Winter is creeping in

Ethiopic family going to the feast

News is just coming out that there was a shooting an hour ago up in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. 8 wounded and terrorist killed. It's a major attack since a lull of almost 3 months. But during these jewish holiday period, it's to be expected.

The past few days the ethiopic and eritrean communities were celebrating some feasts ... not sure what it is. It could have been a wedding. Anyway it's christian because most of the men and women wore cross-embroidered clothes. Anyway it was a big celebration as there were crowds coming into the Old City. A nice atmosphere of festivity to soften the tension of the Old City.

It gets very chilly in the nights. Jumpers and hoodies are worn in the evenings now ... and the change in weather is making people sick ... as usual. Winter has definitely crept in. I've been getting severe asthma attacks for 2 nights now. Haven't had them for several weeks but then many people are coughing a lot. Doc wants me to get a flu jab ... I wonder if I should. He says it's preventive because I'm always susceptible to illnesses. I noticed only old folks come to his clinic to get flu jabs. So I guess I count as one of the them!

Traditional ethiopic dress

Yom Kippur starts on Tuesday night. All week Jews by the thousands have been going to the Wailing Wall to pray the Selichot prayers and asking for forgiveness for their sins. It gets quite loud ... from our place which is 800 meters from the Wailing Wall we can hear the prayers and dirges over the public address system all night.

It's sad that news is focussing on the hurricane destruction in America ... not that it's unimportant ... but it's consciously avoiding the massacre in Aleppo. 2 more days and thousands more will be killed. And nothing is being done ... no public outcry, no international vigils and demonstrations. The world is silent. And its silence condemns itself of guilt.

On home ground, a rightwing hardline Minister earlier called for jews to sacrifice their lives to annex Samaria and parts of Judea into Israel (most of it is in Palestine). After a public outcry, he sought to clear his message ... but again today he seemed to call for jewish settlers in these areas to resort to violence against palestinians. http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.746539  Any wonder why palestinians are responding with violence?

6102016 palindrome day

A rather quiet Friday in the streets ... no tensions or violence ... which is nice. Right now lots of fireworks are being fired in the Ras el Amud neighbourhood which is about 2 km south from where I live. There's a wedding.

Buddy wants to study

School on the other hand has just started. Lots of work as new students need to be introduced to the hows and whats of the libraries. Had to be around to make sure everything was running smoothly. Students are busy registering for courses, asking for advice and buying text books.

Even Buddy wants to study. He's just learned how to fly and is practicing every day ... flying to my bookshelves and nibbling on my books. He's even learned to fly on my shoulder overtime I try to go out ... he wants to go out too. Sometimes I bring him around the corridor or the caffe room when the doors and windows are closed. The cat outside is waiting for a meal!!!

I wonder if you noticed yesterday was a palindrome date: 6/10/2016 or 6102016  ... useless information but something interesting for the brain to think about. When will the next palindrome date fall?

The newspapers are carrying news of some 2000 women who are marching from the north to the south here, to the PM's house to demand for peace. It'll take some 14 days to march from Rosh haNikra which is at the Lebanese border down 300 km to the PM's house in Jerusalem. They're tough these women.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4863103,00.html

And another good news is that Tel Aviv University hs discovered a way to alter the gene that causes Alzheimer's Disease. It's worked on mice ... now it's human trial. This is really groundbreaking ... Israeli science and medicine is always breaking new frontiers.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-scientists-announce-possible-alzheimers-breakthrough/

Now let's see if they can come up with a cure for asthma, severe allergic reactions and IBS.

Inauguration of new School year

Inauguration
Mass

Yesterday was the inauguration of the new academic year of our theological institutes. This year the Dominican Ecole Biblique did not join in. Almost 150 students, professors and staff of our franciscan theological seminary, the Studium Biblicum and the Salesian university attended the event, which consisted of a Mass presided by the Custos of the Holy Land. It's always exciting for the students especially the 1st years. New adventure. For the final year students, it will be a time to remember.

The new school year always means that our libraries have to be ready for the rhythm of researches, demands for photocopies and books. I had to get the library staff of both libraries to prepare for it. There's been a lot of administrative and structural changes to both libraries so a little getting use to is necessary by the staff.

