Custodians reconfirmed

Night repair work at
Damascus Gate

It's the 2nd day of our 800th anniversary celebrations. There was Mass at 8am then a series of conferences that lasted the whole day. I didn't join in any because I had a meeting with our new students at 8am then a meeting then I wanted to finish my article. Locked myself in the room and wrote 2 pages before starting class. By then my brain was dead and I was awfully sleepy and dizzy. I had hardly slept all night because the Municipality began road works again along our street as well as at Damascus Gate. They did several sections along our road and now they're doing the other parts. The pneumatic jackhammers make so much noise it's impossible to sleep. And the workers talk very loudly. It was a terrible night ... and it's going to last another couple of weeks. But one good side is they're also repairing the broken, slippery and worn-out stones of the ramp at Damascus Gate. I've fallen down there twice already. They are really a hazard. So all night the workers dug out the old stones and re-paved it with new striated ones. I don't mind that because it's 200 meters away and I can't hear it.

Today we received a copy of the Pope's letter to our Custody in the Holy Land. In it he thanked the friars for their sacrifice and service in situations that are dangerous ... all through 800 years. As such he reconfirmed the mandate issued by Pope Clement in 1341 to make the Franciscans as custodians of the Holy Land.

There was an attempted stabbing south of Jerusalem at the infamous Gush Etzion injunction where very many stabbings and car crashes took place. It's the boundary between Palestine and Israel and is a well known hotspot for trouble. The terrorist was shot and wounded.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-man-shot-after-running-at-soldiers-with-knife-in-west-bank/

The same ramp in
the morning: all
re-paved.

Yesterday a video went viral in Israel: it showed hundreds of ultra-orthodox jewish men taunting and attacking a female soldier who was trying to protect a car and its driver from the mob. They spat at her, hit her and kicked her and she fought back. It was pretty cowardly actually but that's the ultra-orthodox men. They are against military conscription and much more against women in the army. Most of Israelis are very angry at this treatment because they sacrifice their children to the army to protect the country ... to protect the ultra-orthodox and this is how they are thanked. Israeli society is imploding.

And one of the archeological mysteries of the Old City has been revealed. For 2 years Israeli archeologists have secretly dug beside the Wailing Wall and have discovered the Roman period Odeon (music hall) that everyone knew existed but could not find it. From ancient sources we are told that King Herod built a theatre, an odeon and a hippodrome (for horse-racing) in Jerusalem but no one knows where. Now at least we know where the Odeon is. Amazing.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/massive-section-of-western-wall-and-roman-theater-uncovered-after-1700-years/