Kippur begins

Mounted Police at Palm Plaza

A tense Friday as Yom Kippur begins and Muslims flock to the Al Aqsa Mosque to pray. Both crowds mingle in the same road. Military presence was heavy. Way of the Cross also was made at 4pm ... adding to the crowds. As public transport began to stop from midday onwards, many of my workers left early from work in order to get home. I was stuck with 2 libraries 1 km apart without workers ... and I couldn't be in 2 places at the same time. And I had 2 classes to teach: the first from 12.30pm to 2pm and the second from 3pm to 5pm. Talk about stress.

And now I'm running very late for a dateline. Am rushing all day to finish this work. Looks like I can't make it. If only I can retire now .... just stop all the work and enjoy the little bit of time I have left. Let's start a campaign "Let me retire".

Most of my jewish friends will stop using their cellphones and start the Kippur fast which lasts 24 hours. The borders with Palestine will be closed. That means I will have no workers tomorrow as well. It is all so tiring .... I am working way overtime.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-close-of-west-bank-gaza-for-yom-kippur-holiday/

Some animal rights activists were beaten up by ultra-orthodox jews for protesting the kapparot ritual. That's when a live chicken is swung several times around the head of a jew to remove the sins of the past year. The chicken takes the place of the scapegoat because there is no more Temple for the goat to be sacrificed. The chicken can be used many times ... imagine how dizzy it must be ... and loaded with the sins of so many people. The chicken is then slaughtered and the meat given to the poor to eat. Well animal rights activists say it's cruel for the chickens to be swung about endlessly before getting killed. Ultra-orthodox jews think not so ... hence they beat up the activists ... chocking up another sin with which another swing of the chicken over their heads will remove.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5022704,00.html

And then there was the report that emergency room attendants were beaten up by a family of a patient in Tel Aviv. Horrible. But beating up hospital staff seems to be on the rise here in Israel. It's a mafia society here .... and this time it was the patient who tried to steal a cellphone from a nurse. When caught, the patient called family members with guns to come and beat up the hospital staff.  http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/WATCH-Hospital-guards-beaten-by-patients-family-in-Tel-Aviv-ER-506246