The other day the newspapers carried an article about the cultural war in Jaffa. It's been mostly a city of peaceful co-existance between jews and arabs - the arabs being the majority. But now a radical rightwing jewish group has come to buy up property, setting up fences, employing military security, carrying guns, mocking and taunting the arabs. They seem to be determined to create a separation between the races just like in Jerusalem and the settlements in Palestine. Arabs and local jews of Jaffa came up to demonstrate against this. There is a name for this encroaching jewish takeover of land and culture... it's called judaization.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.745649

Meantime a major in the army has identified 2 cities that could become the flashpoints of the new war, and they're ignored by all the newspapers which prefer to highlight Gaza and Hebron. The cities are Jenin ad Tulkarm, 2 relatively unknown places. Jenin is where Jesus healed the 10 lepers but only one came back to thank him. http://www.timesofisrael.com/while-hebron-gets-the-press-jenin-and-tulkarem-are-the-sleeping-giants-israel-should-be-worried-about/

Well let's hope all these threats to peace will not disturb our students this academic year.

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Sanctuary of St. Savior Church with
the relic of St. Francis below the
statue on the left

Today is a solemnity for us. Mass was sung at our place but with only 10 celebrants because most others decided to join the Custodial Mass at St. Savior's at 10am. It's good once a year to see the franciscan family united for this celebration ... singing the ancient hymns composed for this feast. And to see the franciscan family made up of so many races: europeans, africans, asians ... St. Francis must be proud of this.

Rosh haShana ends tonight. Hopefully security will relax a bit so we have more freedom of movement. But in 10 days time it will be Yom Kippur so security will be raised again. Better enjoy the brief respite now by buying and stocking up on necessities before roads are closed off and shops close for business.

Today we had a nice surprise ... or rather, I had a nice surprise. An old classmate Sr. Gabriela Kim came to visit. She's korean and now 75 yrs old. We studied together in Jerusalem 25 yrs ago. Time surely flies. I only had half an hour to chat with her but it was good to catch up. Rosario, our other classmate is now economy of our school. Other classmates include Corrado who is now bishop of Pavia; Usama who is married here in Jerusalem and a tourist guide, Javier who was vicar general in Spain but died suddenly in 2009 at age 45, and Marino ... no news of him.

The reliquary

I still had to work today despite the solemnity. There's too much to do and even 2 of our volunteers decided to come back to work. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and on the way to work, I met Sr. Sophie with Sr. Noel. Sr. Sophie asked if I had eaten lunch and I said no; she said to wait and she'll bring dinner for me. She did .... another roast chicken!!! What a nice treat for the feast day!

My shoulder is not getting better. Last night, Paul our indian student helped put analgesic balm on it as I can't reach it with my left hand. This morning he helped again. The analgesic offers a bit of help ... relieving the pain for a couple of hours before it wears out. I can't take oral analgesic medication as it reacts with my other medication. Doc warned me against it. Hope a miracle will happen today ... the pain is causing me to have headaches.

Transitus of St. Francis

We just finished celebrating the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi. That's the passing away (transitus) which occurred on the night of Oct. 3rd. The solemn celebration took place at our provincial house at St. Saviour church. The relic of St. Francis was taken out for veneration. And our young friars renewed their temporary vows during the ceremony. It was nice. The whole event was live broadcasted on Youtube.

Last night I had to go to the chinese convent for dinner. Actually I forgot all about it and was asleep when the sisters called to say what time I would arrive. Rushed 1km uphill to their convent ... feeling extremely tired and sleepy. I think I must have dozed off when I arrived. The sisters eat very simply: one boiled potato, half a boiled carrot, half a boiled sweet potato, a quarter of a boiled cabbage and a dozen leaves of boiled lettuce. That's for 5 people to eat!!!!!

3rd road block at
Ecce Homo

The roads were closed in East Jerusalem and coming home I found myself blocked out of my home. Within the 40 meters from Austrian Hospice (opposite the 3rd Station of the Cross) to my house there were 5 road blocks ... one every 8 or 9 meters. Utterly unbelievable!!! One in front of Austrian Hospice, then less than 10m at the parking lot behind the Armenian Catholic Church; then again at Ecce Homo convent, then one in front of our garage and another less than 5 meters at the entrance to Herod's Ascent which runs north along our property to Herod's Gate. Security was super duper tight. All because it was the Jewish New Year and the govt didn't want any terrorist attacks. Well much as they try, violence will occur like every year. It always does. It begins when jews enter the Al Aqsa Mosque compound on the Feast of Tabernacles to tear down the Golden Dome Mosque so that the jewish Messiah might come. That always sparks violence. No exceptions this year. been there, done that.

Road block at
Herod's Ascent

News is out that Prince Charles, after the State Funeral of Shimon Peres, went to the Mt. of Olives secretly to visit the tomb of his grandmother, the Princess Royal, Alice of Battenberg (later the family changed it to Mountbatten during the 2nd World War because of the German/Nazi link). She was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and was married to the Russian royal family. She converted to become Russian Orthodox, founded a congregation of russian nuns, saved russian jewish families and when she died, she asked to be buried in Jerusalem in the convent of the nuns she founded. I've been to see it twice. Well Charles and to go secretly because the british royal house has limits regarding visits to Israel.

