One week before CNY

Awesome sunset

There was an amazing sunset this evening ... bunched clouds reflecting the red sun ... like grapes hanging in the sky. The weather was warm, about 18 degrees today. Nights are also quiet warm, about 8 degrees. I only had one heater on last night. And I noticed the sun rises early than before ... like about 5.40am. That means Spring is on its way.

It was just as well that the weather was fine because the Orthodox Churches just celebrated the Baptism of Christ a day ago. Traditionally all (Greek, Syrians, Copts, Armenians, Ethiopians) orthodox churches celebrate this feast at the River Jordan. A bishop blesses the river and throws a cross into it, symbolizing the baptism of Christ. People then jump into the water to search for it. The finder of the cross is believed to have good luck all year round. I think that's just superstitious, but I must say it's a miracle in itself that anyone could jump into the cold muddy filthy water and come out alive.  http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Christians-flock-to-Jordan-River-baptism-site-despite-landmines-478901?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=targetings-jp&utm_content=rss_news#0_5_5123_11169_954_86326960

It's one week before the Chinese New Year, and the forecast here is lots of rain. Well I guess that's a blessing for us. The fine warm weather now will turn cold and damp again. Let's hope it won't dampen the festive spirit here ... the few chinese living in Jerusalem. Billy has invited me to his restaurant for New Year hotpot ... but it'll depend on the weather. I'm not walking 2 km uphill in the rain for that.

I have no comments over Trump's becoming the President of the USA ... except that it's the reason why there is a heightened military presence in the City. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israeli-security-forces-predict-uptick-in-tensions-as-Trump-inauguration-looms-near-479072

Tensions have already been heightening before the Trump inauguration, when the Israeli authorities began demolishing bedouin houses to make way for a jewish settlement. Several killed and many injured in the skirmishes. Israeli arabs have now joined the protest as well. Arab shops and businesses have gone on strike to show solidarity.   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4909735,00.html

And then there is this damning editorial regarding the demolition and deaths:   http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.765915

Polish president pays a visit

The Polish president and his entourage are right now in our courtyard, paying a visit to the Custos. Israeli security is everywhere ... they first made a search of the entire building before other polish visitors (mostly nuns and priests as well as the Press) were allowed to come in. Well that doesn't bother me one bit except if they want to block my way from going to other offices to do my job.

My librarians & the E.A. team
working on a manuscript

And there's a lot to do in my job. Right now the "Endangered Archives" team form the British Library are here to digitalise our manuscripts before time takes its toll on the parchments and the  manuscripts are destroyed. It's a painstaking task, page by page photography and we have several hundred codices. The team also advise on how to conserve the manuscripts and try to do minor conservation whenever possible. We lack a lot of tools for proper conservation here in Israel. Buying equipment and accessories for conservation from Europe costs a lot of money.

The Min. of Health has issued a warning this morning that all shops selling coffee (espresso and the like) from machines must stop. That's because it's been discovered that the machines have a very high percentage of lead which is poisonous when drunk. Shops have started removing those machines and looking for alternative means to boil good coffee. But to ask Israelis and arabs to stop drinking coffee ... well it's impossible.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-stop-buying-coffee-lead-traces-found-in-machines/

This morning while walking to work, several policemen were accompanying a handcuffed arab to the police station. There's been a significant rise in police presence and stop-searches these few days. Not sure why though. But it's making the City tense and people unhappy. I'll keep out of the way.

News from Aleppo

Inside a chapel

We're just receiving images of the destruction caused by ISIS and other extremists in Aleppo ... churches and sacred images destroyed and burned. A group of our franciscan friars have gone there to survey the situation and reported the suffering in that city ... and not just in Aleppo but now also in Damascus. Rebels have cut off electricity and water in most parts of the city and poisoned the wells and springs so no natural water is available for drinking. Luckily it's snowing so the people can melt the snow for drinking. The situation is bad. Don't forget to pray for them and do your part in helping your fellow christians.

There's no snow in our part of the country ... and it was warm today ... about 15 degrees during the day. It will get warmer tomorrow ... forecast is 17 degrees. Nights are around 8 degrees. That's good. I can live with that. I've had only one minor asthma attack so far. But the shoulder continues to bother me.

Friars in the chapel

Military presence in the Old City has been stepped up after an arab youth was killed in one of the southern villages during a police raid. There was another attempted stabbing near the town of Tulkarm at the checkpoint today. Helicopters were flying really low this morning over the Old City. Let's hope all this violence would stop. It is doing no one any good.

Tourist groups have ground to almost a halt. That's usual in January, the low season of every year. Usually February is also low season due to the cold, rain and snow. But in recent years February is becoming crowded and many hotels and hospices reopen to receive guests. Groups are usually from Asia especially China ... people enjoying the Lunar New Year holidays. Let's hope lots of groups come this year. It'll help boost up the economy.

Israeli durians

Damascus Gate market back to
normal routine

Sunday passed so quickly I still am trying to get to terms with it. I planned to clean my room, keep the christmas decorations and do some reading. But none of it was realised. I was just rushing from one place to another at work. As I said in a previous blog, the Endangered Archives team from Europe is here to digitalise our very ancient and poorly conserved manuscripts ... some going back to the Medieval Ages. Most are huge and heavy antiphonaries and psalters used in the Holy Sepulchre or Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; most have heavy wooden boards as covers, lined and studded with bronze. Two full grown men are required to carry one book. My injured right shoulder doesn't help.

The weather has gone very sunny again today. No dark clouds and overcast skies ... but still very cold. The fine weather has brought the hawkers back to Damascus Gate and the bustle of the Suq (market) brings back some life to an other quiet subdued weekend.

