Kubbeh

It's Thursday. Tensions are rising. In Hebron an arab youth sneaked into a jewish settlement and killed a 13 yr old girl and another man. Later in Netanya (where I have to celebrate Mass occasionally) another arab sneaked into the City and stabbed 2 people, injuring them. And all this in the light of the riots of the past 2 days.

And of course we're still reeling form the Istanbul bombing. What is upsetting me is when Paris and Brussels were bombed, there were immediate "Je Suis Paris/Bruzelles" tweets and FB uploads within seconds. NOT A SINGLE "JE SUIS ISTANBUL" yet ......... now you tell me why.

Kubbeh, labaneh and rice

Tomorrow is the last Friday of Ramadan. It's also the muslim feast of Laylat el Kader ... the night when heaven opens and God forgives the sins of muslims and hears all their prayers. It's like a muslim version of Yom Kippur. Tens of thousands are expected to flood into the Al Aqsa Mosque and spend the entire night praying. That means - like every year - that we'll get very little sleep. I dread that.

I've been busy doing lots of translation work ... and still have some 30 pages to complete by tomorrow. Also professors from Italy are here helping my libraries in research and organization so I have to be around to answer their questions and give permissions for this and that. Last night I brought them out for dinner to thank them for their time and effort. There was something new on the menu in Legacy: Kubbeh and labaneh (yoghurt). It was very nice! Kubbeh is deep fried minced lamb with grounded corn shaped into curry-puffs (last night they did it like a fig). I liked it. In fact "kubbeh" is an arab corruption of the italian "cupola" meaning "dome".

Healthwise my asthma is under control ... for the moment. Maybe at Laylat el Kader I should pray for good health ... that these asthma attacks stop crippling my life. Maybe it'll work.

Chinatown in Ben Yehudi Mall

HaHistadrut Street becomes Chinatown

A lovely breeze is blowing today which helps make the heat endurable. Evenings are also quite pleasant ... unless if you're living in the Muslim Quarter ... because the noise of Ramadan feasting goes on till 4am. And it gets pretty rowdy in my area. So far this week no fights or scuffles among the gangs or families.

The past 2 days of rioting in the Al Aqsa Mosque has led the police today to bar all non-muslim visitors into the compound till the end of Ramadan. Smart decision. They should have done that earlier. Anyway despite the closure, muslim youths threw stones down at the Wailing Wall, injuring one jewish worshipper.

A dragon!

Further up north in the Lebanese-Syrian border, a christian village was attacked by a suicide bomber. The catholics were in church for a funeral of victims of a previous suicide bombing. This is dreadful. The persecution continues ... and in some places is getting worse. In Palestinian towns, there is a stoppage of water supply because Israel turned off the taps. That's what they claim. Israel says it's because these towns do not have the upgraded facilities to channel the water from Israel. Whatever it is, plants, animals and soon people will be dying of thirst.

Yet nothing is stopping the summer celebration here in Israel. Each lateral street in Ben Yehudi Mall is decked in a different theme. HaHistadrut street is now a little Chinatown. Not just rows of chinese lanterns but one long dragon as well. I wonder what the ultra-orthodox jews think about that ..... idolatry of the 1st degree. Lets see if they'll burn it down.

Colourful summer

Summer shade
at Ben Yehuda
pedestrian Mall

So the big news is the SIA plane and the emergency landing and the fire on its engines. Rather than focus on the fire .... newspapers should be focussing on the fact that NO ONE died, all passengers and crew were saved. That is the fact.

For a second day there were riots in the Al Aqsa Compound in the morning. The Israeli police had allowed jewish visitors into the compound, igniting religious sensitivities from the numerous muslims there fasting on Ramadan. This Friday will be the last Friday of Ramadan and things will get explosive if the police do not make some decisions .... which will be unpopular.

The weather is still hot ... though there is a cool breeze blowing once in a while. I am still feeling too weak and the thought of walking up 1km in the heat to work simply gets the worse of me. I had a sleep marathon yesterday as I did not want to go out in the heat. Slept through 15 hours. My tired body and mind just switched off.

Agapanthus and Canna lilies in bloom

Today I'm feeling better but my stomach is still not good. Instant diarrhea with anything I eat. I mean anything. So I've been starving / fasting to avoid complications when I'm working. Perhaps that's why I feel weak.

Well there're another 3 months of summer to go ... I hope to pull through.

Another weekend

6am trickle of
muslim pilgrims

Some 30,000 muslims entered the Old City on Friday. Israel had lifted the ban on Palestinians from entering Israel ... taking a big risk at security. In fact Israel had gone quite far to accommodate the palestinians, removing barriers around Damascus Gate and hiring local arab youths to direct traffic inside the Old City.

On Thursday night and Friday early morning, the streets around our house were packed with muslim pilgrims. But after the sunrise prayer (4.30am), everything turned quiet. The streets were empty, families went to sleep (best way to keep the fast). But 6am muslim pilgrims from the Territories began to enter the Olc City, starting with a trickle but by 8am into waves of thousands. Before noon, 30,000 had passed through our streets. There was no way we could get out of our house ... so I didn't go to work.

Chapel of the Convent of D'Ivrea

Which was just as well because I have been extremely sick. A severe allergic reaction to something the docs could not identify. But I recognised the symptoms: it was definitely a food or chemical allergy. Finally I narrowed it down to the yoghurt I ate on Monday and Tuesday at the Convent of D'Ivrea where I had to celebrate Mass last week. The sisters provide a good breakfast after Mass but the yoghurt contains a preservative that I am allergic to. Had been very sick as a result. Now that I have stopped eating it ... 4 days later, I'm feeling a little better.

