Election Day

Birds feeding at Damascus Gate park

Yesterday I was feeling really unwell ... with the pain in my head and dizziness. There was still some documentation work that I had to complete with the lawyers for the arrival of 3 books. It is tedious ... the postal service is now a nightmare. Then for the rest of the day I tried to rest. On Thursday I'll be going back to the hospital for a checkup ... to make sure I don't have an infection or whatever.

Bedouin women
prepare to sell their
veggies

Today is Jerusalem Election Day ... local citizens get to vote for their mayor. It's a day off for municipality offices and schools but restaurants and other places of entertainment are opened ... because whole families will be out enjoying themselves after they have voted. The streets are quite crowded with people. We're hoping the new mayor will not be anti-christian and give us alot of trouble. But most probably the pro-ultra-orthodox candidate will win as the ultra-orthodox voters hold the balance of power in any election.

The arab residents in East Jerusalem on the other hand will continue life as usual today. Not many are Israeli citizens and have not right to vote. The markets continue to open, work is as usual ... only the Israeli banks on this side of the City are closed.

Tonight is Halloween night. It's not a popular celebration as it's frown upon by judaism. For us it's a preparation for All Saints Day ... which will be a big feast in all our houses.

The killing at the Pittsburg synagogue was atrocious. But response to it from the Chief Rabbi in Israel has stirred up more division when he refused to mention the tragic place as a synagogue because he does not recognize it ... it being a conservative synagogue and not ultra-orthodox. The ultra-orthodox do not consider the conservatives as true jews and their marriages are not valid according to ultra-orthodox law. This morning the PM affirmed that it is a legitimate synagogue, thus clashing with the religious power in Jerusalem. Like I've said many times, this implosion will be the greatest disaster to befall Israel.   https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Slamming-Ashkenazi-Chief-Rabbi-Netanyahu-says-all-Jews-are-one-570619?fbclid=IwAR3XbwBut3ceSk7_yP80AZgCUUsExOqdpLZIxCj3sEk_K-cNiT2bG2ocZeE

And it's just been revealed that Israel had sold millions of dollars of sophisticated spyware to the Saudis ... which is ruffling some feathers in the wake of the killing of the saudi journalist. Most likely this news will be quickly swept under the carpet as Israeli-Saudi ties have never been so close as before.  https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-Israel-sold-250m-of-sophisticated-spy-systems-to-Saudi-Arabia-570539?fbclid=IwAR3nAlNVRO7-B5UjJ9r-nGgp0Q8vvzvk9EjQXjRWyvP2P-LrYb2EJX1sBb4