Ignatius feast

No hawkers in the
street.

Now I am sure I'm not the only one feeling the heat. Today was really hot though it was only 32 degrees. There were no clouds ... as is usual in th eMiddle East ... but the sun was slamming down hard. There was not a single breeze. Scorching is the right word. The sun just burns the skin. Leaves and flowers shrivel. Tap water is boiling hot. And the sure sign it is too hot ... no cats in the streets and no hawkers as well. El Wad street that leads from Damascus Gate to the Wailing Wall was empty. The usual bedouin women who sit along the street selling veggies and fruit have all disappeared. All the shops have their awnings extended and people huddle inside to avoid the sun. Shops selling smoothies and cold drinks are earning alot of money. I only feel sorry for the kids who have school holidays but the heat is keeping them indoors.

A motorist with gun

And the political heat is also rising. For several days now I've seen israeli citizens carrying guns. Not that it's unusual ... it's permitted by law. But it reminded me of the Intifada days when everyone was suspicious and jittery and guns were in every hip-holster. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling to go out in crowds like that.

Couple that with Israeli army drills in the south to evacuate jewish residents near the Sinai peninsular ... for fear of a war; war machines lined up in the northern border with Lebanon ... it takes little to conclude that the country is prepared for something big. Well summer is half over and usually wars don't take place in this heat ... machinery can get destroyed in this intense heat and soldiers cannot function well. It'll be in autumn when anything major breaks out. It's always been the case.

Anyway its the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The local jesuits probably are having a private feast as there was no invitation to a solemn Mass. And in this heat, it's best to stay indoors anyway.

Stromata

Muslim and jewish families together

Weather continues to be hot and humid. Last evening there were many people out in the streets trying to catch some breeze before dinner. Many families were sitting in the parks ... and I saw jewish and muslim families sitting around while their children played. No hint of fear or suspicion or segregation.

I was feeling really sick yesterday. Dizzy and nausea. I think it's because I get hot and sweaty from walking then go into aircon room for meetings, then out again to go to work, into aircon libraries. That gets me very sick.  Last night I slept only 3 hours because of a fever.

In Israel, police have begun arresting filipino families who have no visas and deporting them. here's great fear among the huge filipino community. The same exercise 2 years ago aimed at African illegal immigrants.

Great consternation in the streets as we receive news that Isreal has bombed military targets in Iraq. This is a lot farther than targets in Syria. Not sure how Iran the mastermind behind all the regional upheaval will react.

There was violence in Nablus (Samaria) when thousands of jews went on pilgrimage to the tomb of Joseph (son of Jacob). Local arabs rioted and 5 are said to be injured by Israeli soldiers who accompanied and protected the pilgrims. This doesn't bode well because next week will be the jewish feast of Tisha B'Av which commemorates the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples. It's a day of mourning and fasting. Hopefully there will be no violence during that time.

Time flies

Fresh bread

Yesterday was an extremely busy day ... that's why I couldn't update the blog. I didn't have to buy bread at 4am because there were leftover pittas from Saturday. But I had to preside the community Mass at 7am ... which means a 45 minute preparation of texts and altar. Then immediately after, I had to rush to the Armenian Church to prepare for the Liturgy. There I have to prepare everything as there are no sisters or sacristans. After that it was a quick rush to Jaffa to finalize some liturgical stuff .... I will be celebrating the ethiopic Mass from next Saturday for 2 months as their chaplain will return to Ethiopia for his holiday.

Then it was a quick rush back to Jerusalem 60 kms away for a meeting. The traffic by the way is nightmare .... both entries and exits of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. I can see why taking the train is alot faster and less stressful.

2019 halfway gone

This morning I had a long meeting at our financial department and our head of department, while signing documents, said "... And that's the end of July". It is! July is over! Half of 2019 is over! Winter will soon come ... I noticed sunrise is getting later now ... at 4.18am when only 2 weeks ago it was at 3.50am. And before you know it ... it will be Christmas again and 2020 rolls in. Time is relentless!

And as time runs ahead ... old age catches up. Maybe it's the heat. But I'm very dizzy most of the time, nausea and today a massive headache. I'm constantly choked by phlegm in the windpipe and have difficulty coughing it up. That makes walking a terrible experience because I am slowed down by lack of oxygen, coughing spasms and blackout spells. That's why I hate going out at all. I thought I loved summer ... but now I've got 2nd thoughts.

What a horrible piece of news ... a man was trying to park his car on a space reserved for handicap drivers because his wife and children are handicapped ... but was shot dead in front of them because the other driver at the next space refused to move his car and free up the space for handicaps. They are all jews  https://www.timesofisrael.com/ramle-man-was-shot-dead-trying-to-park-in-disabled-spot-for-his-wife/?fbclid=IwAR34CQKjztgOLAMFewQd5TSWeEh7rgIqRwQKk59Y0GF5HtKcg12GstLuwOY

Fire out

Sunset - view from Mt. Scopus

The violence in Yuen Long is very unsettling ... in 2 months the unthinkable has happened. The stability of the enclave is crumbling and everyone is the loser. And the only winners are the surrounding cities who will take over the place of Hong Kong as south China's business hub.

