire 3 weeks that the icon remain in the Tomb, hundreds of orthodox christians will come and venerate and pray everyday.

Young girl dressed as the
BVM going down to the
Tomb of Mary

Healthwise I've been getting asthma attacks and bad diarrhoea as well. Thought it was some virus as many other people in town are also down with it. And of course I ate some leftover food cold from the fridge several days ago and that caused the diarrhoea ... Now I realised what was also a major cause ... I took a wrong dosage of medicine. I remember I had to buy Telfast, my antihistamine medicine which I must take everyday. Doc had said I need the maximum dosage which is 180mg but the pharmacy had only 120mg. The pharmacist told me to take one and a half tablets. But I forgot and took only one for almost a week ... and hence the asthma attacks. Yesterday I realised my mistake and rushed off to buy the correct dosage which the pharmacy now had in stock. The asthma stopped immediately. But I learned another thing - I had to take it in the night, not in the morning as I have been doing. Well now I feel better and learned a little more about medication, but the diarrhoea and cramps are still bothering me.

Stromata

Piglets in baskets

Another violent couple of days. Yesterday evening I was on my way down to the 3rd Station to buy some Shoko (chocolate milk) to soothe my ailing tummy when lots of soldiers were running toward Damascus Gate. My security friends told me there was a stabbing: an arab from Bethlehem with an axe against a policeman. The latter was wounded in the leg and the former was shot and arrested. Today all the alleys in our Quarter are blocked off by soldiers and only the main roads were opened to traffic. That's the price we all have to pay for one person's crime. Collective punishment.

Gaza has been firing missiles into Israel and today Israel fired back. Everyone thinks it'll crescendo sooner or later towards the Yom Kippur / Sukkoth feasts. What a dreadful autumn ... and speaking of autumn, people are saying autumn has arrived. The sun rises much later at almost 6am and sets early at 7.45pm. We had a very short summer but it was very hot and intense. But autumn doesn't seem very promising either.

On a nice note: a group came bringing me a dozen piglets in baskets - chinese cookies! Lots of my friends have been very curious about this since I received (and ate) one a month ago. Now I can share it with them. I hope it's kosher!

Carmelites from Haifa and
Nazareth making the Way of the Cross

And yesterday was a big celebration at the Bethlehem Carmelite Monastery to commemorate the canonisation of their founding sister, the arab St. Miriam Bouardy. I heard it was very crowded so that the Mass had to be celebrated in the garden of the Betarram Fathers next door. Carmelite nuns from Haifa, Nazareth and Jerusalem also attended. Today some of the nuns came to visit the Old City and make the Way of the Cross. It's the first time for all of them to visit Jerusalem even though they have been in Israel for several years now. That's the cloistered life.

Violent speeches

Asian limes in Jerusalem

And incredible start to the week as whirlwind affairs just kept blowing in. Israeli bombs Syria as more missiles land in the Golan. Far-right rabbis praise the jewish criminals who burnt the arab baby and father alive, and justifies attacks even on israeli police and soldiers who stop them. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Far-right-rabbinical-group-pens-letter-calling-Jewish-terror-suspects-praiseworthy-413167  We see now a growing rabbinical legitimisation of violence against non-jews (meaning also jews who don't meet their standards) ... a very worrying sign that these extremists jews and rabbis are soon taking over Israeli society because the govt. and police are afraid of them. 7 arabs who threw stones at jews last week were arrested and charged ... but the killers of the arab baby and his father, or those who burnt the Church of 5 Loaves and 2 Fish a month ago have not been caught. In fact not a single suspect has been arrested and charged since the vandalism of the Last Supper Room and burning of the Latrun Monastery church doors 5 years ago.

Newly reorganised library

Police instead arrest an arab for transporting chickens, presumably, into Israel.  http://www.jpost.com/page.aspx?pageid=7&articleid=413083  There is a ruling that forbids food or livestock from being brought into Israel from arab areas like Bethlehem. I thought it might be a move to prevent diseases like MERS and SARS ... but the law includes cooked food. So now I'm not sure why.

