Of monks and nuns

Lutheran franciscan nuns

It's Friday again and as usual security was stepped up. But given the circumstances and mood of the people, the day passed without incident. The weather too was rather cool so all in all it was a pleasant start to the weekend. Now if this would keep up for the rest of the month till autumn begins, that would be perfect. I have a month's intensive courses to teach and the last thing I need is bad weather and violence. It's the last stretch of my summer "holidays" .... spent working.

The other day while walking pass Tsahal Square near New Gate, 2 Lutheran franciscan nuns were crossing the road. Few people know that Lutherans and Anglicans also have religious orders, mostly franciscans. They follow the same religious community life as those in the Catholic Church. Interesting.

Ethiopic monk in
orange robes

Last night there were so many events in the City. I wanted to hear the concert at Sultan's Pool but the other concert at Independence Park was a lot louder and drowned out the other. Then there was a night cycling group of some 20 cyclists riding around various off-the-track routes. And a segway group that went on the track routes. Some ultra-orthodox families were barbecuing in the parks. Tourists and locals had various night walking tours. And of course the young had hundreds of parties all along the New City. I have never seen the City so crowded and lively before ... not even during the day. It was remarkable. It was so "summer". Well I guess school starts next week for Israeli schools so it's the last summer fling. It was really festive ... and security was not as intense as I would have thought.

A strange thing happened this afternoon when I was on my way home from work. An Ethiopic Orthodox monk walked past me ... but he was dressed in orange from head to toe ... like a buddhist monk. I couldn't help laughing and taking a photo of him. This City never stops in amazing me. Surprises at every corner.

Taiji at the Park

Taiji at the Park

Last night I woke up with an excruciating pain in my right knee. That's the one without meniscus. It wasn't cramps ... just a dreadful pain at the kneecap. At 5.30am when I had to walk to the Ivrea Convent for Mass ... I was limping and walking very slowly. It's still tender all day but I can manage to walk. I wonder what happened.

On my way to Mass I have to pass by the Rockefeller Park each morning. Today I had a surprise .... a chinese guy was doing Taiji ... Chen style ... alot of stomping and punches. That was the last thing I expected. Given that it was so early, there was no one

Well anyway yesterday I was very tired and by 5pm I fell asleep ... without dinner as usual. I slept right through till about midnight when my knee hurt. After that episode I fell back asleep till 4.30am. That really needed the sleep ... it's something I wanted to do for summer ... to catch up with sleep. Then it occurred to me that it's the end fo August. My summer "holiday" is over. Tragedy.

Ultra-orthodox pressure is growing in Jerusalem ... especially in keeping the Sabbath. They are now harassing a very famous restaurant that opens on the Sabbath. And apparently the police are not doing anything about it. The implosion deepens. All I can say is with this internal struggle and division going on ... it makes hollow the claim to unite Jerusalem both east and west when this unity is just geo-political. There is no unity in the soul of Jerusalem.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-mob-harasses-central-jerusalem-bar-for-opening-on-shabbat/

Full moon and free concerts

Full moon over Damascus Gate

I still have no news about the lost old lady in Ben Gurion airport. Her name on the passport is Anna Kadoorie which I presume must belong to the famous Kadoorie family in Singapore and Hong Kong. Strange that Israeli security never contacted that family. I hope she's alright.

There's been a step up in security today in the streets. Not sure why. But as I came home from mass at the Ivrea convent at 7am there were many police stationed at various places in and around the Old City. Maybe it's because Palestinian schools have started the new semester. Lots of arab students are entering the Old City to attend school and maybe security is afraid some altercation might happen. And now that the weather is cooling down ... about 21 degrees in the nights ... more people tend to go out and again there's chance of trouble starting among the crowds.

Tourists ignore the moon and photo-
graph the fountain instead

Anyway talking about schools for arabs ... the Israeli gov is pumping lots of money to upgrade the much neglected East Jerusalem schools. Arabs immediately protest that it's israeli brainwashing that'll be introduced into the arab schools. Well I think it's the best idea so far ... education is the key. The very low quality of education in arab govt-funded schools have churned out drop-outs, unemployed youths who cause trouble. With a proper education they will be able to find work and own a house. Once they have vested interests to protect, they will not risk losing it through violence. Smart move. I say Israeli should pump money to upgrade the facilities and also quality of teachers. That is the first step to peace.    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-critics-five-year-plan-for-e-j-lem-focuses-on-israelization-1.6429472

Healthwise I am still breathless and easily tired ... but I think it's more from the weather then health. But the ankle still hurts. I have only a week left before I start a one month retreat. That means no more summer activities like concerts and festivals. Last night I was again cheapo by sitting across the valley listening to a concert of traditional musicians. Entry fees are getting more expensive for these events and more cheapos like me are gathering near the concert venues to listen free of charge. Last night the security blocked off all roads near the venue so my usual free-of-charge site was off-limits. Many like me had to climb up further the hill to hear (not see) the concert.