Here in Israel there was the weekly Gaza border protest ... one Gazan killed, 38 wounded and 4.500 gazans were in the protest. Live bullets were used.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-killed-by-idf-gunfire-during-rioting-on-gaza-border/

The fire on Mt. Tabor is now under control but establishing the damage will take a long time. The eastern slope is all burned. The Custody of the Holy Land has reproached the govt for not providing water infrastructure to the monastery and church for decades. There was no way to protect the buildings if there is no water available. Unfortunately that's the situation in many of our churches e.g. Capharnaum.  https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Vatican-slams-Israeli-authorities-after-fire-leads-to-church-evacuation-596905

2 sisters

Weatherise it's very hot in the day but the nights are eerily cold and even humid. This morning there was dew all over the ground. I was very surprised ... it felt like Spring. I almost caught a cold walking to the Ivrea Convent for Mass ... there were guys wearing jackets and sweaters.

The other day I had to go to the Pilgrim Office to get some certificates and there was Sr. Naomi and a new sister who had just arrived. It was a funny encounter. A nice break from my work routine.

Fire

Mt. Tabor on fire

Terrible news coming in right now ... Mt. Tabor is on fire. The Basilica of the Transfiguration is in danger of damage ... and the only road leading up to the basilica is blocked by the fire. Because the entire mountain is surrounded by oak and bay trees, it's easy to catch fire ... though we're not ruling out foul play. Many of our churches have been destroyed by arsonists these past 10 years. Luckily our friars and workers have been evacuated safely. But the farm animals might not be so lucky. Let's pray and hope they'll all be safe and the churches (Catholic and Orthodox) will not be touched by the fire. Mt. Tabor is the traditional site where christians believe Jesus transfigured.

The weather has been very hot during today with strong winds blowing. That is a bad element for forest fires like at Mt. Tabor. My night jasmine has shrivelled in the heat ... all the leaves have turned yellow and droopy. Hope it doesn't die. I've been pumping lots of water to it.

Fresh fruit arrive at 6am

And our northern border is not very tranquil as the war machines are gathering on both sides of the border. And we also hear of protests and violence at Wadi Hummus where the Israeli govt has bulldozed very many arab houses. Summer doesn't look too promising. Well that goes for Hong Kong too .... the growing violence is unprecedented ... and even here people are talking about conspiracy theories. Nothing good will come from all the violence .... learn from us here.

The weekend is back and I'm looking forward to some rest .... that's a joke. Cleaning the library continues tomorrow ... but I must limit the hours so I actually do get some rest. Last night I slept only 3 hours because I had several work to do. And I was afraid I would oversleep for Mass at the Ivrea Convent so I didn't dare sleep. On my way there I saw lots of fresh fruit loaded at Herod's Gate. It great to eat juicy fresh fruit in this heat but if left under the sun, they shrivel and turn yellow quickly.

Salmon and lentils

Jaffa Gate Square today 

Another hot day today ... and I had to settle some bills and banking issues and accommodation for volunteers up in the curia. Then I had to go to the Information Center at Jaffa Gate Square to book for Masses. By 12pm I was exhausted. Luckily the guys who help me clean the library called for a halfday so they left at 12pm. I had the afternoon to settle some other projects.

In my house we're down to 5 guys ... which makes meals a really interesting affair. Expensive food is more available for 5 people ... and today - penance day - we had baked salmon which was very delicious. But of course being penance day we also had the dreaded lentil soup. I rather enjoyed the salmon ... so it wasn't much of a penance. Still for all the hardworking I've been doing ... I think I deserve it.

Sunrise in East Jerusalem

Scary news ... Israel bombed Syria again yesterday night. Tensions are building at the border ... and we're even more certain of an impending war. That'll surely ruin my summer "holiday". By the way I've decided to spend my summer studying more armenian ... an hour a day. But now I've been asked to help with the Ethiopic Rite Mass for 5 weeks ... so maybe I'll study Geez instead. Nice challenge for summer.

Nurses in Israel have gone on strike due to labour shortage ... and that's not comforting if you need to go to hospital.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-s-nurses-go-on-nationwide-strike-over-labor-shortages-1.7565148/.premium-israel-s-nurses-go-on-nationwide-strike-over-labor-shortages-1.7565148?fbclid=IwAR2naH_V7lUZYUGr1xWj4LAeigKIUOb1Dt_xAceJ3CqtlcD4RVzJhlLyfNU

What a great way to end today's blog ... a mule walked straight into Ben Gurion airport!!! Shocked everyone ... but shocked me ... because whatever happened to Israeli security???  If a mule could enter the airport unnoticed ... how much more a terrorist!!!!!  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5556542,00.html?fbclid=IwAR3lN2GgrCoYELzmFASVQmJmRv2nXWyUjIxFWDLtuxnJpQYtfVi4JsyJ3mo

Morning off

The Pool of Siloam

We're down to 5 people at home now that the summer holidays is at its height. The cooks are also taking their holidays ... and we can buy food which usually we cannot afford since we're only 5 now ... more economical. Because of the heat, tourists are noticeably less as well. But those who do come are dressed shamefully as if they're going to the beach ... bikini style 2 piece. At the Wailing Wall and Mosque, religious police firmly enforce proper dress conduct but in some of our churches, the doormen are shamefully lacking in vigilance. No wonder jews and muslims see christianity as heresy and promiscuous and western decadence. I can understand them.