I managed to find asian limes for sale in Jerusalem!!!! After all these years ... at the Filipino grocery store. They're seedless but the tangy juice is what I need. I've been suffering from diarrhoea and severe cramps for 4 days now. And many other people in town are also affected by this. Must be a gastro-intestinal virus. The MC sisters are also suffering from this, and so are several priests and lay people. The thought of food makes me vomit. I can only drink chocolate milk and lime juice. And that should give me the energy to finish re-organising the 40,000 books in the libraries.

Strict Sabbath enforcements

And more violence rocks the north as missiles from Syria continue to fly into Israel. Now we're sure it's not accidental. Israel retaliated and will continue to do so. Several syrian rebel jihadists were killed by Israeli strikes yesterday.

Ultra-orthodox power is flexing in Jerusalem as the munipality bows to them and enforces strict closure of shops on the Sabbath. The latest victims are 8 supermarkets and snack shops. Well if they continue to do this, everyone including jews will be going to East Jerusalem and eating and shopping from the arabs. Good boost to the arab economy.

Food poisoning

Yesterday and this morning saw a rise in isolated attacks. Rockets and misses from Lebanon and Syria flew into Israel ... not sure if they were intentional or mistakes ... but Israel returned fire anyway. Highway 443 which is the new link between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv saw 4 attacks of rock throwing which injured several people.

St. Stephen's Gate ... gateway
from the Mt. of Olives to
the Old City

Yesterday afternoon I was very hungry and ate some leftover rice ... cold from the fridge. Absolutely awful. Had food poisoning. Stomach cramps and severe diarrhoea. It was so bad I could hardly walk. Constant nausea too. This morning was the same. Am feeling very weak. But I had to go to Pater Noster Carmelite Monastery to celebrate a Mass ... it's 1km up the Mt. of Olives. It was quite an ordeal. Walking back was traumatic. Downhill to the Kidron Valley in the intense heat, I stopped by Gethsemane and rested in the monastery - they gave me water to drink. Then walked up to Jerusalem hill and stopped at Sheep's Pool (St Anne's Church) to rest again before finishing the last 50 meters back home. Have been in bed since. Feeling extremely ill.

But work must still continue. I've been preaching a Triduum to the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa) leading up to their feast day tomorrow. It's a short walk to their convent but with the diarrhoea and nausea and heat, it's difficult to give an hour's talk, then an hour of adoration, plus confessions. I need to rest next week. I really do. But first, the food poisoning has to go.

Please pass the tomato seasoning

Sporadic attacks everyday of jews and arabs ... today a bomb launch near a tunnel in the Gilo suburb. There were a couple of stabbings yesterday. All these are not organised but individuals with no agenda. That makes it all the more dangerous because you cannot track them and foretell a future attack. What a summer ... talk in the streets is a coming 3rd Intifada. But let's hope not.

View of the concert from the
opposite hill

The heat is still upon us. Last night as I was feeling very tired but listless, I decided to take a long walk around the New City. There was a concert at Independence Park ... but entry is by ticket which costs about US$12. The park was closed off by boarded fences every 7 metres there were guards and police patrolling. Inside the area a small crowd paid to get in while the concert started at 9pm. Israeli Rock band with nationalistic songs. Many people preferred to stand in the opposite hill and watch the concert free of charge. I was one of the them. After an hour, I decided to walk home. Was simply drained of energy in this heat ... and the amount of work done.

Monster in Israel

Well I found a new energy drink on sale here in Jerusalem "Monster" with its trademark green "tear". Well it was very hot and I needed something not just to quench the thirst but also enough energy to boost me for the rest of the day. Saw that Monster contains ginseng extract so I gave it a try. It's expensive ... costing US$2 for the smallest can. One try is enough. It was ok ... got me going till 2pm when I could no longer continue working. Was and am so very drained and tired.

By the way, in Israel "Heinz" the company cannot sell "Tomato Ketchup" anymore because it was discovered that there was not enough tomato content for it to qualify as "ketchup". Now it's called "Tomato seasoning". Can you imagine the dinner table or restaurant where a bisyllable "ketchup" is now a 6 syllable word? I think people will soon shorten it to "TS".

