Muslim feast

Our sisters at the Little Wailing Wall

So Sunday came and went. I just didn't know what happened ... I had early Sunday Mass then I went off to catch up with the backlog of work in the other library. Before I knew it, it was 5pm (3 meetings in between) and I was late for an appointment with our sisters whom I promised to bring them for a walk in the Jewish Quarter. Luckily the sisters were waiting. We walked through the Suq (covered market) and visited the Cardo Maximus, the ancient city wall, the Crusader ruins of St. Mary's church, panorama of the Wailing Wall and then the Little Wailing Wall. That's the ancient section of the Wailing Wall where jews for hundreds of years under the Ottomans used to come and pray because the present Wailing Wall was built over by muslim houses. It was a tiring day and I was exhausted by evening. However there was a barbecue organised for dinner at our house and I was asked to join in. Ate several lamb chops and then went off to bed as I had to wake up at 3am for class.

Sunflower in my
garden

This evening the muslim feast of Laylat el Qader begins. It's a movable feast which occurs in one the the last 10 days of Ramadan. Muslims recall the Koran being revealed to Mohammed on that night and they spend the entire night reading the koran in the mosque and praying for forgiveness because this is the only night that God opens the heavens to forgive and your destiny will be written tonight in the heavens. All I know is we won't be able to sleep because the all-night noise from the crowds and prayers over the megaphones of the Al Aqsa will keep us awake till sunrise tomorrow. It happens every year.

The weather has been getting very hot again, around 30 degrees in the afternoons. I need to have my portable aircon on several times a day because my room is one of the hottest in the house. A sunflower has sprung up in one of my flower pots ... it was some seeds from Buddy's food that I threw away and this planet started sprouting and flowering. Beautiful as it loves the sun. Well this heat though is making the drought really bad. The govt. has decided to pump desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee as it has reached beyond the critical mark.   https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Cabinet-approves-transferring-desalinated-water-to-Kinneret-559643

Jewish implosion continues as diaspora jews are unhappy they're being treated as 2nd class while ultra-orhtodox jews control most aspects of jewish life in Israel and around the world, including conversions, marriages and praying at the Wailing Wall.   https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-us-jews-say-israel-is-losing-their-support-by-capitulating-to-haredim-1.6167773

On the arab side, a huge demonstration took place in Ramallah against its leadership. And I guess it's about time ... after 20 years in power, the present leaders have done absolutely nothing for its people but make them poorer and losing all hope. Time for regime change and the people should make it clear.   https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/.premium-over-1-500-demonstrate-in-ramallah-against-abbas-sanctions-on-gaza-1.6163387