Canaanite tunnel

As the morning was cool, I decided to go visit the southern City of David and the Pool of Siloam. I heard there were many changes. And indeed! For only 28 shekels you get to see the excavations of the City of David including the Jebusite Wall, Israelite buildings, Warren's Shaft, Gihon Spring, audio-visual presentation at the Spring Tower, Hezekiah's tunnel, Canaanite tunnel, the Siloam Pool and the newly opened Pilgrims Road. That's worth every agorot (= cent). But it's a very demanding excursion ... very steep steps along the Kidron Valley, deep underground tunnels and a long uphill walk back home. Best come in early winter or Spring when it's cool. Still it was a good walk and outside my routine. A little summer break activity.

Library cleaning update: 3rd floor completed. Now down to the 2nd floor.

Some good news. Israel has stopped spraying herbicides along the Gaza border which kills all vegetation so that the soldiers can have a clear view of the border fence. This poison is carried by the wind inside Gaza and kills also the grapevines, fruit trees and vegetables of the gazans. People develop skin diseases and respiratory illnesses as a result.  https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-stops-spraying-herbicides-along-Gaza-border-for-first-time-in-5-years-596553?fbclid=IwAR16I5qnPEI0svvJOe_GIF49xhRLAje3-RHcJoI49YEyTJqKBkS42D0XHR4

M. Magdalen feastday

Bread vendor this morning

And it's Monday again ... another week ... another round of work. First 5.45am with a long walk to the Ivrea Convent for Mass. It's the feast of St. Mary Magdalen ... an important feast day for the local Church because she was a local person from the Galilean city of Magdala. So while the rest of the Church celebrates her as a memorial, here it's a feast day with Gloria sung.

Then by 7.15am it's back to work cleaning the library. Then a quick run to the admin building 1km away to settle work permits for our workers and then back for more work cleaning and transferring hundreds of books from one section to another.

Mooncakes & piglets

On everyone's lips is the impending war with Lebanon. Everyone thinks it's just a matter of time. I'm sure those living up in the north are preparing for the worse ... from evacuation to living in bunkers. What a horrible prospect. It goes to show that a war far away between the US and Iran can affect people in other countries.

And as temp. continue to be in the 30s, we've the first child casualty from being left inside a parked car. His mother forgot about him and went off shopping. Medical centres are preparing for more casualties in the coming months.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/baby-dies-after-being-left-in-sun-baked-car-for-3-hours/

What a surprise when someone brought me a box of mooncakes and 2 piglets in baskets. The mooncake festival is still 2 months away but since no one else is coming along this way, I might as well anticipate it as no one will know the difference here. Anything to create a holiday atmosphere since I'll probably be working all summer. Desperate.

Cold and hot

Sunrise at 4am

It's Sunday and I decided 100% I will not go toward. Need a break and time for myself. My room has not been cleaned for 2 weeks and I wanted to attend to it. So it was a slow day ... woke up at 4am as usual as the muezzin had started singing in the mosques. I bought 14 submarine loaves for breakfast for the community. It was cheap ... one shekel each. There are 5 of us at home now plus 3 nuns but since the loaves are sold in packs of 7, I had to buy 2 packs. It was a nice break from eating the same type of bread which are kept frozen for weeks.

Rain clouds this morning

Then there was Mass at 7am and then room cleaning till 10am. After that I went to buy weekly necessities while it was still not so hot. Coming home at 12pm was bad ... it was very hot and I became very dizzy. Almost fainted along the way. It's so strange because only at 5am the ground was wet with dew and red rain clouds were floating over the City.

There's been a wave of anti-arab vandalism in arab neighbourhoods ... and it affected christians because the villagers of Jish are all christians. Jish is ancient Gishcala where St. Paul's parents came from. Possibly St. Paul himself was born there before moving to Tarsus. Christians are not protected.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/vandalized-cars-graffiti-israeli-arab-town-hit-by-suspected-hate-crime-1.7541377?fbclid=IwAR37kFVRCmVHc2TP_ADDpP7Fvg1-28MY3Hr5Jv4KUBe5pTOBMfQ0k6BDTwo

Chilly nights

Bread vendor at 5am

Well the tawjihi mayhem is over ... and the wedding mayhem begins. Loads of weddings going on at every corner of East Jerusalem and it's fireworks all over again. This time it's fired in the nights.

The nights are crazily chilly ... while the days are quite hot. It puzzles the mind how such a change can take place each day. As I go out to celebrate Mass at the Ivrea Convent at 5.45am, I can feel the chill in the air and actually this morning there were people wearing sweaters. What I like when I go out each morning is the smell the hot fresh bread as the bakeries bring out their ovens, and the smell of the cypress trees. It makes it feel like summer. And the sun rising at 4am (3am solar time) is so special .... I wish I could just wake up with the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea in Jaffa. That would be a perfect summer.

Rain clouds tonight

But we're still cleaning the library. We've reached the 3rd floor which is the largest section covering 3 buildings in 4 rooms. It'll take some time. Sigh. Tomorrow is Sunday and I promised myself I'll not work ... it has to be a small summer break for me.