Another hot day

Shoko

Yes ... the topic is still the heatwave. Everyone is talking (complaining actually) about it. It felt like over 40 degrees and there was no breeze. Stifling. Only towards 5pm did a cool wind start to blow. A very welcome relief. The newspapers are saying it's the hottest August in 5 years. I had a terrible time sleeping or rather not sleeping. It was too hot and dry and I had a bad sore throat as a result. Went to buy Shoko (local pronunciation of "choco") - which is chocolate milk. It really helps to quench the thirst and sooth the sore throat. Side effect - bad diarrhoea. Just can't win.

Flowering palm trees

Ultra-orthodox jews yesterday rioted because a new cinema hall and surrounding shops were opened in a Jerusalem suburb ... and which will remain open also on the Sabbath. For the ultra-orthodox, it's a desecration of the 2nd Commandment. Crazy rioting in several areas and Israeli riot police had to battle them. Yesterday evening there was also some action down in Bab Hutta ... which is down the road from where I live. Several Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel and they had a hero's welcome. Family and friends carried the men on their shoulders and paraded them up and down the neighbourhood, chanting slogans and firing fireworks. It ended in a clash with the israeli soldiers. Stun grenades were fired.

Well goodness knows how long this heatwave will last ... or the crazy violence that usually does not accompany it. One thing positive though ... the heat has provoked the palm trees to flower in abundance. The 5 ancient palm trees in front of St. Peter's Church have enormous bunches of cascading white blossoms ... utterly awesome.

Heatwave is definitely back!

Colourful fruit in season

The meteorological station  has confirmed that a 2nd heatwave has blasted down on us this week ... not as hot as last week but certainly in the region of 40 degrees. The nights are stifling ... as the wind is from the desert hence dry and hot. Today in the Jordan Valley near Jericho, temp. hits 46 degrees! I don't even want to think of going out. I'll just wither and wilt in this heat.

It's harvest time for most fruit ... but the heatwave will destroy the crops. Whatever had been harvested last week however are incredible in colour. A basket of fruit from our kitchen will give you an idea. There're plums, pomegranates, apples, pears, oranges, figs, grapes ... and the colours are so intense.

And in this heat, violence continue to be perpetrated. yesterday 2 attacks on Israeli police took place. Both arab perpetrators were arrested. News of disturbances in the Old City must still be rift as police and soldiers continue to petrol the streets in large numbers and grater frequency.

3 curries at Thai House

I managed to take the weekend off to "rest" in our house in Jaffa. It was a good escape from the heat ... but the seaside humidity is awful. Luckily the rooms there are air-conditioned. Didn't rest though as I was very nervous and upset over several things. In fact on the first night I slept only for 1 hour. Dreadful. Anyway I still forced myself to go out and take some fresh air, and walk for almost 10 kms to work off the negative energy. Had lunch at Thai House (booked 3 days previously) with 2 of my volunteers and Clovis our seminarian. They had green chicken curry, red beef curry and sweet potato/pork curry. I had my usual Phad Si Yiu (char way teow) which I will never change! The guys enjoyed, and the company was a good distraction from my worries.

Anyway it's back to work today. Luckily I work inside the library so it's cool. Will probably stay working in there for as long as I can!

Heatwave is back

The pools and streams at
Independendce Park are a great place
to be in this heat

Just when we thought the heatwave had gone ... the heat picked up again this morning. The last 2 days were very pleasant ... a cool breeze during the day despite the strong sun; and nights so chilly you must wear a jacket ... but this morning the sun was beating back with a vengeance, no wind as well. I was practically struggling to climb the hundreds of stairs in the Old City to reach from my house to work at New Gate (all uphill). Had to buy a small can of Sprite to quench my thirst, and the shopkeeper gave it to me free of charge ... seeing I was already with an asthma attack.

Tit-for-tat attacks have continued throughout the day. Masked arab youths throe firebombs and rocks at Israeli police all round the suburbs of Jerusalem; jews turn and attacked an arab riding the train; arab workers from an industrial estate attacked 3 israeli drivers during an accident .... it's back and forth ... with no end in sight. There is a great lack of political will to solve this racial/religious tension.

