Goodbyes

Last night at 9pm we heard gun shots ... something similarly eerie like a month ago. This time an arab terorist stabbed a soldier at Bab Hutta, 25 meters from my window. Soldiers shot and killed him, but an innocent woman passing by was injured by a ricochet bullet. Let's hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Emanual R.I.P.

And another tragedy ... as I was going home from work, several catholic young men rushed passed me carrying a coffin across the road to the catholic mortuary. This rush is avoid offending muslims and jews who consider a dead person impure and which incurs grave impurity laws. I hardly had time to say a prayer for the soul. As the young men returned, I asked who it was. It was Emmanual, our loyal receptionist at Casa Nova for many years. He is well known to many pilgrims and guides who have stayed there. Emanuel was an old man now, over 85 yrs old with cancer and multiple heart surgeries. I often see him sitting at street corners and I'd chat with him. He always asked how my health was. Emanuel doesn't have to suffer pain or the winter cold anymore. May his soul rest in peace.

Another goodbye today ... our student Matthias graduated with his Licentiate a couple of months ago but could not go home due to the lockdown. Finally he was able to get a circuitous route to return home and will leave tonight. He left a lot of stuff behind in my office so I can pass it on to the next chinese student coming in October to study. As usual I am the caretaker of these students. And also suddenly a chinese sister said she'll be returning on the same flight as Matthias. We expected her to leave at the end of the month. But there was a seat available tonight so she took advantage and booked to leave. So our chinese community of religious will be reduced by 2. We'll have to hang on and support each other.

Jaffa Street getting crowded again

In a couple of weeks, jews will celebrate the high holy days including Yom Kippur, New Year and Sukkoth (Tabernacles). The corona commission is planning on a lockdown to prevent crowding. Let's see if they'll succeed. The rabbis after all have the last word. Meantime the arab counterpart of the israeli corona commission agreed that the arab sector was out of control ... gathering at weddings and prayers and not wearing masks. That accounts for the constant 4 figure infection rate every day. It's appalling but no one seems to be enforcing the law in the arab parts of the country especially East Jerusalem.