Tu B'Shvat

A bare winter tree
with 12 crows

Yesterday was Tu B'Shvat ... the jewish feast literally meaning 15th (day) of Shvat (month). It's Arbor Day or the New Year of the Trees. This should signal the beginning of Spring in a week's time. Right now the almond trees begin to blossom, like the cherry blossoms in Japan. Winter is passing in a few days, and sunrise even today is about 5.45am instead of 6.30am. Jews celebrate by eating the 7 species of fruit described in the Book of Deuteronomy: dates, olives, wheat, barley, figs, pomegranates and grapes ... the choice fruits God promised to the Israelites. Today they are baked into bread or cakes.

It's been so busy these few days. You've heard me say that enough ... but yesterday and today was truly unbelievably busy. So may appointments are work ... had to postponed one in order to fit another more important meeting. The postponed meeting was scheduled today at lunchtime so another original one meant for lunch had to be postponed to next week. Then a job in Jaffa had to be postponed possibly 6 hours in order fit another meeting this evening. If I manage to pull this through, I should arrive at midnight in Jaffa. But I think I'll be so exhausted I prefer to go to Jaffa at 5am tomorrow morning and finish that job before rushing back to Jerusalem for class at 4am. It's major time for a nervous breakdown.

For 3 days now ultra-orthodox Jews have been rioting in several cities, and beating up police and soldiers. They were demonstrating against the arrest of one of their boys who refused to report for military service. It sort of mars the happy Tu B'Shvat spirit.   http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Haredi-extremists-riot-for-third-night-in-a-row-31-arrested-481085

Israel has been secretly sending blankets and other aid to syrian refugees. In the end, Israel has a heart ... remembering God's word to Israel in the Book of Deuteronomy "Remember the stranger in your midst ... for once you too were a stranger in Egypt".  http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/news.php?Itemid=25352

lesson from the trees

Cold and drizzling

The weather continues to play tricks on us. This morning it was not only cold and grey ... it even started drizzling. The thermometer says it's 14 degrees but it actually feels like 4 degrees. It's nearing the end of the exams for public schools so lots of students are scattering around the streets, getting out of the drizzle and cold ... They would usually gather in cafes and street corners to group study ... and for some it's last minute cramming.

Tensions continue in and around the Old City as heavy police presence enforce stop-and-search on male and female arabs. I found it very distasteful when I came home from the doctor's this morning, passing by the 3rd Station. There were 3 groups stopping there praying the 3rd Station of the Cross and right in their midst were 2 soldiers searching an arab, who was spared eagle against the wall. It wasn't right, it wasn't nice. They could have moved him to a side street.

Trees in winter

Anyway I've been busy running up and down between the 2 libraries as well as teaching in several places. The anti-slip shoes are great but the cold air and brisk walking causes asthma attacks. I have to usually make a stop in the middle of each journey and rest and spray my inhaler as my breathing gets too laboured and I suffocate.

Well on my way to work this morning I passed by the park between Damascus Gate and New Gate. Do that several times a day. But today I noticed that some trees are completely bare because of winter while others are luscious green and even spouting new branches and leaves. It got me thinking about how we too are like the trees: when faced with a situation we react differently. Some just drop all their leaves and wait for winter to pass before sprouting new life. Others take advantage of  the rain and cold to sprout. Such diversity in reactions in order to survive. Conformity would spell death for many.

Stromata

One of our badly
damaged manuscripts

Exams are still on in our school and our students are studying hard. More than half of our carrels in the library are filled. Something very rare. I've been extra busy as a result in both libraries to make sure all our students - undergraduate and graduate - have everything they need to revise, study and write their theses. Running up and down 1km several times a day between the 2 libraries is tiring me out. Yesterday and today was exhausting.