Soya Milk
"Alpro"

Leaving the "normal" problems of this country, I had to settle some of my own ... mainly food. Since I'm allergic to so many things, I now have to buy fresh veggies. But cooking is the next hurdle. We're renovating our kitchen so there's no kitchen, stove, fridge .... I bought a pack of spinach and bean sprouts but they're rotting away in this heat. I also found a new brand of soya milk called Alpo which claims not to have preservatives and coloring. Took the risk to try one out ... "Macchiato" flavor. Since there was no fridge, I had to drink the whole 1 liter at once. After half an hour, no allergic reaction. Good. Now I'll buy this brand of milk. One more thing that I can consume.

Stromata

Hubes Ajuweh

Extremely busy few days with hardly any time to breathe. Almost 12,000 books to be relocated, reclassified, re-catalogued is a massive job especially I have a dateline of only 10 weeks. I start work sometimes at 3am and finish mostly at 10pm. I try to get a break in the afternoons for maybe an hour or two ... which is mainly spent hand feeding the 3 canary nestlings as their mother no longer feeds them. Exhausted? Utterly. This is not a summer vacation ... I'm working twice as hard as on a normal school term.

Violence all around. The past 2 days saw clashes between students and Israeli police in the Al Aqsa compound and the streets of the Muslim Quarter. Muslim schools from probably the Territories are bringing school children into the Old City as summer camp/visit but it often serves as an excuse to create trouble. Kids 8 or 9 yrs old chanting muslim slogans in the Via Dolorosa, throwing stones at tourists ... it wa havoc all round. Riot police had to come in and chase them away. No arrests because they're all minors. One girl student even bit a police woman in the Al Aqsa compound. Tourists are now avoiding the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross).

The heatwave is finally gone and the nights are awfully chilly. I have to wear a hoodie just to keep warm. Being so busy at work, I have no time to cook any normal food. These few days I bought Hubes Ajuweh ... it's a donut-shaped yellow bread filled with date marmalade. Nice change though I shouldn't take so much flour based food. My blood sugar has been spiking as I have no time to walk 4km each day to burn it off. And I don't want to take insulin.

Of incense and spices

All types of incense for sale

Today for a change the headlines was not on Israel. It was on the series of bomb attacks in Turkey, Cairo and Kabul ... and the ISIS plot to murder the Queen of England this Saturday. The regional upheaval in apparently calculated and co-ordinated attacks serve to destabilise the countries ... causing fear and suspicion. Nothing has occurred in Israel though ... they know the Israeli military is powerful and has a zero tolerance. In fact everyone is sure the Israeli army is the only regional force capable to neutralising these anarchic forces.

But the regional problems have an indirect effect on Israel - tourism. Tourists have dropped almost by a third because of fears. Local are feeling the pinch. Israelis are quick to adapt and organise tours for local Israelis ... which is working well. Palestine however is less organised and can only moan at the lost  of revenue.

Fragrant spices in the Suq

On the bright side, the roads are less crowded and I could take a walk down the old spice market "Suq" which dates back to the Crusader period, almost 1000 years ago. It's amazing to see the brilliant array of incense for sale, and the fragrances of exotic spices. This never fails to captivate me. It's almost spellbinding. I think of the times of the great golden era of islam ... of literature, maths, science and astronomy; the 1001 nights, Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, Aladdin and the magic lamp, flying carpets and genies .... everything that modern fanatic islam is trying to destroy. Yes ISIS has destroyed more mosques than churches, persecuted more muslims than christians.

Majulah Singapura

It was a different Sunday today ... it's Singapore's National Independence Day ... 50 years of it. Since the 3rd century when Singapore was noted in written texts, it was under the Sri Vijaya empire, then the Chola empire followed by the Majapahit empire, the Portuguese, Dutch and British empires, the Johor Sultanate and the Japanese Occupation. Now for 50 yrs it's been independent ... and flourishing.  Great  achievement!