Help needed

Protest at Paris Square

It's the feast of St. Augustine. Not among my favourite saints ... to say the least. It was Mass as usual at 6am at the Ivrea convent. I leave about 20 minutes prior because I can't walk fast. In summer it's ok because the sun is up early and these few weeks it's been cool and pleasant. If I reach the convent early, I spend some time walking around Rockefeller Park which is totally restructured ... fantastic but always littered by the arabs.

Just after lunch we received news that the Paris Square junction in front of Terra Santa College and Supersol supermarket was blocked by hundreds of protesters. No one seems to know why but the traffic jam was horrific. I had to warn the other guys who're guiding groups to avoid that road or they might be stuck for hours.

New 7th Station
chapel

Yesterday I paid a visit to the 7th Station which I have not done for a long time. It was a big surprise as the Custody had bought the shop next to it and excavated and found an ancient building below. It'll probably serve as a 3rd chapel for the 7th Station. It's certainly expanding.

Just got a call from Singapore High Commission asking for help. An elderly Singaporean lady called Anna Kadoorie was found wandering in Ben Gurion airport for several days. She is unable to give any information about herself except that she holds a Singapore passport. No air ticket. Can anyone in Singapore help identify her family so they can take responsibility for her?

West Nile fever has hit Israel. Yesterday a 3rd person died, 14 are critical and 68 hospitalised. It's getting more widespread. I'll need to buy anti-mosquito spray.

Drizzle in summer!!!!

Drizzle in midsummer

Yes it actually drizzled this morning ... at 5am ... and quite heavily too. In mid-summer!!! I had to go early to say Mass at the Ivrea convent because they start school today (summer vacation over) ... that means 6am Mass. As I walked out into the streets I could feel the raindrops and I was getting wet. Rain clouds were floating pass above and a very cold wind was blowing. There was no going back to get an umbrella as I will be late for Mass so I walked the 25 minutes to the convent ... by which time I was quite wet. Passing by the bakery, a driver was shouting "It's raining" ... meaning keep the fresh bread indoors because the boys were loading cartons of fresh bread by the roadside for vans to pick them up and distribute to various stores throughout the City and villages. Well miracles do happen ... and it drizzled in midsummer.

Altar of the Crusader
Chapel

Our streets continue to be crowded with orthodox christians as they swarm down to the Kidron Valley and venerate the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. Greeks, Russians and Ethiopics are the most numerous. Today is the end of the week of celebrations and the orthodox gather flowers offered at the Tomb as a souvenir to bring home. Soon in a couple of weeks the jews will celebrate their New Year and Day of Atonement and the feast of Tents. It is a pretty crammed month of religious feasts ... pretty intense ... and the roads and streets will continue to be heavily secured. That is what I dislike ... though I realize it's import for security.

Yesterday I celebrated Mass at the Holy Sepulcher in the Chapel of the Crusaders. I was alone so it was very calm and there was no stress in finishing it in 20 minutes as is required by the Status Quo rule. Remembered you all during the Mass.

Koimesis of the Theotokos

Procession at dawn

4am and the Old City was woken up by the clashing of gongs from the Holy Sepulcher church. They are not really bells as the Greek Orthodox have never mastered the art of bell making so the tonalities of each bell never match or complement .... just a cacophony of clashing metal. But it was very loud. I definitely heard it and woke up. It was the feast of the Koimesis of the Theotokos ... or as we would call it "The Assumption of Mary". Thousands of orthodox priests, nuns and laity made a procession from the Holy Sepulcher down to the Tomb of Mary in the Kidron Valley, chanting hymns. The Patriarch carried the silver icon of the sleeping Mary and the procession went slowly down the valley while the sun rose above the Mt. of Olives. It was quite a sight. After yesterday's muslim feast of Adha, this followed. It made the Old City very crowded and busy. Well in a way it was a nice break in the August routine of hiding from the sun ... to have a procession in the night amidst the cool breeze. I don't think the muslims were thrilled at being woken up by this din ... but they had kept us awake for the past 4 nights ... so there!

Well I wasn't quite so correct yesterday to say that it was all calm and peaceful. There were scuffles at the Gaza border yesterday with several injuries. In another case, jewish illegal settlers attacked leftwing protesters. And then in a Haifa beach, 3 arabs were allegedly attacked by jews.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/three-arabs-hospitalized-after-beating-by-jews-at-haifa-beach/

Jews after Sabbath
Prayers

Still summer continues and in a few weeks the Jewish New Year will begin and autumn would start. The fruit in the market are already a sure telltale that the autumn harvest is due. Pomegranates ... the symbol of the New Year ... is in abundance. And there's a lovely article on Palm Plaza and it's surroundings that make summer so special. It has many summer activities around it.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/museums-markets-caves-and-concerts-an-ancient-plaza-is-reborn-in-jerusalem/

Well the weekend is upon us and I will not be getting any rest. It's more work than usual. Sabbat Shalom.

Martyrs vs Money

Cats at play

Fear of the West Nile fever is not widespread ... which is typical in this country. The Ministry of Health is not fumigating drains or stagnant waters ... and people are not worried ... till they contract the disease. I guess people are more worried about wars and terrorism ... but the tranquility of these past few days are an assurance that violence will not happen. For one think the cats in Jerusalem are certainly not worried about anything. I've seen so many of them playing in the shade. No worries.

