Remembrance Day

An absolutely dreadful day yesterday - a heavy hamsin or sandstorm blew right into the country. The sky was dull and brown without the sun. The heat was oppressive - 36 degrees at its peak. And the sand - everywhere .... in your eyes, nose, ears, mouth, through every crack and cranny in the wall and pavement. I guess it set the mood for later in the evening when Israel began Remembrance Day - commemorating the Jews killed in the Holocaust.

The wind was unbelievably strong - something we might equate with Typhoon 8 signal. I was twice almost blown off my feet. And it was cold. Never saw the likes of this in recent years.

Rockefeller Museum's flag at halfmast

With the dismal weather, and the beginning of Remembrance Day, many shops and businesses closed early yesterday ... like by 2pm most people were on their way home. An unfortunate accident at the Yad Vashem museum - a pylon to hold lights and loudspeakers - collapsed under the gusty winds and killed a girl. The central ceremony for Remembrance Day took place there this morning.

Well I've been terribly terribly sick since yesterday. The diarrhea and cramps are crippling me. Last night it was so bad ... I can't even write about it. Let's just say the people who knew insisted I go to the hospital in Haifa.

Damascus Gate Square

Anyway I've been writing about my place for so many years and many of you still don't have an idea of where or what it looks like. So here's a photo of Damascus Gate square just outside Damascus Gate (where else???) where usually hawkers and bedouins do their selling and buying. It was empty today.  It's outside the City walls of course. The bridge at the bottom of the pic leads you into the walled City.

Hot and hotter

Safra Square at sunset

The weather has been very hot these few days - the heatwave is still beating down on us. Over 30 degrees every day. But the nights see a drastic drop of temp. Can get as cold as 15 degrees. However the fierce sun cerates a lovely play of shadows everywhere. Caught this photo at Safra Square with the setting sun behind the "cathedral of palms" - magnificent. Below each palm, a mass of ranunculi blossom in a rainbow of colours. They look fabulous except Russian Orthodox nuns come and pluck them for their own convents! Vandals!!!

Despite the heat, lots of asian groups are coming. It's after the Easter/Pesach season so prices are cheaper. There's this usual lull until the summer holidays begin and prices hike again.

Damascus Gate last night

Tensions have not much abated in the City. The country is pretty divided regarding the officer who struck the Danish activist with his rifle butt. Some for him, some against. But it'll soon blow over ...

Last night there was another demonstration at Damascus Gate ... it's a weekly thing. But always peaceful. So far it has been support for the Syrian people against Assad - nothing to do with local politics, so the police presence was minimal.

My elbow still hurts to high heaven - can hardly sleep. Add my nightly attacks of asthma and you have a concoction to blow your brains apart. Actually I'm terribly terribly stressed as I'm trying to finish my reading and writing .... pushing myself to the limits. The heat is on as all the other students have submitted their papers and I'm still lagging behind. Well I don't want to be sick by all this pressure, but I can't lag behind either. My stomach cramps are a daily thing and the diarrhea hasn't gone away. Luckily these few days some of my friends - unlikely ones - showed up to give support. They're terrific guys - very concerned and follow up on me everyday to make sure I'm ok. Otherwise I'd crack up under the heat of the pressure.

Heatwave

Yesterday's pro-Palestinian activists had rough treatment - at the airport and other places. Some cyclists in the Jordan valley were beaten up by soldiers. Frightening. All caught on video.


Let's hope things calm down and common sense reign. It does no one good.  And yesterday was a heatwave - 35 degrees. It felt like August. Unbelievable. All this heat is making things tense. But the nights are very cold. Drastic drop to 15 degrees. Hopefully the political heat would cool down too.