The British Library team of conservators will finish their job by this week. So will the Milan team preparing for the Spring exhibition. That will take a load off my work. The exhibition of Venice in Jerusalem is still on ... but with poor publicity, no one is coming. Well it was not organised by me or the library team but by the museum ... so I'm not taking responsibility for it. Anyway the British Library team have been a great help in restoring and conserving some of our badly damaged manuscripts ... damaged by time and weather. Once the team leaves, it's up to me to follow up with maintenance. That's time-staking, costly and needs a lot of patience. I doubt I have any of that.

Real bad news last night when the govt voted to legislate the annexation of palestinian land retroactively. That means land occupied by settlers in the past can now be legal. Palestinians whose lands have been occupied now cannot appeal to regain them. In effect Palestine will now be much smaller in size and Israel will be greater. Maps will be redrawn. We are not sure how the arabs will react to this but Israel is taking no chances. Lots of military presence to prevent any demonstrations or violence against this "land grab" as newspapers are calling it.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.770099 

Across the border, the Egyptian govt has made a surprising move by granting one month's paid leave to Coptic civil servants so they can make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem just as muslim civil servants are allowed to go to Mecca.  http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/egypt/1.769803

Half day off

Sunset at Jaffa beach

Another tiring weekend packed with work. Sunday morning I was supposed to celebrate 2 Masses but luckily several profs and students found out and told me not to do the 7am one because they will substitute me. That way I was more free in the morning to celebrate the 9am Armenian Mass at the 3rd Station. Immediately after that, I had to accompany 2 students to our Jaffa house as they have never been there before. I had to bring them around to know our 2 church communities there, watch the liturgies celebrated and introduce them to our apostolates. In a way it was a half day off for me. It was a nice break though it was more of a job. A different job from the daily routine.

Entrance of the
Carmel Market

We also had some time to walk around Carmel Market just on the outskirts of Tel Aviv city. There's lots of interesting things there like food, flowers, souvenirs, clothes ... all much cheaper than Jerusalem. The market is a lot more cosmopolitan, with people from many different countries. In Jerusalem the market there is frequented by ultra-orthodox jews.  It's a lot different from the Jerusalem atmosphere. Here we don't see troops of police and soldiers at every street corner. No one was stopped and searched. There was no tension in the air. People were relaxed. It's a good change from Jerusalem. But it was tiring for me. And I had to wake up at 3am this morning for class.

Back in Jerusalem, the police presence is very heightened. The weather is lovely though ... warmed up during the day with no wind, only sunshine. But the nights still go down to 2 degrees. I still get my asthma attacks ... but now it's when I walk long distances. I get terribly out of breath and the airways begin to spasm. I realized that every 300 meters uphill I have to stop and rest otherwise the spasms will get worse. That goes for climbing stairs as well. Anyway let's see if it'll rain on Thursday as predicted. That might give me the excuse not to go to work and reduce my chances for asthma.

Cold weekend

Cold lonely walk
to the Holy
Sepulchre

The winter continues to bite hard on us. For many in our region, it is one of the most difficult periods where there is either no shelter, food, heat and medication, or it costs too much. For the record, I have never asked for a fund-raising for the Holy Land or for anyone; nor asked anyone to do so.

Strangely while it's 12 degrees outside with the sun shining brightly, it remains very cold in the shade and indoors. For us working indoors, it means wearing stacks of sweaters. Well the forecast for the week is sunny till Thursday when rain is expected again. Nights continue to be 2 degrees while daytime the temp. may rise to 15 degrees.

And in this cold weather I had a very hard day yesterday, beginning at 4am and finishing past 9pm. It was just work right through, with classes and work in the 2 libraries and several meetings in between. And it included running (or hobbling in my case) 2 kms from school to the library in 40 minutes.

Mass inside the
Empty Tomb

Early yesterday morning I had to celebrate Mass in the Empty Tomb for the American Franciscan sisters. It was a very dark and cold walk up to the Holy Sepulchre Church. I walked slowly as I didn't want an asthma attack. The Mass was beautiful because there were only 2 sisters and myself in the Tomb. There was space and silence. And I could take some photos that I would not usually be able to do. Remembered you all during Mass in the Tomb.