There's been a public outcry that the former Franciscan Missionaries of Mary hospital in Jaffa has now been converted to a luxury hotel and the chapel into a restaurant. Terrible shame ... and it's not just christians who are shocked at the money making machine ... jewish israelis are also against this move ... where a Crusader period building was destroyed in the process. The FMM should have consulted the diocese and other congregations if they wanted the prime property by the beach of Jaffa instead of selling it outright to israeli developers. The vow of poverty apparently doesn't apply here.

MC martyrs of Yemen

Meantime these few days I've been thinking of the MC sisters martyred in Yemen. It's still a shocking event and the persecution still continues. Compare these to the FMMs who sold their prime institution for money .....  no comment. It's martyrs versus money.

My ankle continues to hurt when I walk. And my legs are feeling like jelly because I've been walking too much. Hope I can recover next week. I had an asthma attack 2 days back because I forgot to take my medicine in the morning. My memory is going too. Well I sure won't be able to go to the catholic hospital in Jaffa ... it's now a luxury hotel, remember?

West Nile Fever

West Nile Fever has hit Israel and 2 persons have died so far, 68 hospitalised, 14 critical. It's spread by mosquitoes and we have to take precautions against its bites. The question however on everyone's lips is: how do the mosquitoes breed if we are in a drought? There are hardly any puddles and pools as the heat dries everything up in 10 hours or less. Anyway better safe than sorry, so anti-mosquito cream will come in useful.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-confirms-two-israelis-dead-in-mass-west-nile-fever-outbreak/

Ortus Conclusus convent

The weather continues to be very hot during the day and cool in the nights ... cool enough for you to need a jumper. I've made several visits south of the country ... those never seen sights by tourists such as the Ortus Conclusus convent in the valley near Bethlehem. It's inspired by the Song of Songs chapter 4 and the congregation of nuns is also called Ortus Conclusus sisters. The stunning convent in the middle of the valley looks like a piece of Switzerland.

Crusader ruins of the Holy Family

Further up the hill is the village of Beit Sahour or Shepherds' Field. Instead of visiting the touristy churches there, I went to the little known Well of the Virgin Mary where local muslims and christians swear they still see Mary walking above the waters of the cistern. A trip north of Jerusalem brought me to the village of El Bireh where I revisited the crusader church of the Holy Family. It's a ruin now from the 12th century but it's importance for tourism has made the palestinian authorities to create roads and parking spaces around it, cleaning the site and making it presentable to tourists. The church commemorates the gospel event when Joseph and Mary met to find out they had lost the child Jesus. The site has a spring and was a caravanserai exactly one day's journey from Jerusalem. All in all it was a nice day and it was good to get out of Jerusalem.

The muslim feast will end tomorrow but being Friday the crowds might get too rowdy. I've decided to leave Jerusalem tomorrow as well. I don't need any stress or tension. But with the lull these few days at the borders and internally, there's hope that the rest of summer could pleasantly pass.

Feast of the Sacrifice

Arab horses in the park

Yesterday and today the northern and southern frontiers have been very quiet. Even locally there has been a lull after the stabbing attack on Sunday. We did have one big surprise though ... the muslim feast of Adha started one day early. Instead of Tuesday evening, the muezzins were chanting on Monday evening the Allah Akbar which signals the start of the feast. We non-muslims were caught by surprise as shops closed for over 24 hours. The whole of East Jerusalem was like a deserted city. An hour before muslim prayers though, thousands of muslim pilgrims flowed into the Old City into the Al Aqsa Mosque. Then after the prayers everyone disappeared again.

In the evening, arab youths began to bring their horses and donkeys into the park outside Damascus Gate. It's a bedouin thing .... rides are offered to children and youths race their horses across the hilly park. The police are on standby closely but they allow the horseplay to continue.

Little girl playing in the fountain

Today the 2nd day of the feast, shops reopen and makeshift stalls open throughout the streets selling food and balloons. Palm Plaza is packed with muslim families. It's so hot during the day, children swim in the fountains and the police close an eye. A little tolerance helps in reducing tensions and makes our society more liveable.

But some unease can still be felt as Israel has granted permits to thousands of israeli civilians to carry guns, eve those who have no experience using it. It's seen as a deterrent to terrorists ... but who knows how guns could be used. Another news reports that thousands of homes will be built in settlements inside arab land as well .... something that does not go well in peace talks.

Walkabout

Singaporean breakfast at last!

Tomorrow night the muslim feast of Adha begins but already yesterday night temporary stalls were set up all around Damascus Gate down to Herod's Gate. Busdliads of muslim pilgrims from all around the country have been packing into the Old City to enter the Al Aqsa mosque. And Turkish and Indonesian muslim pilgrims form a huge number of foreign visitors. Security has been stepped up but so far things look positive. I hope the next few days will be free from trouble and everyone can go on with their lives.

