Mother of all storms

Enormous waves battering Tel Aviv

What a storm! It was worse than the last one! Hail battering the country for 2 days now, heavy snow up in the north. And the winds are so strong they've blown several people off their feet. Trees up rooted. The streets are in a mess. Slight snow has been falling in Jerusalem as well ... those that melt before they land. Air traffic has been halted by the storm.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/storm-wreaks-havoc-on-israeli-streets-knocking-over-trees-1.415554  and the City is bracing for more sleet, hail and hopefully snow  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/as-cold-snap-bites-jerusalem-bracing-for-snow-1.415627

Trees buffeted by hail

I had to go to some unknown place called Kiryat Atidim to get some documentation done. It was about 70 km away but there was no exact address. After walking through the hailstorm, taking the shurut (minibus) and then a taxi ... the taxi driver didn't know the address either so we circled till he finally decided to drop me and asked me to walk and ask around ... in the hailstorm. Finally found the place where I needed to go, got the stuff done. Then walked out in the storm to look for another taxi to being me to the nearest city - Tel Aviv. The taxi driver took me for a ride - drove the longest way possible to get maximum pay from the metre. Was very frustrated but what to do? That's how people are here. All out to make money.

A ray of light amidst the storm

As the storm got worse, I was told to stay back in Tel Aviv but an emergency call got me walking back in the hailstorm to get a taxi, then the shurut back to Jerusalem. The shurut driver would not stop near the Old City so I ahd to wlak 1 km in an even heavier hailstorm back home. Didn't even change, still wet, packed another bag to go answer the emergency. Got back by 10pm again the hailstorm. I was soaking wet, very cold and had several bouts of diarrhea in the course of the day. It was a very tough day.

Let's hope for the next days I'll not get called out. Better to stay warm and dry indoors ... but then emergency calls will always be a button away.

Anti-Christianity rises

There is a frightening rise of violence against Christians by fanatic militant Jews especially in Jerusalem. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/vatican-asks-peres-to-help-find-price-tag-culprits-1.414975  and  Christians are personally targeted http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-christians-are-latest-targets-in-recent-spate-of-price-tag-attacks-1.413848  Christian bashing around the world is escalating ... and all was predicted in the Book of Apocalypse.

Today there is a significant presence of soldiers and police in and out of the Old City. Don't know why ... they control the traffic ... as if looking for someone. The arabs along the street are saying something bad is about to happen.

Despite all the talk of bad news ... yesterday I saw a sign of hope - an ear of wheat, fully developed and waving with the wind, grwoing out from a crack in the wall 15 metres above an abandoned excavation site.  It's this instinctively primeval force to live in spite of all difficulties and odds that characterise the people in this land - be they arabs and jews. Everyone struggles to live ... everyone deserves the chance to survive. So stop bashing Christians!

Leviticus 19:34

The funeral of the Palestinian shot dead during the Mosque riots last Friday was marred by more violence. It took place north of Jerusalem but the City was on high alert nonetheless. Lots of soldiers and police everywhere. http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=259343  More problems expected in the territories in the near future.  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/avi-issacharoff-new-palestinian-protests-indicate-west-bank-unrest-is-due-to-erupt-1.414807  The summer will see some unrest ... but we don't know the scale of it. The next few weeks may give some indication of what's to come.

And the sad saga of deporting children born in Israel of migrant parents continue ... http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/hundreds-gather-in-tel-aviv-to-protest-deportation-of-migrant-workers-families-1.414785  All I can say to the authorities is "If a stranger lives among you in your land, do not harass him. You must count him as one of your countrymen and love him as yourself - for you were once strangers yourselves in Egypt" (Lev. 19:34)

And the nurses' strike is delayed to give negotiations a chance ... meanwhile the 3 major ports are on strike.    http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=259232 

The Lenten rigors have started - Yesterday night at 11.30 pm began the 1st Lenten Vigil in the Holy Sepulchre with the chanting of the Office of Readings, procession around the Tomb and Masses all through the night. Several of our guys this morning were at breakfast with tired faces and red eyes ... yup, Lent has begun. Though fine weather is predicted for today ... the skies are dark and drizzle has begun. I need to go out and get some essentials and medicine ... hope it won't rain to heavily when I go out.

Thanks to Fox, A. Chiu, Sr. Gabriel, the Caveros for all the nice stuff. Appreciated.

More tensions

One Palestinian protester shot by police yesterday in the Mosque riot died this morning. More tensions as a result. Soldiers and police at every street corner as fears of revenge attacks on Jews begin. The loud-speakers of the main Mosque Al Aqsa have been switched off as the noon time call to prayer was significantly silent. Only a couple of smaller mosques around were calling out.  http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=259271  The next few days will not be easy ... whether a truce will be called or an escalation of violence. The last thing we need is a closing of the Old City again.