Meanwhile there was a massive police presence in the Old City and outside as well. This time in a reversal of roles: to protect arabs from jews. This is because the court ordered and the soldiers enacted the forced evacuation of jewish settlers from occupied private arab land. Pro-settlers are enraged and we expect some revenge attacks by them on arabs and on our churches. It has happened many times before. They call it "price tag" attacks. So the soldiers were here to protect us. Let's hope they do a good job.

Cold day

It was freezing cold last night. Minus 1 or even lower elsewhere in the City. Had my 2 heaters on but wasn't enough so wore my bathrobe and buried myself under 2 blankets. At about 2am I had an asthma attack but it wasn't major. The good thing was it wasn't raining. It was very dry and crispy. That made the morning more bearable.

Anti-slip shoes

Thanks to everyone for their New Year greetings and gifts (clothes, shoes, medicines, lai see, food). I've shared them around with the other chinese religious today. And the shoes are a blessing because they are ice - snow anti-slip. I wore them this morning and could walk confidently without fear of falling ... without crouching and holding on to railings. It makes a big difference when I can walk without fear of falling ... it changes the mood, the whole day's work goes a long way when you have some form of independence and freedom from fear.

The Garbage Strike seems to be over. I noticed the trash along Suleiman Street have been removed. But I've not been to West Jerusalem yet so I don't know the situation there. But let's hope it's over. No one should get sick because of this.

Our hostel for pilgrims "Casa Nova"

Casa Nova's new lobby

had a makeover at the lobby. It looks so much better ... less cluttered and more inviting. But right now it's low season for tourism so it's very empty. If things continue to be calm, we expect a rise in tourist numbers in summer.

The New Year saw a rise in prices of goods and services here. Because of the drought, water has become more expensive as well. And the bitterly cold winter meant that electric bills go up because of heaters being turned on most of the time.  Poor people are now suffering greatly. And it's worse in Syria for the refugee christians. We haven't forgotten them.

Coldest day so far

Sunny but very very cold today

It's possibly the coldest day this winter today ... forecast for minus 1 degree this evening. Even right now at 1pm it's freezing. But the sun is shining brightly. Could easily fool anyone just seeing the sun from indoors that it's warm.

The trash collection strike is into the 4th day. Garbage trucks have parked in front of the PM's residence here in Jerusalem. People affected are getting annoyed, having to climb over piles of  trash getting in and out of the house. And newspapers have now revealed that it's a row between the Jerusalem Mayor and the Finance Minister which, out of spite, have ordered this strike. Every resident, innocent though they may be, is now affected. Kindergartens have now joined in the strike as well.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4915624,00.html

In the camouflage of American chaos, Israel goes ahead to allow building thousands of houses in Palestinian land. Trump is providing a great smoke screen.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.768882

Anyway despite everything, life goes on. I still have to climb 1 km uphill to get to work twice a day and rush downhill twice a day for the other job. Asthma attacks whenever I'm halfway on the road. I work about 16 hours a day. And I was so tired, I slept though Sunday night when Billy of Mian restaurant invited me over for steam-boat (hot pot). Felt real bad ... so went over today to exchange New Year greetings.

Exhibition on Venetian treasures

Meantime am very busy co-organising an exhibition in conjunction with the Italian Synagogue. It's a celebration of Venice's presence in the Holy Land. Some of our ancient manuscripts and books will be displayed, those produced in Venice or produced here by Venetians. Then there is another team here preparing another exhibition for November. Then there is the British Library team digitalizing our other manuscripts. And it's exam time so lots of students are coming in asking for books. And this is just one library. The other one also has its share of students facing exams, and an extra-curricular course with lots of visiting students asking this and that. Also school is starting in the other university faculty where I teach. 4 hours a week. I'm running here and there like a headless cook as australians would say. I am exhausted ... and exhaustion has made me lose my memory.