Schindler's tomb

Well I am enjoying my own feast. Had a huge load of Singapore goodies arrive yesterday. I had Char Kway Teow and Mee Pok, Chui Kway and curry puffs. Ate too much. Had a tummy ache in the afternoon. But I still enjoyed it. That's a nice Summer Sunday breakfast to break from the routine. I am rationing all these food so I have something different to eat  each week.

This morning I decided to take a walk outside the southern part of the City. Visited Oscar Schindler's tomb in our cemetery on Mt. Zion. Many jews continue to come and thank him .... they leave a stone on his tomb as a memorial. Then I walked through the Suq (market) and the Last Supper Room, the Wailing Wall to see Bar Mitzva ceremonies before coming home. It was very crowded and there were many bar matzot.

I think this evening I'll go see the festivities of Adha in East Jerusalem ... or perhaps the music festival at the Lutheran Church in the Old City ... whichever is less crowded.

Meantime the floods in Kerala and the earthquakes in Indonesia are the talk of town. Everyone is talking about climate change and end of the world. It's certainly apocalyptic to say the least. Other signs of violence seem to have quieten down and the country is on a lull except for the coming Adha feast.

Poor dog

Security in and around the Old City was stepped up today following yesterday's stabbing attempt. Busloads of muslims from around the country have been arriving and most of the youths were stopped and searched by the police. It's a sad situation. But it wasn't so tense that violent confrontations were on the verge ... it was quiet, even silent but you could feel the unhappiness underneath.

Poor dog

Talking about unhappy ... I saw a poor abandoned dog yesterday while on my way to visit the korean group. It was sitting in the sand between the tramway and the road. I wish I could have given it some water and food, maybe to care for it till it gets adopted. But dogs are not allowed in our house. So I had to walk pass feeling sad for the poor dog.

Weekend at Jaffa Street

Meantime the weekend is over. Tomorrow Sunday is the first working day. I'll have to start working very early - 2.30am at the airport to pick some one up. It'll be a nice visit but I wish I had more time to sleep. This summer holiday is as hectic as the previous summers ... perhaps even more so because of my shoulder and ankle injuries which cause sleepless nights. During the day I tire out and am not able to do much because I'm so sleepy.  

There's been a bit of news regarding a rabbi and his foundation that helped syrian christian refugees in Jordan. Interesting read but note it's aimed at US evangelical christian supporters of Israel.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5330322,00.html

Stabbing

Jews and muslims locked out at
Damascus Gate

Yesterday's calm was broken by today's stabbing attempt near our house. Always near our house ... about 100 meters away. A muslim from a northern village, after the 4.30pm prayers, came out of the Al Aqsa mosque into the street and tried to stab 3 policemen. He was shot. Then the entire Muslim Quarter was locked down. Hundreds of police were sent into the Old City. I happened to just go out to meet a korean group and found our street deserted except for the soldiers. Locals stood at their doors in silence ... all down the street and into the main artery El Wad street as well. It was very tense and sombre. Further at Damascus Gate I saw hundreds of jews and muslims locked out at the top of the stairs. No one was allowed to enter. It was like the past years. It's terrible.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-attempts-to-stab-cop-in-jerusalems-old-city-is-shot-report/

Next Tuesday the muslim feast of Eid al Adha will begin and lasts for 5 days. It commemorates the sacrifice of Abraham of his son Ishmael (not Isaac) but was substituted by a ram. It will be very tense after this stabbing attempt.

I Have been busy working as usual but Ive been having a fever for 2 nights now. And my shoulder inflammation is bad and hurts very much. I can't sleep at night because of the pain.  But I don't have anymore free time to see the doctor. It's going to be a very painful and sleepless summer.

Quiet Thursday

It's Thursday and all is calm at the borders. Apparently there were secret meetings between Israel and Gaza for a ceasefire that will last for a year. In return for not firing missiles, Israel will open humanitarian corridors both on land and sea so that food and medicine can enter Gaza. It's a deal Gaza should't pass if it were smart.

The dollar is rising

Meantime the US imposing tariffs on Turkey and other factors have resulted in the dollar rising against local currencies. For the first time in a long time, the dollar is worth 3.6 shekels instead of 3.3. Many people are waiting for it to rise to 3.8 before selling their dollars. The exchange stalls along Salahadin Street were packed with people this morning. Aladdin Exchange, one of the oldest exchange agencies and one of the most honest, is frequented by almost all christian institutions ... orthodox, catholic and protestant. As I passed by this morning, there were many people there watching the dollar exchange.

And also on a happy note, despite the US withdrawal from funding UNICEF, the 711 palestinians schools depending on those funds will still open on August 29th as the new academic year begins. Let's hope all will go well as the year proceeds.

Sunrise today on my way to Ivrea
convent

Our chapel is under restoration as mosaics have been falling off the dome as well as the floor. Theoretically it should take "one day". Anyone living in the Middle East ought to know that means "one week" or more. As we're practically only 2 of us left in the house who actually can say Mass, our workload suddenly intensified. Not only do we 2 have to celebrate the Masses in our place and at the Ivrea Convent but we have to oversee the restoration work and control the unruly tourists from entering the church. It's dangerous because it's full of scaffoldings and something could fall on their heads.