Anyway my shoulder still hurts a lot. Right now. It's keeping me awake. I think I have a fever as well. I wonder when this will end. Chop my right arm off maybe.

Rosh haShana (Jewish New Year)

Shana Tova to my friends who are celebrating Rosh haShana today ... may your new year be fruitful and abundant in all good things.

The Suq inside Damascus Gate

Unfortunately it will not be all good for palestinians living in the Territories. Israel closed the borders yesterday night and it will remain closed till Tuesday when Rosh haShana ends. A rather drastic measure to take but Israel considers it a security necessity due to the rise of attacks last week. The jewish side of Jerusalem is already mostly closed. The trams still run but only for a while longer. Many shops have not opened ... and the few that do are mainly food stalls trying to sell their food because they will not be kept in the fridge for the next 3 days. East Jerusalem on the other hand is bustling with commerce. The Suq (market) inside Damascus Gate is packed with hawkers and bedouin women selling their fresh produce from the villages. The autumn harvest is in, so lots of fruit as well as herbs that grow well in this cool weather are being sold: mint (naa'na in arabic) and sage (maramia in arabic) ... and I think basil (rihan in arabic) should also be in season.

Wild parakeets
in the park

It was a nice surprise to see a local Singaporean hawker stall awarded with a Michelin Star. Amazing acknowledgment. It brings street food to the fore of an otherwise snobbish and inaccessible (for many of the common folk) world of fine cuisine. Poor folk like me can now dine on Michelin Star cuisine at the road corner.

And talking about feasting ... this morning I saw a flock of Indian ring-necked parakeets feasting on pine nuts at Independence Park. They were quite noisy ... as usual. Made me think of Miss Bird ... she's an albino of the same species. These parakeets are not local fauna but escaped pets. It's amazing how a pet that got free could breed and acclimatize in another country. There are now several flocks of these parakeets ... the one in East Jerusalem where I live number up to 20 birds. The ones I saw in West Jerusalem this morning was a flock about 12 birds. There are also flocks in Tel Aviv and many other parts of the country.

I'm afraid my shoulder is not healing well. The pain continues to be excruciating in the nights. My right foot was also swollen ... I think it was a nerve that was inflamed. The pain was so bad I had to spray 3 times analgesic medication but still could not walk or sleep. What a way to spend Rosh haShana.

Sabbat Shalom

Card from the
Carmelites in
Stanley. Buddy bit
a hole at the bottom

Sincere thanks to the Caveros, the Carmelite nuns of Stanley (Hong Kong) and all others who have passed wishes, prayers, greetings and gifts. Deeply appreciate them all. It's been many years since I last served the carmelites in Stanley. I am grateful they still remember me. Their lovely homemade card, bookmarks and gifts are very special. And they should know that I never forget them either and offer Mass for them every Sunday here in the Holy Land.

Newspapers today are analysing the eulogies delivered at Shimon Peres' funeral yesterday. Everyone praised the presence of the Palestinian president ... and today is suffering the consequence of his courageous choice to attend the funeral : unknown persons shot at his house this morning. But the unexpected presence of this arab leader in the wake, brought forth cordial words from the PM privately and the PM's wife even invited him to attend dinner at their home. All the newspapers also mentioned the sincerity of Obama and Clinton in their confidence and friendship with Peres which they don't have with the present PM. Some newspapers sound almost like an indictment against the PM. One paper even said that the PM now stands alone ... with all his mistakes ... with no one to correct and admonish him like Peres did. The last of the founding fathers of modern Israel ... the last moral authority was dead.   http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Analysis-Conflicting-messages-from-the-Peres-funeral-469202  and http://www.timesofisrael.com/for-peres-a-funeral-as-memorable-as-the-man-himself/

Wisdom

But today life returns to normal. The VIPs have all left. The roads are reopened. People go back into the streets. But within 36 hours everything will close again. The jewish New Year begins on Sunday evening and will last for 3 days. No work is allowed, offices will be closed. In a way it's a boon for the arabs because shoppers will buy their food and other necessities from East Jerusalem. And that's exactly what everyone wants and everyone hopes: by not stirring up trouble and hatred, the "enemies" will quietly cross the line to do their shopping, and both sides benefit. If any one side rails and rants ... the fear and hatred will keep both sides apart: one side will go hungry with no food to buy, the other no money because nothing is sold. That's what Peres' funeral taught us. Too much talk impedes reconciliation. Just let things flow and everything will find its equilibrium. That is shalom.