Meantime several thousand people protested in Tel Aviv because the police have banned all summer music festivals throughout the country. The reason being it's an occasion for drug trafficking and consumption. Many people are very unhappy. Me too ... cos being a cheap I do stand on the surrounding hills watching and listening to concerts free-of-charge during the hot summer nights.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-20-000-israelis-protest-in-tel-aviv-over-nixing-of-music-festivals-countrywide-1.7541909?fbclid=IwAR07uIs52MiyliCzC1lhIaozILqC7R7U-qNr5b9BMJMGn-ZuFSw7qQ6rB54

And at the Gaza border there were almost 100 people injured due to riots and protests ... the usual chaos every Friday. However that's not our fear. What really troubles us is a coming war up in the northern border with Lebanon because the US sanctions on Iran is hitting hard and Tehran will retaliate by getting its proxy Lebanon to attack Israel in order to put pressure on the US. It's complicated ... like everything else in the Middle East.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/97-palestinians-including-paramedics-journalists-wounded-in-gaza-border-protests-1.7542391?fbclid=IwAR2OeNzC8DPEHaApF7YdRLqgFSCwCnGOzhqyyzcqslZo6IF6KmnIT7Dyfd4

Tawjihi nightmare

Sunrise in East Jerusalem

It was tawjihi yesterday ... that's like A levels or Matriculation. Families have fired non-stop fireworks to celebrate their child's graduation. Strange most of us foreigners think ... to fire fireworks in the day when you can't see anything, only loud noises. And it started at 7am and went on till past 10pm. Talk about noise and air pollution. The police even closed off some streets in East Jerusalem so those celebrants could drive around the area honking their cars to announce their graduation. Our fear is fireworks setting houses on fire, peoples getting burned ... and early sleepers like me scared the hell out from fireworks fired 2 meters away.

Meantime though the weather has cooled somewhat, certain areas especially near the Sea Sea continue to heat up. Reports say it was up to 50 degrees at Sodom which is along the southern tip of the Dead Sea. We here in the mountains have a cooler breeze but daytime gets quite scorching if not for the wind. Let's hope the forest fires will burn out soon ... we've had too many fire disasters the past few years. And fireworks are no help.

Rockefeller Park at 6am

This morning our UPS blew up so we had no internet service. None of my librarians could work so I could everyone to clean up the shelves instead. Blessing in disguise. We managed to clean up alot today ... thanks to a breakdown in our internet system. No cataloguing done ... but lots of clean shelves.

Yesterday was the birthday of one of our alumni ... a romanian orthodox priest who was our great friend and a hardworking student. He was killed 6 yrs ago by a drunken driver while on his way to celebrate Sunday Mass. Dreadful tragedy. And none of us have forgotten him. He was one of the finest people we've ever met and shared time with.

There's a sad piece of news we read on the Internet .... the legendary arab pastry and sweet shop run by the Zelatimo family has finally closed after 150 years. Their perfection in exquisite arabic pastry is known throughout the Middle East. It's situated at the ancient entrance of the Holy Sepulcher and in fact inside the courtyard of the shop you can see the 1700 atrium of the ancient Basilica of the Sepulcher. What a pity ... another legend die4s ... another part of history is gone.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-the-vanishing-of-a-legendary-palestinian-pastry-1.7530785?fbclid=IwAR23jsu-QtmizdE3POm3yZqcFjujFtUpLC9fjMxnSip95U9sXr1qybn0qSI

Full moon

Full moon over Damascus Gate

The sudden and extreme heatwave has caused dozens of forest fires. Hundreds of families have been evacuated and fire-fighters are working overtime to contain the blaze. The heat was really extreme yesterday ... leaves on trees and plants have turned brown and withered just because the hot dry winds kept blowing on them. All the daisies have dried up. And there is sand and dust everywhere. However when the sun set at 8pm, a very cool wind blew instead. And it blew all night ... string and chilly. The weather just changed in half an hour .... a drop of 10 degrees. Now tell me this is not climate change. Anyway this morning it continued to be chilly and it was like there was no heatwave at all yesterday. It felt like Spring. http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/news.php?Itemid=29263&fbclid=IwAR0q_T0WWi8XZN4zZ_eyVteKgr_-Ujc-Pyzrx51sDMUZUGc6d8NDoQ-MghU

Full moon

And there's this great big full moon in the sky these few nights. So bright and shining through my window, I don't need to turn on the lights. Because of the cool evening, lots of people came outdoors to see the moon. I went out to the office at 8pm to avoid the heat and the sight was really amazing.

This morning while opening the fridge, another vein burst in my thumb. It's getting bad. Mind you I've stopped using ventolin and prednisone for over a year and a half now. And my asthma is at a minimum. But the side effects of the past years of cortisone treatments are causing osteoporosis and thin veins. Still I have lots of heavy stuff to lift and carry. Slinging them over my shoulder is not an option as I have spondylosis on C4 and C5. What a life.

Just met the superior of Jaffa and he asked why am I not going there to rest .... good question. He insisted I go there to next week ... and I hope so too. But the library cleaning is taking alot of time.

Bonaventure feast

A barley loaf

Yes the heatwave is definitely upon us. At 4am I went out to buy barley bread for the community and it was already hot ... about 30 degrees. At 8am I walked out to the other library but halfway there I gave up and came home. It was 34 degrees. A strong wind is blowing but it is scorching. Probably a southerly wind from the desert. It's making my breathing difficult and my head is very dizzy. I'll stay indoors for the rest of the day ... but not before watering the plants first. Already a couple of plants have withered in this heat. Right now I can see from my window the yellow sky ... yellow from the desert sand.

It's the feast of St. Bonaventure today. It should have been on July 15th but being a Sunday it had to be postponed a day later ... but Monday was the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel so Bonaventure had to be moved to today. I bought the barley loaves from the 24 hr bakery ... and they were freshly baked at 4am and cost only 2.50 shekels each. Outside in the stalls they are sold for 5 shekels.  The guys here like it. It's whole grain and nutritious and good for most of us diabetics. So it's Bonaventure Barley Bread today. Nice ring to it.