Patriotic cheesecake

I watched the celebrations on live broadcast via Channel News Asia. Must have been lots of viewers because the livefeed was not very steady. In typical singaporean style, I celebrated with food. Had rice with brinjals and beef, and a blueberry cheesecake that matched the Singapore flag - red and white. Actually breakfast was already the start of the celebration. I had mushroom bourekas (puff pastry) and pancakes. Now I'm feeling terribly sick with severe diarrhoea and nausea. The price to pay for festivity.

Israeli newspapers were quick to publish Israel's role in helping Singapore in the early years of nation-building especially in the military field. They claim the former PM Lee K.Y. had already revealed the secret in his 2000 autobiography so now Israel can talk openly about it. Even the Huffington Post ran a column on it. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.648458?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook  and  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-sleeper/blame-the-latest-israelar_b_2147509.html

The heatwave continues today but a strong cool breeze was blowing. It's nice outdoors but indoors is stuffy and oppressive. We're hoping next week this will all pass. Right now I just need to recover from this National Day binge.

Stromata

Latest news - the father of the baby burnt to death last week has also died from his injuries. The mother and 4 yr old brother are still in critical condition. Israel is expecting riots ... so military presence has been stepped up. What everyone is saying is how come no one has yet been arrested? Arab villagers are now organising watchdog groups to protect themselves from further jewish settler violence.

6.30am and the sun is
already scorching

The heatwave continues to beat down on us. But today there is an occasional cool breeze to lighten the oppressive heat. Tourists have trickled to barely a few ... shopkeepers fear this will ruin them as it's the 2nd year running that tourism has slumped in summer. Last year was due to the Gaza war.

And talking about Gaza, rockets have been fired into Israel for 2 days now. Israel retaliated this morning by bombing suspected areas in Gaza. Will this ever stop?

6.30am Salahaddin Street:
deserted due to the heatwave

Healthwise I'm still feeling sick. No appetite, dizzy and diarrhea. I stopped eating crackers so it's much better than the last few days. Because of the heat, I'm quite sleepless ... like so many others as well. Last night Ah Ling from Mandarin restaurant made me chicken herbal soup ... and added a bowl of rice and fried beef. Force-feeding me as I hardly ate anything for the past 2 days.

Let's hope next week will be cooler and I'll recover. I've still had no vacation though everyone else has. We're practically down to 4 people at home now. 13 straight years of no summer vacation. I'm feeling the strain.

Friday

Damascus Gate by night
in the heatwave

The heatwave continues to oppress us ... daytime still over 40 degrees. Few people venture out in the day ... and the nights are the same. People prefer to hide in their houses with the aircons on. Just today alone I've seen several people installing aircons in their houses. Aircon sellers are making a boom this week. The weekend night-markets which are usually packed with people, are now very quiet. In fact lots of shops close before 5pm ... not only because of the cost to keep the shops cool but because nobody is shopping because of the heat.

And added to this dreadful weather, a revenge attack was committed yesterday near the village where 18 mth old baby Ali was burnt to death. An arab villager rammed his car into 3 Israeli soldiers, critically wounding them. Rioters in Shuafat, north of Jerusalem where last year the 16 yr old arab boy was burnt to death by 3 Israelis, threw stones at passing Israeli cars, wounding one woman. This tit-for-tat violence is helping no one. Police presence was high today around the Old City. It's Friday and thousands of muslims are flooding into the Al Aqsa Mosque. Fears of revenge attacks on jews have triggered the regional police to station as many police and soldiers as possible along the main streets.

New wall and plaque
at convent entrance

Today news is out that Catholic Church leaders in Israel have filed an official complain to the police over the extremist rabbi's call that it is justified to to burn all churches. Other church leaders are still keeping quiet. Too bad for them if they're scared of jewish extremists. The Armenian Orthodox leaders have been spat upon many times in the streets, and Greek Orthodox churches have been vandalised ... but if they choose to keep quiet about it, they have to pay the price for their silence.

The wall of the Missionaries of Charity's convent has been rebuilt and a stone plaque hangs over their main entrance in the Old City. At least the nuns now feel a little more secure. Their muslim neighbours used to cut their phone wires and spit at the nuns. Let's hope with the new and higher wall, the nuns will not be harassed again.

