Druze feast

Empty main street
at 10 degrees C

The weather is constantly strange ... and we all agree. The nights are cold and I've got the heater on for the 2nd night. Even during the day when it gets up to 20 degrees or so, locals are in sweaters and hoodies. We know the weather can change quickly. And you can identify the foreigners immediately. They're in shorts and T-shirts. And the worse are the "ladies" who wear like they're at the beach .... here in the holiest place on earth for muslims, jews and christians. Sometimes I think these people are ignorant but that's not an excuse. There's a dress code and any idiot walking in the streets would notice local women covered up. They're not allowed into any muslim or jewish site but they think they can enter christian sites dressed like that. No wonder jews and muslims despise christians. I don't blame them.

The Druze today are celebrating their feast of their founder, Jethro the father-in-law of Moses. They have been persecuted since their founding and have been living all around the Middle Eastern mountains in order to be safe. Read this and learn more about them.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-druze-honor-the-prophet-jethro-in-annual-pilgrimage-to-ancient-tomb/

The Health Ministry is warning of a measles outbreak here. I'm staying away from the crowds. With my constant illness, I'm afraid of adding to my list.  https://www.janglo.net/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&page=display&catid=99&tid=442843

Locals in hoodies
and sweaters

Tensions continue as Russia warns Israel against any further bombing of syrian military bases, with talk of bombing Israel. Israel's reply is they'll bomb the russian positions in Syria before they can strike. Things are heating up ... at least on the rhetorical level.

And as the date draws nearer for the American Embassy to move to Jerusalem, countries around the world are aligning themselves on one side or the other. Guatemala is definitely going to follow and move its capital while Romania is ruminating. Germany on the other hand came out explicitly that Jerusalem can not be named capital.

And internally the govt. appears to lean to the ultra-orthodox rabbis by proposing a bill to accept its authority on conversions. That means jewish conversions done by conservative and liberal or reformed rabbis will be invalid and everyone who had had it done must redo their conversion under the ultra-orthodox. I don't think the diaspora jews will be happy. What an implosion. And there was a notice on facebook about a famous chain of restaurants who do not have kosher certificates from the ultra-ortthodox rabbinate. There's a campaign now to boycott these restaurants and run them out of business. Such a pity as they're honest people who work hard and offer such excellent quality of food. Many many people enjoy the restaurants.

All I can say is this implosion only works into the hands of Russia and Iran. Wake up Israel.