Tisha B'Av and the Indian National Day

Chinese sisters with Fr. Tojy, head
of the Indian Chaplaincy

It was a long weekend without the computer. The Indian community celebrated their National Day which falls also on the Feast of the Assumption ... but they anticipated it because Monday is a working day and no one would have been able to come. So it was organised for Friday evening but it got cancelled because a palestinian terrorist was still at large and the police thought it was not prudent to hold a public procession before the Mass. Instead it was postponed to Saturday morning at an enclosed event Hall with public security standing by at the entrances.

Indian National Day Mass

Over a thousand indians came for the Mass ... and it was celebrated in english although the readings were done in Malayam, Konkani and several other indian languages. I help with the konkani masses in several cities whenever there is need ... so they consider me part of the indian chaplaincy and thus was invited to concelebrate the Mass. Indian religious sisters throughout the country also came. And our chinese sisters were also invited. It was a big event. The sisters got to meet other indian sisters. They spent the weekend in our Jaffa monastery guesthouse ... a rest from all the work they had been doing with pilgrims. And it was also a preparation for Assumption Day.

But Saturday night was also the start of the jewish Tisha B'Av ... the commemoration of the destruction of the 2 jewish Temples. Its a day of mourning, a national event ... all work and shops close. People fast, don't wear shoes, some rip their shirts as a sign of sorrow ... and they sing the Book of Lamentations. Thousands of jews gathered at the Wailing Wall to lament ... and they were also allowed to enter the Al Aqsa compound. Unfortunately jewish visitors into the Al Aqsa compound (where the Temple used to stand) and muslims inside clashed. The fighting poured out into our street in front of our house as well. Luckily I wasn't home ... I was at the indian Mass in Tel Aviv. But later in the day people showed me videos of the riots. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4841361,00.html
 and  http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/in-israel/local/7-jewish-visitors-suspected-of-praying-removed-from-temple-mount-22955

Well tomorrow will be another day. Hopefully the tensions would have died down and we can go on with our own lives.