Right now I can't enter my fb page. It's been hacked again ... like for the umpteenth time. My server has locked me out because someone was using my IP and changed the configurations. Lot of illegal hacking going on and there is little we can do. But just so you all know ... most if not all my social media, computers and phone are hacked, tapped and controlled.

There's a newspaper report that in 2018 there were 4 million tourists to Israel. Of these, 54.9% are christians and 42.8% are catholics. A total of $6 billion was brought into the country. My question is: is the local christian community benefitting from this? Why are catholic guides impeded from guiding catholic groups? Our chinese catholic priests and nuns who guide are harassed by local Israeli chinese guides ... even threatened. There is grand conspiracy and manipulation in all this. There is great injustice.  https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/07/15/over-four-million-tourists-spent-nearly-6-billion-in-israel-in-2018/?fbclid=IwAR3ibbWF2u5oHWU9LcjFpaqY_GDQm3tjDuy8BX_nmY8wjZVv2W8awvQgC48

Carmel feast

Typical alley with
lots of trash

We can feel the rising temperature these past few days ... and now we received news that tomorrow a heatwave will hit us. Temp will rise to 40 degrees and above. People are advised to stay indoors and drink a lot of water. Hope everyone takes heed. It's really no joke.

The rising temp is causing so problems in our side streets and alleys ... trash and garbage rot and stink very quickly ... rats and cockroaches are overrunning the neighbourhood. Only this morning I saw cats scratching apart plastic bags of garbage, chasing mice and generally most of these cats are sick. I find it difficult to walk along these alleys every morning when I go to the Convent of Ivrea to say Mass. It's very unpleasant. At 5am the temp can go up to 28 degrees. That's perfect for an infection.

Hematoma on my
palm and fingers

It's the 2nd day of library cleaning. We're till on the top floor ... and there're 4 other floors to go. 3rd floor is extremely large, covering 3 buildings. Good thing we have air-conditioning in there. Otherwise I'll faint from the heat and work. Today after transferring 100+ books, the veins in my fingers and palm burst. The hematomas hurt and swelled and I couldn't carry anything. Years of taking cortesones for my asthma have thinned my veins and they burst easily. I quickly soaked my hand in a cup of cold water and that reduced the swelling. Let's see if I can work tomorrow.

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel ... a solemnity for the carmelites. Our carmelite student Biju who defended successfully his PhD left for his home in India on the feast day. There was a big celebration on Mt. Carmel where the carmelites have their spiritual centre in the Stella Maris monastery. Tomorrow is our feast day of St. Bonaventure our 2nd Minister General and theologian. It'll be a big celebration ... and our sisters will bake a cake. That's a nice consolation from the heatwave.

Solemnity

Umbrella shade at
Nahalat Shiva

Today is the feast day of the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre (the Empty Tomb). Back in the early 4th century, St. Helena the mother of Emperor Constantine, built the Basilica over Mt. Calvary and the Empty Tomb and it was consecrated on July 15th. Here in Jerusalem it's a solemnity, not just a feast. It's one celebration you will not experience as it is not celebrated outside of the Holy Land.

No change in the weather ... scorching hot during the day but chilly in the nights. Solomon street in the Nahalat Shiva neighbourhood has it's iconic umbrellas up and every tourist and most locals stop to take a photo. It's quite a sight.

We've started cleaning the library ... which is 5 floors high and occupies 3 buildings. I've got extra help as the Dean recommended. So far today one floor was done. Another 4 to go. I was so exhausted I fell asleep at 6pm and woke up at 9pm because I was hungry. Missed dinner. And talk about missing ... the past 3 days have been utterly confusing as I cannot get the day right. It started already last Tuesday but it's getting worse. For example yesterday I woke up knowing it was Sunday so I had the Sunday Mass. But by 10am I was convinced it was Saturday ... and after a few reminders, I slowly realised it was Sunday ... only to confuse it with Saturday again in the evening. Don't know what's wrong ... I've been eating a banana every morning so I should have potassium and magnesium in my blood. No reason for the lost of memory.

Some very interesting news ... if you're an archeologist or like history: the slope outside the Last Supper Room has been excavated and the head archeologist claims it's definite evidence of the 1st Crusader attack on the muslim occupied Jerusalem in 1099. That would make it the first ever physical   remains of that event ... which appears to be a moat and some fortress walls. For sure the muslim residents will not be happy about this discovery.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/first-evidence-of-crusader-siege-from-july-15-1099-uncovered-at-old-city-walls/?fbclid=IwAR13DHJJs74rzBPnEdTbPirSLHHtE7P70CQt9_oVA0dRbpfnPsOdd8eF_-w

Tensions are rising as the Israeli army sends more troop to the Gaza border. Let's hope nothing serious will result.

More hot days

Night market at Damascus Gate

It was hot yesterday and still hot today .... not just hot but scorching. Even the hardy sun-loving sunflowers have wilted. Energy just saps away and security and soldiers, not just the normal resident and tourist, just find a simple walk difficult and requiring a lot of effort. Everyone is drinking plenty of water ... and for sure, a drought warning will soon be declared. I've been telling our sisters to keep the water used for washing vegetables and fruit so we can reuse it to water the garden. We must find more ways to conserve water. Because the sun sets at 8pm, night markets flourish everywhere and most people spend the evenings outdoors to catch the breeze.