Anyway its been a crazy day ... lessons at 4am in the morning, then before classes ended, had to run to Damascus Gate to get Mother Teresa's sisters on board a chartered bus to El Jish - ancient Gishcala where tradition says St. Paul's parents lived. Did some studying, then routine work as usual. In the evening went out for a walk with my good friend from Bethlehem. He came to Jerusalem immediately after university so we could chat and walk around town and had the dinner he enjoyed most - chinese food. His permit to enter Israel runs out in a few days and he doesn't know when he can come out again.  And if he does get a permit at the end of the year or next year, I might no longer be around. So we decided to spend some quality time today ... actually we laughed alot at the crazy antics he gets into in university. I told him to write a book about his life.

And so another day passes.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Our 3 beloved penguins

So it's Divine Mercy Sunday and our sisters - the Faustina nuns - are celebrating big. They organised a solemn Mass at the co-Cathedral with the bishop presiding. I offered to buy them lunch - Sr. Veronica wanted quiche - as our cooking staff is down to one (namely Nadia) and Sr. Vincenta isn't working because all 3 nuns are busy in the co-cathedral prettying up the place for the Mass at 4pm. But just my luck - today is the 1st day after Pesach and all the bakeries and restaurants are just opening after 1 week of non-leaven food ... so none were ready for most pastries, bread and other leaven food. I got them 3 large bourekas instead. Hope it's enough for lunch.

And the "fly-in" protests began today. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists from around the world are flying into Ben Gurion Airport to "occupy" it. Israeli security is frantic ... blocking them off, deporting them, refusing to let them land http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-blocks-entry-to-first-pro-palestinian-fly-in-activists-hundreds-more-expected-1.424321  ... they even got a 5-month pregnant tourist to sign an obligation form not to participate in any pro-Palestinian event. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-forces-tourist-to-pledge-to-avoid-pro-palestinian-activities-as-condition-for-entry-1.424385

And the weather is a sizzling 34 degrees. It's an early heatwave ... the type of temperature we usually get in August. Thank goodness it wasn't yesterday because the Holy Fire service was packed with people and the heatwave would have knocked out many people. Anyway since yesterday at 2pm when the Holy Fire descended, orthodox church bells have been pealing till right now. I'm getting a headache from the sound and heat. All I think of is "Mercy ... mercy ..."

btw a new free online Bible course on "3 Minor Prophets" is about to start. Sign up at dsbiblecentre@gmail.com

Holy Fire mayhem

Today the Orthodox christians celebrate the "longest occurring miracle in history" - the Holy Fire appearing inside the Tomb of Christ. For over one and a half millenia it has been recorded that on Holy Saturday a mysterious fire appears sometimes from the centre of the Tomb (which is actually a Crusader reconstruction since the real tomb was destroyed by Caliph Hakim in the 12th century) and lights the candle of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. Well back in the 12th century the Latin Pope has denounced it as a fraud and forbade Catholics from participating in this event. So only Orthodox crowds are involved - and it can get nasty as rival churches try to be the first to light their candles from the Patriarch's. There's been in recent years fights between Copts and Greeks, Greek and Armenians, and the Syrians and Copts over this mayhem. With all due respect - it's quite a circus.

Locals (L) argue with soldiers at New Gate

New Gate was closed since yesterday evening. The Orthodox christian crowd can be quite uncontrollable and the police are not taking any chances. And to witness the Holy Fire is an event more sacred to the Orthodox than the resurrection of Christ - so the crush can be fatal. Last night some locals who lived in the Christian Quarter were not allowed to return home as the Gate was closed off. An altercation ensued and when a local pushed a soldier, things got very heated. Guns were raised and several soldiers rammed the local several metres to the main road ... it was very tense.

Roadblock in front of our house

Meanwhile the whole of the Muslim Quarter right up to the Christian Quarter were closed off by barricades yesterday. Only tourists and pilgrims were allowed through but the coincidence of 3 feasts of 3 religions that cross the same road made things impossible. Jews were allowed to go down Damascus Gate through the 3rd Station to the Wailing for their final day of Passover. Orthodox Christians were making the Way of the Cross (a novelty picked up from the Roman Church) and crossed the 3rd Station. Muslims were allowed to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers only from Herod's Gate and Lions' Gate. And of course where all 3 religions intersect is right at our doorstep down to the 3rd Station. The crush of people, the frantic attempts by Israeli soldiers to control the crowds, the anger of muslims prohibited from passing through led to a situation quite frightening and explosive.