All this has stressed me out and my ankle and left palm is swollen quite badly. And I had a fever last night and my right shoulder continues to hurt when I lie down. In short I hardly slept the past few nights. Stressed on a quiet Thursday.

Assumption Day

It's Assumption Day ... one of the few feasts that catholics and orthodox christians celebrate together on the same day. Liturgies of the different churches took place at the Tomb of the Virgin Mary down in the Kidron Valley where the Assumption took place. The roads leading down to the valley was crowded with people the whole day through.

Old nun with headphones

I was on my way home from Mass at the Ivrea convent when I saw from a distance an old Greek Orthodox nun hobbling with a walking stick down the road to the Tomb for the liturgy. Yet even from a distance I felt something wasn't right. As she passed me by I realised what was it ... she was wearing funky headphones. Nothing surprises me anymore. No wonder she had that happy smile on her wrinkled face. It was really funny.

Well I decided to call today a holiday so I send my library assistants in both libraries home for the day. That meant that I was free to do some of my own work. Or so I thought. I had to go to the flower nursery in the next city to get some stuff for the house, and by the time I got home it was lunch time. But we were only 4 of us in the house so the celebration wasn't as grand. Still the sisters did a great job. They cooked Tandoori chicken and everyone loved it. And Nadia our assistant cook baked a nice chocolate cake.

Afternoon I had a meeting with an old classmate from 25 yrs back. It was very nice since we've always been good friends all these years and we've hardly seen each other all year. We chatted a lot and caught up on the latest. He bought a house in Cyprus and brought his family there for summer. Now he's started a new business and we discussed his logo. He still needs some expert archeological advice ,,,, hahaha

Kolbe feast

Car crash in England, bridge collapse in Italy ... that's what we hear today in the news. Floods, storms, fire, drought .... it's apocalyptic. Perhaps a sign of the end times?

Selling grapes and plums
in the street

Locally there were no violence. Things are quiet at the frontier as well. And it was surprisingly cool yesterday and today ... 28 degrees maximum with a cool wind all day. Always like Spring ... in fact the mornings are damp with rain clouds blowing over us. Very humid. This weird change of summer weather must be unbalancing everyone ... hence the strange quiet that we're experiencing. The only violence we're hearing is the Twitter meltdown by Trump last night ... 2 hours running down everyone. He's not very smart ... he's overplaying it. Now everyone things he's got skeletons and he's desperately trying to throw red herrings to lose the trail.

It's the memorial of Maximillian Kolbe today. Great martyr of modern times. Tomorrow it's the feast day of the Assumption. There will be solemn Vespers at the Tomb of the Virgin, then Mass in Gethsemani tomorrow morning. I guess I'll be working then ... there's no holiday for me.

Arts and Crafts festival seen from
the opposite hill

One of my summer must-do is to visit the Arts and Crafts Festival. I've been putting it off for the past 3 days as I felt very tired. The festival takes place down in the Gehenna Valley. Going down is no problem ... it's coming back up the valley that'll kill me. Anyway this evening I felt strong enough to go down and have a look. It was very very crowded. Security was everywhere. I found out that you have to buy a ticket to enter. I wasn't going to pay so I stayed on the opposite hill to listen to the concert. I couldn't quite see the concert as the usual place I go was full of people. I went up higher on the hill where I could only hear it. Unfortunately there was another concert nearby and the cacophony was beyond me. I went home to sleep.

I'll go see the music festival next week instead. That's free of charge and spread in several locations in the Old City.

Midsummer

Singaporean breakfast

Sunday again ... that means I bring out some Singaporean goodies and eat them for breakfast. My sis had them individually wrapped and deemed freezes so I can take out the amount I want and steam them for eating. In order not to over-steam them and still are edible at 6am, I have to wake up and start boiling the water at 2am. Once boiled I turn off the heat and let the cakes steam in the warmth for over 3 hours. That always works ... it's not soggy. Well this has been quite my summer holiday routine for the past 5 weeks ... it's something different and makes the holiday feeling more tangible. And it's delicious to start the day with nice hot cakes that I have not eaten for literally decades.

Sr. Clara (in white) cutting the cake

Yesterday was the feast of St. Clare and our Sr. Clara celebrated her feast day. There were few of us at home but that was a bonus. The sisters cooked biryani rice (Sr. Ambrosta is from Hyderabad and the best biryani is from Hyderabad) and Nadia our cook baked a very nice cake. It was very enjoyable and Sr. Clara was very happy.

