Recollection and racism

Polling Station today

Up at the Syrian-Israeli border, a syrian terrorist tried to shoot into Israel and was bombed out by Israeli helicopters. Apparently in the last few days Israel had been bombing syrian targets as syrian terrorists tried to set up terror infrastructures at the border. Tensions have definitely risen at that spot and summer might see more violence.

Rolling the dough

It's Election Day and the streets are packed with families and locals taking the day off. In fact the road to Jaffa Gate has been cordoned off by the police so that cars cannot drive through .... and it has turned into a pedestrian mall. Shops are opened and doing brisk business. It looks as if coronavirus is all forgotten. There's been 2 new cases this morning but the holiday spirit has taken over. Still if you see some photos in the newspapers ... there're polling stations for the quarantined with attendants in full medical gear.

Dumplings ready
for boiling

And talking about coronavirus ... several Israelis who have returned from banned countries have not observed the self-quarantine. They go out and wander about .... causing panic in the streets and shopping malls. Police are out searching and arresting these people .... and one guy actually fought back the police by spitting and coughing. How irresponsible is that? Wait till half the population os infected ... but still those selfish individuals won't feel guilty. It's the local arrogance thing. Or just call it the biblical name: stiffed-neck people. And by the way .... it's not China but Italy who's the world's major exporter of coronavirus right now.

Yesterday the chinese religious spent an afternoon in Lenten recollection. It was a good opportunity since all of us are cooped up in our houses .... not daring to go out. We've been harassed, mocked, spat at, cursed even driven out of shops because of racism resulting from coronavirus. We discussed some biblical passages and then celebrated Mass before cooking dinner. There was homemade dumplings ... my favorite. After dinner we went back to our own homes ... in the winter darkness ... to avoid people harassing us. That's what life is like now here in the Holy Land. Never in all my years living here have I felt anti-asian racism as aggressive as these few weeks. We asians here have to watch each other's backs.