Promenade by the sea

Yesterday afternoon I made a quick visit to Jaffa ... mainly to accompany a student who had been working overtime on his thesis and really needed a break. There was a very strong wind and the waves were high and violent ... but it did little to cool down the scorching heat. I had to clean the aquarium at our house in Jaffa of course ... but I managed to catch up with some good jewish friends who run stalls at the plaza in front of the church. They're really good buddies.

I've been thinking of the christian, yezidi and other minority refugees who have to suffer through this hot summer. It must be terrible. Pray that they get water and shelter.

waves crashing at the barriers

By the way the Courts have ruled against jewish residents of a northern city who barred arabs from entering a public park. The parks must be opened to all public in 2 days time. The city has also seen jewish residents refusing to rent or sell apartments to arabs. This far-right swing in dividing society will end in open conflict.  https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Afula-to-open-its-parks-to-Arabs-non-residents-in-2-days-595615

Meantime rabbis of a city have declared all dogs as bad and dognappers are accursed. The rabbis dislike dogs and are trying to stop people from keeping them. Not good news for dog lovers.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/all-dogs-are-bad-and-their-owners-accursed-israeli-citys-rabbis-rule/?fbclid=IwAR2DTkBK5PMNWEyE2AajqzZTlfiHnHxb1SndugN1Q6o-O4Mc3V4NLVvLpek

Hot

Jerusalem artichokes in bloom

The heat continues to beat down on us ... and it feels so much more intense these last 3 days though the maximum is 32 degrees. The sun scorches the skin and it feels terribly painful. Most plants have withered but some simply enjoy this heatwave ... especially sunflowers and date palms. They're flowering everywhere in the country. I planted 6 pots of Jerusalem Artichokes last winter and they've started blooming. They're neither artichokes nor from Jerusalem but a type of sunflower with edible tubers. Their small bright yellow flowers are very cheery when they swing along with the wind.

Flowering date palm

Tourists are coming in lesser numbers now as the heat overcomes the country. Asian tourists however outnumber westerners as it's probably the school holidays now. It will be a nice break for most of us not to be constantly stressed by tourists.

However any happy thoughts for summer is soured by a warning of a possible Gaza war. Not a nice prospect... and definitely not in this heat.  https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Security-and-Defense-Five-years-later-another-Gaza-war-on-the-horizon-595382   and   https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Netanyahu-We-are-preparing-for-broad-surprising-campaign-in-Gaza-595342?fbclid=IwAR2ud1i32J_7tbX3y3fBBN-y5mOEyggsM7KtTKvRfOjk8D1wdbhJDtHFI00

And the northern city of Afula had recently banned selling or renting property to arabs ... not it's disallowed arabs from entering public parkas well.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-attorney-general-backs-legal-petition-to-allow-israeli-arabs-to-enter-public-park-1.7494383?fbclid=IwAR0XjyT5sEHygHhxBJGI5XwyLJQOUc--3X8vxcyZvExznzYao5hkrYgtIfk

Theories ...

Installing barbed
stakes

Seems fishy to me that within days of each other, several catholic institutions along Nablus road have put high high metal fences and barb stakes. I wonder if they've wind of some news that we don't. It certainly gives a sense of drama to an otherwise hot and uneventful summer week. Conspiracy theories abound.

Well the weather is getting the bettie of me and I'm unable to walk to or from home in the heat without getting dizzy and nauseous and disoriented afterwards.  And I'm still terribly worried about the things I've lost (I think) ... as I cannot remember where they were in the first place.

Tensions rise at the southern Gaza border because Israel mistakenly killed a Hamas official while he was preventing gazans from breaching the border. Lots of secret negotiations now to settle this problem. Hopefully it will not ignite riots tomorrow.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-troops-mistakenly-killed-hamas-member-who-was-preventing-border-breach/

Hundreds of olives trees belonging to palestinians have been chopped down by jewish extremists the past week. This certainly destroys the livelihood of many families ... and is a hate crime but as with previous years nothing will be done to bring the extremists to justice. This could be another flashpoint for violence;ence tomorrow though usually the arabs in Jerusalem are not interested in  village woes. https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-investigate-reported-vandalism-on-palestinian-agricultural-land/

 Maybe the conspiracies theories are all that farfetched ... and putting high fences and barbed stakes are a wise measure.

Summer cheer

Sunrise at 5am

It's total confusion again ... for the past few days I've not been able to tell which day it is. Yesterday while meeting several commissions, people had been reminding me that it was Tuesday and not Monday. Then today I was rushing through my schedule for Thursday only to have my 5 volunteers telling me it's only Wednesday today. I don't know ... I've lost all sense of time and space. So now I'm totally lost ... it's Wednesday and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. I need to recalibrate myself.

Transporting food to the poor

Meantime I guess I'll spend time organising clothes and medicine and food care-packs for the poor around the country. There're lots of it and it'll take some time to organise them and distribute them to the MC sisters in the 4 regions of the Holy Land. At least the poor will have a little summer cheer.