Well I wasn't too happy because a jewish girl spat at me. She and her friends come and spit everyday at our church ... twice a day. Jews spitting at Christians have become so common now that jews openly spit even at a Greek Orthodox bishop's face. Of course no one is ever arrested, no one is ever charged. They are jews and we are gentiles with no rights. So even as I write this now ... just half hour ago another jewish girl spat at me when I was on my way to the office. One thing for sure .... these people have no guts to spit at muslims.   https://theuglytruth.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/christians-in-jerusalem-want-jews-to-stop-spitting-on-them/

Yesterday also saw another huge rally against the Nation-State Law in Tel Aviv. This week it's the arabs who organized the demonstration and many israeli jews also joined in. By denying arabic to be one of the official languages and leaving out the arab population from the demography, the law has basically broken the spirit of zionism which the founding fathers of the nation had envisioned and enshrined. What affects us as foreigners here however is this spitting .... the law no longer protects the rights of minorities and by elevating hews to the sole position of privilege, it encourages them to further humiliate us and debase us. Spitting is just the beginning.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-netanyahu-protesters-trying-to-turn-us-into-israeli-palestinian-state-1.6365790

It's midsummer ... and all this madness is overwhelming us. At least for one thing we're grateful ... the Gaza war was averted .... for the time being. There were still some violence at the Gaza border on Friday but nothing much happened. Summer is just too hot for violence .... but not hot enough to stop spitting at christians.

St. Clare feast day

So Singapore's National Day was 2 days back. 53 years of independence for a tiny island is a big deal. Survived and reached the top of world recognition.

Today is the feast day of Clare of Assisi. It's a big day for us. Solemn Mass will be celebrated at the Poor Clare monastery probably by our Archbishop who is a franciscan. I won't be going as I have Mass with the old nuns of Ivrea in the village and then work all morning in the library.

The monster limousine in Jaffa

The threat of war with Gaza was softened yesterday morning when a hurriedly negotiated truce was called. Gaza knows it cannot withstand another war. And the gazans will turn against the governing Hamas for causing all the trouble. Too much of a political risk. Hamas cannot count on the gazans to fight its war anymore. The people have woken up.

Meantime there's a strange dilemma cooking up in the Jordan Valley. The failed crocodile farm is packed with crocodiles .... breeding like crazy and the owners don't know what to do. They can't kill it for the meat or skin as it's against Israeli law ... crocodiles are an endangered species. Nobody wants to buy them live for zoos or whatever. And a flood could wash these animals into the nearby Jordan river, potentially a danger to people who go there to raft or be baptized. It happened once before during the flood several years ago and some 70 animals escaped. Most were killed by passing vehicles but many also escaped into the river. Any chinese investors?    https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-faces-crocodile-conundrum-with-stranded-reptiles/

Menu of the Dim Sum restaurant

I managed to photograph the menu of the Hong King Dim Sum restaurant in Tel aviv the other day. All original Hong Kong food ... homemade too. Unbelievable. But it's expensive. For 3 strips of cheung Fan you pay US$7. One Lor Mai Gai costs over US$10. I guess I'll just content myself with the photos.

Anyway everyone is watching the next 24 hours ... if the truce will hold or a war break out.

S. Lawrence

The past 2 days I went to see my physiotherapist. The ankle and shoulder pain were so painful I could not sleep for the past week. And when I get up I have this terrible headache all day from the spondylosis and shoulder. After getting the inflammation down, he tied me up with kinesio tape. That helped alot because for once I could sleep without pain. But I know after a day or 2 when I remove the tape, the pain will be back.

The enormous nursery 

It's been very humid the last 2 days. But luckily once in a while a cool breeze would blow. That help alot because the kinesio tape can be quite uncomfortable when it's hot and humid. I had a chance to visit a very large nursery after my physic session. The community wanted to buy some plants and went to the city of Herzliya where there's this enormous nursery with almost all types of plants for summer and autumn. It was incredible. I bought 2 coreopsis which are beautiful yellow flowering plants that can survive the heat of August.

Locally bad news as the night before, Gaza fired over 150 missiles into Israel. Israel bombed Gaza killing 3 people. Yesterday the govt. announced that a war with Gaza will soon start and the israelis living around the border will be evacuated. It's frightening ... another Gaza war ... the 4th. There's talk that negotiations are going on to avoid this war ... and we all know Gaza will lose. But the number of casualties will be enormous and not worth a fruitless fight.

Today we celebrated the feast off St. Lawrence the deacon, who famously brought out the poor people of Rome to brigands trying to rob the church. He famously said "Here are the Church's treasures" and showed them the poor.

Transfiguration

Fresh dates on sale

The Arts and Crafts Festival in Jerusalem has begun. It's a 2 week festival held in the Gehenna Valley featuring artistes and craftsmen of all sorts, each with their small stands. There are also concerts and foodstalls .... food being considered an art. That's one summer must-do I hope to fulfill. Walking down to the valley would be nice in the evening cool .... but walking back up makes me think twice about going. Anyway ... it's summer so why not.

Wild hollyhocks
by the street

Yesterday and today has once again been a busy rush with meetings with lawyers and accountants. Books for the library are being sent back to the publishers without our agreement and taxes on each book is rising. Then the Post Office is forcing us to use one specific company for delivery of the packages ... without this service, all books will be returned to the publishers. This company makes us pay 250 shekels for each package. We receive over 25+ packs of books each week .... how much does that make out? Plus we must pay tax for the book, and other handling charges. All in all we pay twice the amount of money that the book cost. It's a nightmare. Anyway because of this bureaucratic programme I had to cancel my doctor's appointment for this morning. I will have to go tomorrow instead ... but knowing my luck, something else will happen to hinder me.

