Awesome full moon

Full moon at Ben
Yehuda Mall

Very dark skies and bitterly cold winds .... but only a drizzle here in Jerusalem today. The rest of the country is flooded in most parts. There'll probably be snow up in the Golan Heights these few days but I doubt it'll snow in Jerusalem. Too humid and not enough rain. Anyway these nights there is a beautiful full moon shining over the City. Utterly amazing. Weaving through the rain clouds, it creates an eerie atmosphere for the end of the year ... ominous and mysterious. The moonlight shimmers through a rounded aura created by the clouds ... emanating strange colours.

I managed to photograph the moon on my way home yesterday evening. It was a marathon exam session. Oral exam for 24 students. It started at 1pm and ended at 6.30pm with only a 2 minute toilet break. I was utterly exhausted, and very cold and very hungry. The sun sets at 4.30pm and the drizzle and bitterly cold winds made it a miserable walk until I spotted the moon. I was the only one photographing the moon ... everyone else was rushing around getting out of the cold. If it does snow, the moon would look even more incredible.

Moon peeking through the palms
at Municipality Square

The provincial of M. Teresa's sisters arrived in Jerusalem and recounted the horrors of the war in Aleppo and the rest of Syria. Their sisters and 60 handicap patients have moved into our monastery next to the church for safety. Fighting is just 2 km away and it could spread at any moment into west Aleppo where they are now. The situation in Yemen is worse and Iraq is not any better. This is a very sad christmas for the christians in those countries. Do something meaningful this christmas .... share your blessings with these persecuted brothers and sisters in the Middle East.  http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/ISIS-Threat/Few-remaining-Iraqi-Christians-prepare-for-Christmas-as-lands-liberated-from-ISIS-475216

Another 5 female employees of the Knesset (Parliament) were prevented from entering the building for work because they violated the new dress code .... skirts too short for ultra-orthodox jews to accept. In retaliation other female workers demonstrated in protest. The ultra-orthodox have practically controlled most parts of Jerusalem life now.