Stabbing attack

Yesterday just after noon, a stabbing attempt took place in front of the Austrian Hospice and 3rd Station of the Cross. It was the same place where the "stabbing Intifada" started. 2 policemen were injured in the head and the assailant was shot to death. The City Gates to the Muslim Quarter were closed and so too all the main streets in the Quarter. Shops around the area were ordered to close down. It's a bad start to Christmas. We hope the police will not limit our Christmas festivities because of this; and that this is not a new beginning to another season of violence.  http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Initial-Stabbing-attack-in-Jerusalems-Old-City-475348

Christmas wishes
from the Jerusalem
Municipality

The rains finally came to Jerusalem ... a few minutes of a regular shower but for the rest of the time it's a constant drizzle. Dark skies, very strong and cold winds but nothing severe unlike the rest of the country. The highway from Tel Aviv to Netanya was flooded, and Haifa suffered the most from the storm. Ironically only 2 weeks ago Haifa was ravaged by the forest fires, destroying over some 700 houses and thousands had to be evacuated. This is a land of extremes.

The miniskirt crisis in the Knesset (Parliament) reach breaking point when several more women were turned back from work due to the ultra-orthodox dress code. The demonstration against it included a male member of parliament coming in his shorts to protest. Today security personnel refuse to enforce this dress code and it seems this demand by the ultra-orthodox is falling apart. Let's see how it will unfold in the next few days. http://www.timesofisrael.com/mk-strips-in-solidarity-with-miniskirt-clad-knesset-aides/

And the revered circumciser who told apprentices to practice on ethiopic and non-jewish children has been suspended for 3 years by the Chief Rabbinate. Apparently he was caught doing just that by undercover journalists posing as non-jewish parents wanting a circumcision for their baby. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Chief-Rabbinate-suspends-cannon-fodder-mohel-for-three-years-475378

Sign boards placed
throughout East
Jerusalem

The siege in Aleppo still disturbs us. Though a cease-fire was called to allow civilians to leave the area, bombings continued. We hope the poor people will be safe ... and they reach help not only for shelter from the winter but also food and medicine. In Iraq the Christian population fell from 1.6 million to a mere 150,000. Christmas will be a very trying time for them as they live under ISIS persecution. http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/ISIS-Threat/Few-remaining-Iraqi-Christians-prepare-for-Christmas-as-lands-liberated-from-ISIS-475216

The Jerusalem Municipality has placed numerous signs wishing Christians a Merry Christmas just as it did for Ramadan for the muslims. Very noteworthy is that these signs are not found in the western side of the City because it's jewish and the ultra-orthodox jews would riot if such a thing were done.