A den for me ...

Street buntings for Easter

Friday 13th - Orthodox Good Friday, Jewish final day of Passover, Muslim day of prayer.

Yesterday I had a surprise visit from a good friend from Bethlehem. He received permission from the Israeli side to enter Jerusalem for Easter. So he called at 4pm to say he's coming out to see me. I rushed out to Jaffa Gate to meet him but the streets in the Old City was an utter nightmare. It was jam-packed with people - Copts and Ethiopics were everywhere doing their pilgrimage, American tourists with a smattering of French and Germans clogging the streets, arab merchants pushing their carts through the tiny suq, Jews trying to get to the Wailing Wall fearful of touching strangers and goods that might have leaven or other impure things ... many times we were squeezed shoulder to shoulder, not moving one inch ... while locals curse and swear. I was afraid of a stampede ... after half an hour, I managed to reach Jaffa Gate. Normally it would take 12 minutes.

It was terribly cold by then and I had to put on a pullover before meeting Firas. It was so good to see him. He came with his mum ... she wanted to do shopping in the Old City. So we left her to do her shopping and both of us took a walk through the New City. Being the eve of the last day of Pesach, all the shops were closed so there wasn't anything much to see. Only a couple of cafes were opened ... so we went to get a drink and stay warm indoors and chat and chat and chat. We usually chat on the phone every day since he cannot come out of Bethlehem and I don't go there. But now we had a chance to meet. I really enjoyed the 2 hours that passed so quickly.

Parmesan seafood basket

That's what I need - a den

Jumping back a couple of days, chef Joseph of Rossini's told me that I needed a break - he says that to me every time we meet. Well this time he said enough is enough ... I've worked so hard to care for others, now it's time I cared for myself. And so I did ... went off to Rossini's to be by myself. It was good to have some private space and time at last. Chef Joseph did up a nice dish - a parmesan basket with seafood. Then my usual baked salmon. I enjoyed the half hour that I had there ... I've forgotten what it was like to be by myself again, no demands made, no expectations demanded, no questions asked. I thought it was like my own private little den ... a lion's den. Safe, silent, secure.

Orthodox Maundy Thursday

So a bit of funny news - Israeli PM's facebook has the most "like" from ........ Indonesia!!! an enemy muslim country!!!! Hahahahahahahahahaha I can't get over this. http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=265523  I guess the propaganda warfare of Israel is really working; it's even got the enemies on his side!!!!! Obama's gotta learn something from this!!!

All kinds of herbs

And I managed to boil some chinese medicine for a professor who lost his voice. Got the packet from Singapore and just had to boil it ... like for 2 hours till it was reduced to one bowl. The prof drank it but was terrified that it had a bee in it.

Now I'll try boiling another type for phlegm and cough ... might help my nightly asthma. But long term, it's the operation on the nose that'll help. Don't look forward to it.

The weather has been making everyone sick. There's a cold cold wind blowing but when the sun is up, it gets hot. You never know what to wear - it's either too much or too little.

The Orthodox christians are celebrating the service of the Washing of Feet this morning ... the plaza of the Holy Sepulchre basilica is packed with people. Arab school children are happy - they had 4 days off last week for Catholic Eater Triduum ... then back to school on Tuesday and Wednesday; then today till next Monday another holiday for the Orthodox Triduum. Even some muslim schools have closed.

Jews are preparing for the end of Pesach so they're flocking into the Old City too. Their schools are on holiday too. Police security is everywhere. Even in Mamilla Mall. Well all we can do is wait till the weekend is over, then life goes back to normal - meaning we get to buy and eat stuff that's not permitted during Pesach. Found out that mint sweets are not kosher so they're not for sale this week.