Heatwave still

Backlash from the recent strong words by govt officials against extremist israeli groups that had perpetrated last week's violence. Just when the National Security Agency refused to blacklist the extremist group as "terrorist", the group's leader issued a call to burn all churches in Israel. http://www.haaretz.com/beta/.premium-1.669785?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook

The Attorney General still refuses to prosecute this rightwing group leader for inciting violence, though if these words were made by anyone else and regards a synagogue, there would be an immediate arrest. 

HaShoter Square spraying cool
water vapors 

And the heatwave is claiming more casualties. Yesterday a soldier died of heatstroke while many others were warded due to heat related problems. The whole region is engulfed in this heatwave and there is nothing much anyone can do. The nights are still hitting 30 degrees though a cool breeze does blow across and bring some relief. HaShoter Square in front of Mandarin Restaurant has been very popular these few evenings ... it features sprays of cool water into the air, and lots of people just sit around the mushroom shaped chairs to get cooled down by the vapors.

For the past 2 days I've had asthma attacks ... but now I think it's not a reaction to the heatwave or sandstorm. It was probably the crackers that I ate when I feel hungry during the day. It's normal wheat crackers, no flavor, but it probably contains preservatives of the Benzoate or Sulfide group that I'm allergic to. Yesterday's attack was quite bad and I forgot to bring my Ventolin with me. Had to rush off to the pharmacy and buy one. I also had severe IBS attacks (diarrhea) which is associated with my allergy to preservatives. Awful. Now before I buy any packets of food, I must read the label for ingredients. 

Coptic Bishop comes to visit

Have been feeling terribly ill for 24 hours now. Since yesterday I've been very nauseous and listless. I thought it could have been dehydration and the heatwave that's affecting me. But this morning the nausea became worse and my head is very dizzy. I feel I could faint at any moment ... it's that queasy feeling, the legs are soft, the head is dizzy and I feel like walking on clouds.

Temperatures have gone up super high yesterday. The night was 31 degrees! Daytime was almost 40 degrees! Yet local people thank God because in Iraq it's over 51 degrees! This heatwave will continue through the week. The govt is warning of electrical outages due to over-demand by aircons throughout the country.

Bishop Justinus with a Coptic priest
and nun on the roof of the Flagellation

Despite the heat, we had a surprise visitor yesterday: the superior of the legendary St. Anthony Monastery in Egypt, coptic Bishop Justinus. The enormous and ancient monastery in the desert of Egypt was the place where christian monasticism was born, thanks to the Rule and form of life that Anthony organized for those who chose this way of life. St. Anthony is considered the Father of all monks, and the father of christian monasticism. In this illustrious monastery of almost 1700 years, several coptic Popes have been elected and resided ... the last one being Pope Shenouda who died several years ago. Anyway the bishop just popped over for a private pilgrimage without any announcement ... very simple man; accompanied by a coptic priest from the Holy Sepulcher (whom I know well), and the superior of the Coptic nuns in Jerusalem. I showed him the panorama of Jerusalem from our terrace, which he was thrilled.

Back to the social scene, talk shows, editorials and street chat are still focussed on the death of the 16 yr old jewish girl stabbed by an ultra-orthodox jew because she joined in the Pride Parade, and of course the burning to death of the 18 mth old arab baby Ali. One rabbi said it was no better than the child sacrifices condemned by the prophet Isaiah, an innocent baby sacrificed on the altar of fanaticism and to the idol of nationhood.

Nevertheless justice seems as elusive as ever ... because the State Security system refuses to pronounce the extremist jewish Lehava group as terrorist even though their agenda openly calls for the elimination of arabs and non-jews; and the Security System now dismisses these violent perpetrators as a gang of misguided "kids" thus diminishing responsibility and culpability. I doesn't surprise me one bit. If you can get away with burning the Church of Loaves and Fishes with monks sleeping inside, then why can't you get away with burning an arab house with a family sleeping in it?