1st anemone blossom

One bright news is the bulbs that I planted last autumn have sprouted. The first anemone has blossomed. It is a deep red and looks beautiful in the background of green leaves. More buds have appeared in the other pots as well. The nasturtiums are flowering like crazy ... and soon the freesias will flower too. Nice.

The weather is once again bright after an overnight shower. Cool ... about 15 degrees. Let's hope the religious-political tensions will follow suit.

1st of Adar

The expected riots erupted this morning - arab muslim protesters throwing rocks at Israeli security. Already early in the morning, I saw lots of police and soldiers marching into the City. It was tense. Then the violence erupted later towards midday. 26 people injured.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/muslim-worshippers-israeli-police-clash-at-jerusalem-s-temple-mount-1.414627

Well the tension is likely to continue the next few days. Frankly I'm getting tired with all this violence ... I got to get out of this City or I'll go mad. Too bad it had to happen on the first day of the Jewish month of Adar - the month of great joy when Purim is celebrated.

Thanks to Mary por por and Cavero family for their generosity. All other gifts for the poor and donations - see http://holylandassist.blogspot.com

A typical morning at Damascus Gate (before the riot took place) - trucks unloading products from China or the Territories to be sold in the shops inside the Old City. Guys cart them off and earn a little something for the day. It's all hard work. The guy in the picture was overloading his cart ... just a few seconds after this photo was taken, the entire load fell off the cart and he had to repack them. Perhaps that's a lesson in life here in this City ... things fall apart, but you just have to pick up the pieces and start all over again.

Belt up

A cold day with cloudy skies and chilly winds. Tourists are noticeable lesser these days. But after a month when Easter comes round, the groups will be back. In the meantime Purim will be celebrated on March 8th. Already shops everywhere are selling wigs, costumes, sweets and everything fun. At least that'll provide a little warmth in this chilly weather we're having.

The catch

One item of interest today was the catch of a 10-foot blue shark in Akko (Acre). Apparently more sharks are frequenting the shores of Israel because of the heat from seaside electrical plants are drawing in swarms of smaller fish - food for the sharks. Many fisherman along the coast have noticed the presence of sharks ... much more than previous times ... but there're no maneaters among them. Lucky for the swimmers as the summer creeps in. Heard from my community by the sea that today there were already swimmers at the beach. Had a good laugh with them as we recalled the funny scenes last summer by the beach. Well ... it'll be nice when summer comes again.

Haven't eaten in 2 and a half days due to a severe attack of diarrhea. But having to run around the past 3 days for work, I almost fainted this afternoon. Just too weak. Luckily I had some white rice and a piece of fish later in the afternoon. I realised that to have rice cooked in plain water, I either have to do it myself (which is difficult) or I have to go to the Chinese/Japanese restaurant to buy a bowl of it (US$2). So consider how lucky you are! Penance for me this Lent is to eat more - since I'm practically fasting the whole year. I guess I must have lost another couple of inches round the waist because my jeans nearly fell off this afternoon - hahahaha. It was a Castro brand with 28" waist ... so I guess I'm thinner than 28" now. Time to buy a belt - its cheaper than buying another pair of jeans.

Ash Wednesday

Lent begins today ... fasting and abstinence, distribution of ashes. Day of repentance and remorse ... but sadly a day when 2 great journalists were killed in Syria - Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik. The reportage of the recent wars in the last years owe much to their courage in their reportage despite all the dangers. Also killed was civilian reporter Rani Al Saayad whose blogs updated minute by minute violence in the beleaguered city of Homs. What Marie said in her last report rings so true ... her sense of despair and hopeless when she realised the rest of the world is no longer interested in helping the Syrians from a massacre. The hypocrisy of the West - so eager to attack Afghanistan and Iraq, and helping the rebellion in Libya - in not batting an eyelid when Syria is involved ... is it because there is no oil to be gotten there?  The answer is more than that - it's the existence of Israel at stake. Now French and British govts pay lip-service in honouring Marie and Remi ... hollow words echoing from hollow hearts. Hats off to Bashar Assad ... Mubarak, Saddam, Gaddaffi, Ben Ali are all gone, but Assad stands high above these guys ... he remains, he survives and he kills without any fear of consequence because the West is tacitly behind him.

So we begin Lent with Ash Wednesday ... we turn to repentance and remorse for the rapacious greed and self-interest of the West because they no longer have a conscience to repent and be remorseful. As ash is sprinkled over our heads, we think of sprinkling ashes at the West and say "Remember you are dust, and unto dust you will return". The horrors of the Book of Apocalypse unfolds before us ... and the promise that God's wrathful and devastating justice will come ... and all this farce for power and wealth will return to dust.