A little after midnight last night, we heard a very loud explosion. It was scary ... but the sirens did not blare so it was safe. This morning we learned that Syria had fired a missile into Israel but the Israeli Defense Force fired an anti-missile rocket which blew it up in the air before it could land. Newspapers are all reporting a tense situation ... asking if this is a new stage of Syria's war.
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Analysis-Will-the-Israel-Syria-missile-flare-up-set-a-new-precedent-484473
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King George Street
closed off |
Today was also the Jerusalem Marathon. You cannot imagine the chaos when roads were closed at 6am. I had an examination with 41 students up in the New City but that area is totally closed off. Some of my african students living in the Old City actually left the house in a car at 5am but already parts of the roads were closed. One of them has a broken leg and cannot walk far. They could not enter the school at 5.30am because police refused entry to the road. They had to park in the Jesuit House 2 km away and walked to school and wait till 11am for my exam. Poor kids.
I was the last to leave the house as I had to work in the library till 9am. By that time the Marathon was in full swing and roads were definitely closed. The police would not let me cross Damascus Gate so I had to walk 1km north along Prophets Street till I reached King George street. In order to get to school another kilometre away, I had to enter King George street but it was totally blocked off by thousands of runners. But a blessing in disguise saved the day ... as hundreds of ultra-orthodox jews were on my side of the road demonstrating against the arrest of one of their men for not showing up for compulsory military service. They had vowed to disrupt the Marathon.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-marathon-up-and-running-despite-disruption-threats/
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Police move in to arrest ultra-
orthodox jews |
As I stood there trying to figure out how to crosse into King George Street, the ultra-orthodox were singing and mocking the police and soldiers. Suddenly the soldiers moved in to arrest some of them, and scatter the rest of them. In the midst of the chaos, I found my chance to hide between the runners and crossed the barriers. Sneaky but necessary. The normal 2 km journey had become 4 km and if I were to take another detour, it would have been 6 km. I was too tired as it is.
Anyway I managed to get to school and the students had their exam. Going home at 12.30pm was smooth. The Marathon had ended and the roads were opened. But having reached Damascus Gate at 1.30pm I found myself stuck outside the Old City as thousands of muslims were coming out from noon prayers. I had to wait for 20 minutes before the crowd lessened enough for me to squeeze against the current. Harrowing.
Anyway all this tension and problems had made me very tired. But thank God the new medication worked well and I don't have an attack of asthma.
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