Today's national tension is not jewish-arab but jewish implosion ... a leftwing activist was attacked and slashed by 2 right-wingers in Tel Aviv. The country has become so rightwing and vocal ... it's dangerous being a left-winger nowadays. They're considered traitors to the State and more of a threat than the arab enemies. As long as this implosion continues, the country will be divided and remain vulnerable. https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-activist-assault-in-tel-aviv-should-be-wake-up-call-for-israel-s-ordinary-people-1.7486047?fbclid=IwAR1CxhU6kiQ1Y9xnLvauK2XqwuJKyum6QLu1zZ1ZOA_UQACUNki-8U9N-NU

And the implosion deepens ... between secular and ultra-orthodox jews when a bus driver refused entry to a woman because it was an all men's bus going to an ultra-orthodox neighbourhood. And another implosion this morning when the mayor of Ramat Gan planned to run a shuttle service in the city during the Sabbath ... and a backlash from the ultra-orthodox  rabbis who are now threatening him.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5547298,00.html?fbclid=IwAR3QwfNePAyrhf6TJspnVMohZ7nobQ5K1XenXMvD9g2_woJB-bHRASXxpgU

OK so now I'm slowly sinking into the fact that it's Wednesday. What am I supposed to do today?

Bethlehem

The Wall & graffiti 

It was a sudden decision to go to Bethlehem this morning as our sisters had a lot of food which they wanted to give to the poor. The MC sisters in Jerusalem are busy with the parish youth camp and they have no fridge to store food, so I decided to bring it to the MC in Bethlehem. As we passed the checkpoint and along the separation Wall, some bottles fell out of the boxes and we stopped below the Wall to reorganise the boxes. It was the first time I've come so close to the Wall. It is massively high ... and the graffitti are actually very well done ... especially of course the Banksy ones. Anyway mission accomplished. All the clothes and food were delivered and I came back safely. I consider that my morning off. The wide spacious mountains and desert is so refreshing from the concrete jungle which is Jerusalem.

My booze ruqeb

Then it was work in the library and special class. Several times thoughts came about how I wanted to pass this summer ... studying more armenian and arabic, eat at my favourite Thai and Chinese restaurants, leisure walk along the Tel Aviv beach at sunset .... all dreams now ... It'll be another working summer vacation. I try to make it up by sleeping early ... at least I can spend more time sleeping in. Nowadays I sleep at 6 or 7pm skipping dinner ... and have at least 5 to 7 hours of sleep which I lacked during school days. And that is nice. And last Sunday I had my first Booza Ruqeb ... homemade ice cream peddled by vendors walking the streets of the Old City. It didn't taste anything fantastic ... but Booza Ruqeb is a summer institution which the poor people can indulge in. I'm glad I had one.

Meantime saber rattling is the game of the day. The PM threatening Iran because yesterday Iran threatened to attack Israel. We've seen it before and we're not too worried. More immediate danger is the discovery of tunnels from Gaza leading into Israel ... luckily the army destroyed them otherwise terrorists would have been able to infiltrate the country. And local politics are heating up in preparation for September's 2nd election. But that's all bit too much for me ... I'm into vacation mode despite work.

And I still can't find my wallet and bag of notes and cap ..... my memory is really going or gone.

Tea man

The tea man is back

It's summer ... and we can't stop being reminded because yesterday the arab tea seller was out at Damascus Gate vending his famous traditional tea in his Ottoman attire and ancient copper teapot. I should really try it one day ... imagine all these years and I've never tried a cup of this legendary tea. Time for a first cup. And it's summer time when the sun rises at 4am (3am solar time) and the muezzin starts his call to prayer ... and I take the half hour walk to Zahara neighbourhood to celebrate Mass for the sisters. On the way I meet some israeli security friends, the arab shopkeeper from whom I buy yoghurt, the bread vendor at the road junction whom I sometimes buy kaik - the sesame bagel famous in Jerusalem ... it's all that summer experience. Only thing missing will be a vacation in Jaffa which I had planned but must be cancelled (YES cancelled) because of work.

Fra Johnny and my
armenian cross

Meantime the tensions from our borders seem to have disappeared ... or at least not reported. I'm not sure what to expect ... but the main talk around town is not war but the weather ... how hot it is and how to avoid the sun. I guess that's a lot better than war.

My armenian seminarians came to see me today and gave me a lovely armenian cross from Armenia. We had a good time the past year celebrating together the armenian Mass and making many armenian catholic friends. Now they will go to their apostolates in Italy, Greece and Lebanon. I'll be alone for the liturgy as even the organist is on summer break.

Apparently the Ethiopic jewish community is calling for another day of demonstrations as police investigations conclude that the police man shot at the ground and the bullet ricochetted and killed the youth. I hope the demonstration will not be violent like the last time. We don't need anymore tragedies.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5545966,00.html?fbclid=IwAR1ePu8CkEktEVVuUQgU7hVHPUPgn66zQY2pjfRibb9iI8Qndq-gyMvXWnw

Sincere thanks to Mavien, Agnes and Anthony, Maria Tong, Miriam/Raymond/Laila, the Caveros, Irene, Angela, Yvonne and many of you for your kind gifts and thoughts. Really appreciate it.

Food day

Fresh barley bread

Sunday again ... on a very hot and dry morning with the sun beating down at 5am. I was out to buy barley bread for breakfast and the streets were already crowded with school kids and muslim devotees going home from prayers. At the 24 hr bakery at the end of Musrara open market, I found the barley bread have just come out of the oven ... piping hot. It was nice. Bought 4 of them and walked home. Our sisters were already setting the breakfast table and we put the barley bread in a basket.