Yesterday was the feast of the Transfiguration. In the evening I had to meet a large group of chinese pilgrims in the hotel ... 58 of them. It was a nice meeting and the priest leading them was my student 17 years ago. Along the road to the hotel, I noticed wild hollyhocks growing by the street in front of the anglican St. George Cathedral. Beautiful flowers and incredible life force. And all the fruit stalls are carrying fresh dates ... that means autumn is coming. Fresh dates are crunchy and sweet but not like the preserved/dried version which is sickly sweet. And Buddy and Chilli both like them as well. I bought some and the 3 of us were munching on them. So despite the busy day and summer heat, it was fun to spend some time with the 2 intelligent parakeets.

18th ordinary Sunday

Today's breakfast

It's another Sunday ... but today I didn't have to go celebrate the Armenian Mass. I tried to keep the day a little more quiet and low-key. Mass was at 7am and after that it was cleaning up my room and eating my breakfast. That's the best part of summer Sundays. I'm rationing out the Singaporean food brought over by my family and deep-freezed. Each Sunday I bring out a couple of packs and steam them for breakfast. That means waking up at 2am to start the steaming process. But it's worth it. A taste of home.

Painter at Agrippas street

Then it's going to the New City to do some chores. That meant going up near the Mahane Yehuda market to the asian grocery to get coconut milk and curry leaves so I can cook some curry for our indian sisters. I thought of buying some toiletries and stuff but decided I should save instead. They're not so important and I can do without them. Usually I get into a dialogue with myself ... arguing if I should buy something or not, weighting the pros and cons, and usually I end up convincing myself not to buy it. I guess people think I'm nuts when they see me talking to myself in the streets. But who cares? It saves me money and time not to buy things. Well I did buy a huge net though ... the museum staff asked if I could get one because the open cistern was getting polluted with fallen leaves and insects. Along the way at Agrippas street, I saw an old artist painting a street scene. It was about a metre long so it must have taken her several weeks to paint it. Perseverance.

The jewish nation-state law is again the burning topic today. 40 former israeli diplomats called for the end of this law but an ex-PM aid told the protesting Druze to go to Syria if they are not happy in Israel. That is very provocative since the Druze have fought side-by-side with jews to establish the modern state of Israel.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5322838,00.html
and  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5322806,00.html

Meantime we received news that for the past 2 months, jewish extremists have destroyed over 2000 arab trees and orchards but were never investigated, arrested or charged. This is the consequence of a jewish nation-state law ... it makes all non-jews targets.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-more-than-2-000-trees-in-west-bank-villages-destroyed-in-two-months-1.6336657

St. Vianney feastday

Morning walk to Mass everyday

Today is the feast of St. John Vianney ... the simple country priest who showed you don't need much to become a saint. I guess it's a meaningful feast for all my students who just have been or soon will be ordained priests and deacons. There's a total of 27 of them this year. Let's hope they follow St. Vianney's example.

I had a good sleep last night and for summer I wake up a little alter than usual ... at 5am. I have to walk to Mass at the Convent of Ivrea in an arab village outside the City which takes me 20 minutes or so. The walk is always pleasant because the air is fresh and sun is already above the horizon. I enjoy it and the old sisters there are very appreciative.

Early this morning we received news that one of our professors died ... he's an old friar specialised in Wisdom Literature. He assisted in both my Licentiate theses but due to illness and dementia, he could no longer guide my PhD research. He lived in the room next to mine and I had to constantly be on the watch that he was all right ... he had nightmares and insomnia. Last year he finally returned to his province in Assisi and lived in the infirmary next to the original chapel of St. Mary of the Angels. From what we were told, he had  very high fever last night and died in hospital. His uncle was the famous fr. Rufino Niccacci who saved many jews during WWII and made into a film called "Assisi Underground".  R.I.P.

Msahan dinner last night

Last night the lady who cleans our library made msahan for me. That's roasted chicken on taboun bread with fried onions and sumac. One of my favourite arab dishes. Today the guy who works in my other library was going off for his annual leave and he bought me AFC to show his gratitude. So now I have a lot of chicken to eat. I gave some to our Indian sisters ... they were asking me to cook something spicy for them. I'll cook some curry tomorrow ... hope they'll like it.

While the summer heat beats down on us ... there's been criticism over the jewish settlements wo siphon off water supply from arab villages and pumping into their swimming pools while the arbs go for weeks without water. It's shameful but it's news that you will never hear about.   https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-hebrew-university-s-disgrace-and-the-occupation-1.6340866

St. Mary of the Angels

My roses on our
BVM altar

Yesterday was the Feast of the Portiuncula or St. Mary of the Angels. That's the very tiny chapel that St. Francis rebuilt with his own hands ... one of a dozen ... and which he loved so much he was brought there to die. There's the famous indulgence of the Portiuncula ... a very unique one ... in that its privilege is extended to all franciscan churches and it can be attained in as many times as you enter a franciscan church during that feast day. Well we're only 4 of us at home so there wasn't much of a celebration. I did cut all my roses and placed them in a vase for our BVM statue in the refectory. They are stunning and they smell incredibly sweet.