Heatwave and sandstorm

Today reports are out that the President of Israel himself has received death threats because he called for peaceful co-existence between jews and arabs. There is no limit to the extreme fanatics. But as the newspapers' editorials say ... the extreme fringe was allowed to run amok and now are practically calling the shots. Sad situation.

Ms. Bird on her perch
looking at the sandstorm

The heatwave is now almost at its peak. 40 degrees during the day, 31 degrees in the night. In Jericho I heard it was 51 degrees. It's alright to stay in the shade though ... quite cooling if the hot winds don't blow. But under the sun, it scorches and burns. Yesterday a stretch of mountain forests in Ein Kerem was ablaze. This heatwave is compounded with a sandstorm. Jordan is the worst hit. But we too had yellow dusty skies in the afternoon. My asthma is triggered and I've been having attacks these 2 days.

Despite the heat, work continues. I was in a rush this morning ... had so much to do. As a result I was careless and smashed my foot against the table. My little toe was bleeding and the nail was hanging lose. The pain was excruciating. Now I can only wear slippers as shoes will add pressure on the toe and make healing slow.

News just in ... ISIS is getting more control of the Sinai Peninsula as egyptian forces are unable to control them. Now the site of Mt. Sinai, the place where the 10 commandments were given, is now in danger of being destroyed. This includes St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of the mountain, with its priceless library of ancient books.

President Rivlin's address on the murders and violence

... “Friends, the flames are spreading in our land – flames of violence, flames of hatred, flames of false, distorted and twisted beliefs,” said Rivlin.

“We cannot continue to dismiss these flames, which are consuming the public in Israel...These flames, which are consuming all of us, cannot be extinguished with weak condemnations. These flames cannot be extinguished with solidarity rallies.”

Noting that a 15-year-old girl stabbed by an ultra-Orthodox Jew at the gay pride parade remains in critical condition, the president said the suspected Jewish extremists who killed a Palestinian toddler in the West Bank the following day have further shamed the nation.

“To my great horror and shame, the letting of blood, the path of hatred and murder, did not stop [at the parade],” he said.

“Over the course of the same night, Jewish terrorists burned down the house of the Dawabsha family in the village of Duma, killing their baby son Ali, and seriously injuring his four-year-old brother, and his father. His mother is still fighting for her life.”

Rivlin said that when he visited the family at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, he was ashamed and “ridden with dread for the power of hatred.

“Ashamed that a country which has known the murder of Shalhevet Pass, of the Fogel family, of Adele Biton, of Eyal, Gil-Ad, Naftali and Muhammad Abu Khdeir, there are still those who do not hesitate to ignite the flames, to burn the flesh of a baby, to increase the hatred and terrorism,” he said.

“‘Even though you make many prayers,’ cried out the Prophet Isaiah,” he continued. “‘I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.’” Rivlin warned that such “flames cannot be extinguished with posts on Facebook, and statements in the media.”

“These flames cannot be extinguished with repression, denial and disregard,” he said.

“Incitement, ridicule, frivolity, laxity and arrogance of the heart, cannot extinguish the fire, but only allow it to burn stronger, with fervor, to spread in all directions, and permeate all walks of life. A blatant disregard for the rule of law, for human dignity, for a love of mankind, for a love of Israel, and freedom of opinion, has spread within us, and is wreaking havoc.”

Moreover, Rivlin warned that an atmosphere of leniency toward extremism has taken root within Israeli society.

“Every society has extremist fringes, but today we have to ask: What is it in the public atmosphere which allows extremism and extremists to walk in confidence, in broad daylight?” he continued.
“What is it that has enabled these weeds to threaten the safety of the entire garden of flowers? These flames cannot be extinguished through repression. To put out the flames, we need be a much more determined and decisive. We must be thorough and clear.”

To effectively address the growing problem of intolerance, Rivlin said a holistic reckoning must take place throughout the country’s classrooms, police precincts, and the Knesset itself.

“We must put out the flames, the incitement, before they destroy us all,” he said.

“Citizens of Israel: A Jewish and democratic Israel needs a wakeup call today. The Israel of the Declaration of Independence, the Israel of the vision of the Prophets, of compassion and mercy, today needs a wake-up call.”