There was a piece of news in today's newspapers that ... well, I'm not sure to laugh or be shocked. A blunder at the police station ended with an issuance to a dead person that she can appeal against her cause of death, as investigations end. http://www.timesofisrael.com/cops-tell-dead-woman-she-can-appeal-cause-of-death/

Israeli durians?

And yesterday as I was out at the Filipino asian grocery, guess what I found in the freezer for sale? Durians!!! 3 pieces of frozen, de-seeded durians in each pack. And the package had hebrew ... hence I think Israel is now growing durians, as I heard about this several years back. Israel is already producing starfruit, soursops, lychees and mangos ... and the the local consumer is getting used to these exotic fruit. Now I'm really looking forward to rambutans and longans.

Well the rest of the week is going to be busy ... as far as I can see. The students are having their exams and the libraries are full of them studying and researching. Looks like I won't get a break these few weeks.

About chasubles

Beautiful chasuble
in silk and gold

Saturday ... this morning was so different from yesterday. It started very sunny and crisp ... but after lunch the skies darkened, drizzle started again and it looks as if temperatures will drop. It's been 8 degrees the past few hours. And getting colder. I've had another early morning: 6am at work moving manuscripts, 7.15am Mass inside the Empty Tomb of Christ for the migrant community of Jaffa then immediately after, a bible class with the same group. When they left, it was again moving manuscripts, then rushing to the other library to work till lunch time. Total exhaustion.

While at the Holy Sepulchre sacristy, the sacristan was laying out an exquisite baroque chasuble. It was hand-embroidered in gold-thread. Made in Spain. A spanish cardinal was coming to preside Mass and the sacristan prepared this for him to vest. There're not many people who know how to hand-embroider liturgical vestments anymore ... let alone in gold.

Little girl trying on new
shoes. Note the string hold-
ing up her sock.

Got some good news from Damascus. Sr. Munira who works in the St. Vincent de Paul hospital there called to thank for the kind donation that helped the sisters buy medicine, food and clothing for the refugee syrians at their hospital grounds. The children were given winter clothes and shoes to stay warm in this bitter cold. Sr. Munira sent photos as well. Meantime a local newspaper ran an article about israeli youths who took the initiative to collect used clothes from the neighbourhood to be donated to the syrian refugees. It was one of the largest national actions ... and it says a lot especially when syrians are not considered the best of friends of the Israelis.   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4907188,00.html

Weekend begins

Damascus Gate all wet with drizzle

It suddenly started to drizzle from midnight to early morning. Without traffic pollution at that hour, the smell of drizzle falling on the cold grass and stone pavements is something most of us have rarely experienced in this drought ridden land.

I had another very early morning work schedule. 5am I had to go up to the other library to prepare some 20 manuscripts (some are over a meter in height and weights a good 30 kg) for the team from the British Library to digitalise. They start work early at 7.30am but I must get the manuscripts out before that, otherwise I won't be able to make it back to the university library at 7.30am to open it to the students. It's up and down hill on the very slippery slopes of the City.

One piece of good news yesterday. Some Old Boys from my Secondary School have managed to save the Cross that was dismantled from the entrance and handed it over to the school administration at its new premise. It's a nice thought. Thousands of us boys have passed beneath the Cross to get to and out of school. It means a lot to us, even for the non-christian students.

Billy's pear soup

Yesterday Billy and his wife boiled some nice chinese soup for me to keep warm. There were pears, chinese figs, carrots, snow fungus ... lots of other stuff. It felt good drinking it in this cold wet weather. Billy and his wife run the cantonese noodle shop "Mian" opposite the Chinese Sisters' convent in the Mamilla neighborhood. The pears however were local ones, not the chinese sand pears which would have made the soup a lot more home-like. But no complaints. It's already a blessing to have soup made like that; and people who care enough to share their food.

It's Friday and military presence is again high in the streets. Trump's insistence on shifting the American embassy to Jerusalem is causing a lot of tension here. But being so dramatic and unpredictable, he might just change his mind at the last minute.

Built over memories

Syntagma Square in Athens with
ceremonial guards

The cold continues to bite us ... 2 degrees in the nights and just around 8 degrees during the day. The cold snap has overtaken Europe with Greece and Turkey snowed under. It's amazing the photos coming in of snow in the beaches of the Greek islands ... snow and sea pushing each other at the shoreline. Incredible.

Anyway it's strange that the snow never got further than Turkey. In our part - the eastern Levant - there is no rain, only cold winds. We hope this will pass soon. What we really need is the rain. The drought looms over us this summer and water prices and taxes are rising.

Been receiving news and photos of the demolition of my Alma Mater - St. Gabriel's Secondary School. Sad. The cross over the main gateway was removed yesterday. Many Old Boys were there to photograph and video it. Later in the week the gateway itself will be knocked down, and then the entire school. It has to make way for a highway. Development takes precedence. I remember a Charlie Brown cartoon where Snoopy returns to his birthplace "The Daisy Mill puppy farm" only to find a shopping mall and carpark built in its place. Snoopy shouts "You've built over my memories".

Full moon over St.
Louis hospital at
3am

Right now I've been in the cold, outside New Gate, waiting for a group of Polish professors. They took a night flight but because of the heavy snow their flight was delayed. They could arrive anytime between 4am to 6am ... I think. Anyway I've been in the street since 3am. They're boarding at our hostel "Maria Bambina" but because of the early hours, no one (the nuns in charge) will wake up to open the door for them. The nuns gave me the keys and I have to bring the group in. Poor me. It's cold out here in the street ... but the full moon is amazing. In the silent streets, the moon dominates your attention while no one, not a sound is heard.

There's an interesting report that in 15 years, China will have the world's largest number of christians. Wow. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10776023/China-on-course-to-become-worlds-most-Christian-nation-within-15-years.html