On a sad side, I noticed yesterday that 3 very old Sleeping Hibiscus bushes were chopped down and uprooted from St. Helena's Courtyard at St. Saviour's monastery. What a pity ... the cold stone courtyard looks lifeless now. They were already quite ancient when I was a student 28 years go. It's really too bad.

Empty courtyard without the hibiscus

I've been feeling sick still and with my ankle hurting again, I decided I won't go to work in the other library today. Everyone at home told me to rest and sleep ... I managed to do that for a couple of hours in the morning. After lunch I had confessions and some meetings. I hope to keep the rest of the evening as slow as possible. No more stress ... at least for today.

Someone on a FB group posted this complain about banks. All I can say is "been there, done that". Banks are a nightmare. My advise to the writer is "keep your money under your pillow". This is her post
"Am I the crazy one?
Recently I did a job for a client abroad and got paid $300. Bank Hapoalim took $30 for the transfer fee and now they want another .19% for changing it from dollars to shekels. 
Does that sound normal to all of you??

Back to the jewish nation-state law, police and security chiefs have voiced concern over it and now the State Prosecutor personally criticised it. Somehow with all the assurances, minorities still feel their rights are no longer protected.   http://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/state-prosecutor-criticizes-jewish-state-law-calls-for-upholding-of-minority-rights/

Sick again

Ticketing office at the Film Festival

I missed the showing of Grease at the Film Festival yesterday. It's the 40th anniversary of the movie and the Film Festival paid tribute by not just showing the film but also a singalong with the movie. I had gone there half an hour earlier and there was a live interview onstage with Shababnik ... an orthodox jewish rock group. But before the movie started I received  message from a very good friend to say he's free and would like to meet up. So I gave up the movie and met him and we had a nice chat for 2 hours over a cup of coffee. He's an animator and while still understudying, has done a few animated movies and shows. There was a lot we talked about ... it's not just simply sketching but a study of movement, balance, physiognomy, culture and history. very interesting.

That was when I fainted ... at the cafe. I was feeling unwell all day but stuck inside a tiny cafe with heat and noise ... I blacked out. Luckily my friend was there and he brought me out for some fresh air when I got round. I think exhaustion played a large part ... I could feel the exhaustion all over my shoulders before I blacked out. And the stress of dealing with banks and lawyers and post offices and taxes and seizures and confiscations .... summer holiday is not at all what I wanted or expected. It's worse than school term.

My roses in bloom

Anyway I managed to sleep for 4 hours last night before it was time to go to say Mass for the aged nuns in the arab village in the morning. Today I still feel very queasy and luckily one nun from the hospital was over at our house. She took my BP and said it was normal so it's either my diabetes or exhaustion that's wearing me down. I tried to rest after lunch but I had to go for confessions and a bible talk and adoration. Yes I am exhausted. I hope things won't get worse during the weekend. I need to rest.

Well in Gaza the people there are also exhausted ... Israel has stopped all fuel and gas into the Strip so the gazans have no electricity or fuel. The israelis are tired of the gazans setting fire on israeli fields. The gazans are tired of the israeli blockade of daily necessities for the past 7 years.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-no-fuel-no-gas-israel-clamps-down-on-gaza-over-airborne-firebombs-1.6338412

Meantime up in the north ISIS entered within 200 meters of the Israeli border with Syria. Israel took no chances and killed 7 terrorists as they were carrying weapons and suicide vests. No chances ... any breach will be devastating and too late to regret.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-strikes-several-armed-terrorists-in-syrian-golan-heights-1.6339208

1.8.18

My vantage point for the movie

So yes ... it was a film festival in Jerusalem. I took a walk in the evening and saw many spot with screens and people sitting down watching movies. I went up to Independence Park and there were 2 screens, one up on the hill and one below. The area was fenced off with one entrance and there was a ticket office so I thought I'd ned to buy a ticket which I cannot afford. So I stood on the opposite hillock and watched the entire film free-of-charge. It was a horror movie ... I think it was called Scream. In the dark, there were people dressed in black with the Scream mask frightening people. All in all it was a fun evening, after all it's summer. Tonight I'll go and watch another film but I'm not sure which venue is filming one that I would like. Anyway that's one more summer must-do that's covered.

Obviously I had recovered enough yesterday evening from my cold, to go watch the movie. I had a good sleep when I came home from the movie and I felt better this morning. Which was just as well because this morning I had an important meeting at the bank with our lawyer and accountant. We needed to unblock the utterly bureaucratic process of our account and then closing it entirely. It was blocked for 2 years and finally we've managed to resolve this. So the morning went well ... though with all the bureaucracy, it took good 4 hours. Just waiting our turn took 1 hour. This would never happen at any bank in Asia.

Anyway today is 1.8.18 ... which will only happen once in a 100 years. I hope to enjoy it ... any excuse for the summer!!