(from http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Protests-against-Homophobia-and-Jewish-terror-take-place-throughout-Israel-410816 )

Extreme heat ... in weather and in society

pigeons cooling off at
sprinklers 

Yesterday the nation woke up shocked, in disbelief and anger as news of the double violent attacks by jews rocked all starts of society: israeli and arab, right and left, liberal and orthodox. It sunk in ... but as the newspapers say, it'll end in nothing.

The first attack by ultra-orthodox jews on 6 jewish marchers at the Jerusalem Pride Parade shocked Israeli society because a jew had tried to kill other jews - baseless hatred, which the Talmud (jewish holy book) says was the cause of the destruction of the 2nd Temple. Even the rabbis were aghast at it ... not that they approved of the Parade though. But a jew killing another jew is beyond their comprehension.

Then the burning to death of an 18 mth old arab baby while his parents and 4 yr old brother are in critical condition drew international condemnation ... though not as much as Cecil the Lion. Jewish settlers burnt their house with the family sleeping in it as a revenge for the Israeli govt demolishing illegal Israeli settlements in arab land. Innocent victims. The funeral of the baby was attended by thousands. Riots throughout the Palestinian Territories, at the borders with Israel and even Jerusalem took place yesterday. Some were violent. Even rightist parties and rabbis condemned the killing of an innocent baby ... but so far no arrests have been made. It is shocking.

Tel Aviv beach renovated

Now society is deeply disturbed. Arabs and jews avoid each other, jews are suspicious of other jews  who hold different views. People avoid talking to each other except for friends their loyalty they can count on. It will take a long time for these wounds to heal. Demonstrations by jews and arabs against these violence and hatred took place throughout the country. The uncle of the baby spoke in Tel Aviv, calling for an end to these killings of arabs by jewish fanatics. Remember it was only a year ago that a 16 yr old arab boy was burnt alive just north of Jerusalem, by the settler movement youths.

The emotional heat in society is reflected in the heatwave we're experiencing. Forecast is one week of extreme temp. going up to the 40s. It's so hot the pigeons by the beach were soaking under the sprinklers to stay cool. And the central beach in Tel Aviv had palm trees planted to provide shade, new and more gazebos were put up and shaded promenades were installed. If only Israeli / arab society could be solved as easily.

Trouble!!!

Continuing to appease the electorate, the new govt. budget is giving 18,000 shekels to all 18 yr old Israelis. Presumably in a couple of years' time, these grateful 1st time voters will vote for the incumbant govt.

The 2 guys who burnt the Church

And the 2 perpetrators who burnt  the Church of 5 Loaves and 2 Fish has been charged. But this does not mean that they will be jailed or sentenced. In all likelihood, the rabbis will throw their weight on the courts and these guys will be released with community service at most. About 2 or 3 others have also been arrested but the prosecution does not know what to do with them! Anyway these extremists youths, according to the newspaper reports, claim that a good Jew must hate christians. Well if that's the case, we don't need to wait for ISIS to destroy us; here in Israel we already have enough enemies.

Anyway enough said. Everything here is political. My Israeli friends yesterday were accusing me of being leftist and pro-arab because of my uploads and posts. Sigh. Every opinion I make is judged by both sides ... it's hard to maintain friendships when politics keep getting in the way as a test of loyalty.

It's so hot the few people who are out
must hide in the shade of trees

I guess this psychological pressure has been piling up in me ... and I'm feeling physically sick. I think I ate something with nuts and luckily I take an antihistamine every morning, so the reaction was less severe. Nevertheless there were asthma attacks, dizziness and bad nausea. Was thinking of going to the hospital but my legs were too queasy to walk 2 kms there. Didn't want to use the Epipen yet ... I hear it hurts. So I sat in my office and hoped it'll go away.

And to top that all up, there's a heatwave starting today that'll last one week. Extreme temp. Newspapers are calling people not to go out unnecessarily, and outdoor trails have been closed down by Park Authorities so trekkers will not die of heatstroke or thirst.