For lunch an arab family had invited me over. They were refugees from Lebanon but have since been naturalized with Israeli citizenship. The wife makes the best feteh ... breadcrumb salad with veggies, yoghurt and roasted minced meat topping. Absolutely fabulous.

Feteh for lunch

For the dinner the chinese cooked some fish and rice. Nice asian plate. So today I really ate alot. Usually I eat only one full meal a day ... but today I really binged. And I deserved it. Though the docs will probably wag their finger at me. Did I tell you the doc said I am obese and need to reduce 10 kgs. OK you guys who met me recently ... am I obese?

There was a ramming incident this morning and police suspect it's a terrorist attack though. 5 soldiers were injured. Let's hope it's not the start of a trend. I don't want my summer to be ruined.

So far my summer vacation is full of teaching assignments. I've been very busy ... and I'm being booked for more summer courses in August. So if you don't hear from me ... know I'm busy teaching. A great consolation will be eating another feteh.

Weekend

Torch lilies

It's the weekend again. There's no news of riots and violence from the jewish ethiopic community ... so that's good news. The police presence in the Old City was high .. being the Sabbath ... but nothing extraordinary. No mounted police so that's a sure sign things are calm. However things were different at the southern Gaza border. some 7000 gazans protested at the border and the altercation with israeli soldiers led to 40 being injured.

The hot weather continues to beat down on us and I've been having dizzy spells all day. Quite bad. I don't want another heatstroke but I still must go to work ... which means walking the 1km uphill in this dreadful heat. I drink a lot of water in order to cool down, but I still have these dizzy spells. Yesterday evening on my way home I saw torch lilies on sale at our christian florist. They had no perfume but I thought they were unique enough so I bought 4 and placed them at our Madonna statue in the refectory. They look exotic. And the night jasmine in the courtyard is blooming profusely. In the night its strong perfume covers the entire courtyard and reaches up to the 2nd floor of our house.

So there was an outage in Facebook images. I was wondering if my fb was hacked again. That's a relief.    https://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-photo-outage-reveals-how-ai-sees-your-photos-2019-7?utm_content=buffer2b1ec&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-bi&fbclid=IwAR1lWGAMRHiWj00KfTAaKUpgtk5Eh2EmCnj-lQl7ptCP79WHijFz3wolFs8

It's the weekend. I'm hoping I'll get a good rest.

Summer heat

Golden cross shining on tower

The weather continues to be very hot ... but the ethiopic protests have turned off the heat by calling off future demonstrations. The violence we saw the past 2 days was unprecedented and no one wants it repeated.

The rising heat has attracted swarms of jellyfish into the coastline, choking power plants in the southern city of Ashkalon. If this continues, there'll be power shortages in several parts of the country soon. Swimming int he beaches this summer could be dangerous as these jellyfish sting.    https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Jellyfish-attack-Rutenberg-power-station-594612?fbclid=IwAR121__HJw_WhfiQK0mCQpcH_kjDwOVOrBgSEF67Sc4Sum_vQWYRXttmZNg

3 types of apples

One thing great about summer heat is the sunsets it creates. On summer evenings like this week, the sun hits directly on the golden cross on top of the enormous Russian Orthodox  monastery at the Mt. of Olives. It glitters and attracts the attention of everyone living in the Old City. The other great thing about summer is the fruit ... we're having an abundance of mulberries, plums, apples and early grapes. Yesterday for lunch we had 3 types of apples. Today I bought a kg of grapes from an old bedouin. They were full, juicy and sweet. So summer isn't all that bad.

Implosion

New Gate last evening

The country has been rocked by riots and violence the last 2 days. Jews against jews .... ethiopic jews who decry that they are being discriminated and racially-profiled by white jews. All this after an ethiopic jewish teenager was shot dead by a white off-duty officer. Major highways have been blocked by protesters, cars burned, attempted public lynchings .... makes the 2 million people march in HK look like a party. And the local police have zero tolerance ... even though most drivers in the traffic stoppages did not complain by waited in silence ... tacit support for the protestors. This ongoing implosion will not end ... it resurfaces every few years ... unless the govt. faces the ugly facts and makes concrete legislature against racial discrimination.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5542717,00.html?fbclid=IwAR0DEla5iUriGXgAweIoJoD_DnERUocCh3pkR4EpWYoj5GX6BVrMrBLW47o

Bread vendor boy at New Gate

I figured the illness that overcame me several days back was heatstroke. Because I wasn't the only one. Even today walking out in the midday sun made me sick. Nausea, giddiness, headache. This summer sun is very harsh .... and early. It should only get this hot in August. Now it's just the start of July .... everyone's dreading what August will be. I pity the vendors who start work in late afternoon at the Light Festival. Yesterday I saw a youth carrying a tray of bread on his head for sale ... under the hot sun he walked from Damascus Gate to New Gate ... uphill. Poor chap. I've tried to stay indoors as much as possible and move around offices only when it's cooler in the mornings or evenings.

JJ the white cockatiel

It's not much of a summer vacation for me as work continues. I have a little fun with Buddy and JJ who've both grown up quite alot ... and demanding attention. But they're my faithful companions ... JJ has learned to fly but doesn't know how to land yet so he crashes into everything. They make my summer a little more different because I get to spend more time with them than when I have classes. They chatter alot ... and eat alot. And they've been trained to poo in only one location (in the cage) so they are very clean. If they're on my shoulder, they'd fly back to the cage to poo before flying back to me. That's how well trained they are!!