The heatwave is still hitting us. And plus the great  crowds in the streets, I try not to go out if possible except that I still need to go to work. Must try to work out a route that is in the shade and a time when the streets are quiet in order to get to work.

The Cross will triumph

Why doesn't the West care about the plight of christians in the Middle East? A good question ... a fair question ... but who bothers to answer? Jewish newspaper Ha-aretz poses this question which you should read.  http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/books/.premium-1.724983

Christianity in the Middle East is on the brink of extinction. But does anyone care? Does any christian outside the Middle East care?  http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/11/05/christianity-could-be-completely-erased-from-middle-east-in-less-than-decade.html

Let the Middle Eastern christians tell you themselves.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zXRYkLtU-M

That's a sad fact ... christianity is being attacked in its very cradle - the Holy Land.

Colorful summer fruit from
our kitchen

But in faith we know that the Cross will triumph. Islam has every reason to fear the Cross ... because the Cross is the triumph of Love and Mercy and Compassion, unlike Islam. And as another christian is killed by the Islamists, another crack in Islam is made. That's how we see it; those of us who live here. We have no other alternative worldview that can either explain our tragedy or give us strength to continue.

Unlike the beautiful colors of different fruit in season now in the Middle East, religion ... the predominant religion here in the Middle East fears diversity, sees differences as a threat and enforces conformity as a means of control.

Still very sick

Beggar at Damascus
Gate

Today is worse. The strange thing is the asthma just disappeared this morning. But I've been feeling very faint, dizzy, disoriented, cold sweat, and very fatigued. I thought a heart attack was on the way. And it's always when I'm like this sick that people begin to make demands ... insisting on instant replies and decisions. I refused to go to work today. Just can't do it. Doc says its exhaustion and dehydration and recovery from the massive allergic attack ... my body just can't handle it anymore.

Monday was the Greek Orthodox feast of Pentecost. But their celebration at the Last Supper Room was disrupted by orthodox Jews who demonstrated and became quite violent. Police had to come in to protect the Greeks. The jews hold the lower room to be the Tomb of King David ... which is absolute nonsense historically and archaeologically. They accuse christian worship in the upper room as idolatry and rendering David's Tomb impure.

More beggars

Today Israel's Parliament (Knesset) approved a bill to make Aliyah Day a national holiday. Aliyah literally means "going up" as found in the psalms "Let us go up to Jerusalem". Today it means migrating to Israel ... obviously by diaspora jews.

So while jewish immigrants continue to flock into the country, arabs get kicked out of their houses to make way for houses for these jewish immigrants. Right now in Ramadan, the streets and City Gates are filled with beggars.

Other news: 5 people drowned in various beaches this week ... the heatwave has pushed people to cool off in the beaches but unusual currents are killing off swimmers. Also the Israeli military shot dead a 15 yr old arab mistaking him for a stone-thrower. I think this will cause some rioting on Friday. And in the midst of this heatwave, Israel has cut off water supply to the Palestinian Territories. The arabs in there are now short of water in this dreadful heat.

And more beggars

In Syria the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch escaped with his live as a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of a church where the Patriarch was. And orthodox christians coming to Jerusalem for Pentecost have been profiled and some roughly treated at the airport ... unbelievable. Through the 2 Intifadas, there have never been a christian terrorist!!!! What is the military and security thinking???

Anyway the heatwave is getting on me. There is an electricity cut right now ... not sure if it's only our house or the entire neighbourhood. But that means no fans are working.

Very sick

I never felt so sick as I was yesterday. The asthma had become uncontrollable ... but I am sure something else is to blame ... because the bronchial spasms are not usual and are those of a strong medical allergic reaction I once had 6 years ago when I was prescribed a medicine that went all wrong. It caused spasms in my bronchus so I could not breathe ... I was practically choking. Blacked out twice as a result of the choking yesterday. Was at the doctor's who gave me an injection immediately ... but it did not help much.

Hahahahaha

Today I did not go to work as I still felt very sick with constant gasping for air. Managed to sleep almost 6 hours yesterday and today ... which was good. Am still feeling very weak and disoriented. Maybe I should try a Grandma's Cocktail ... saw this sign on a fresh juice shop in the New City last week. Seems to have a cure for most ailments ...now I wonder if there's one for asthma and bronchial spasms. Couldn't resist taking a photo of it. By the way, these cocktails are very expensive. A small cup costs up to US$10 and the large is almost US$50. Unbelievable? Well everything in Israel is expensive. It's almost impossible to live normally here ... you just need to count every agorot (= cent) before you buy anything. My usual process is to ask myself before I buy anything "Do I really need it? Will it make any difference if I didn't get it?" Then I walk away ... saving another few shekels for another day.

Road to Herod's
Gate strewn with
debris after
the riot

Ramadan is not as tense in the daytime as it is in the night. Last night another riot took place behind and in front of our house. Arab youths in our neighbourhood fought running battles with police and soldiers. This morning I had to go to the Convent of D'Ivrea for Mass .... one of our rotating duties. It's almost 1 km away in East Jerusalem and we need to pass through Herod's Gate to get there. That means going through the Old City's toughest neighbourhood. The street leading to Herod's gate was filled with stones, broken glass, broken bits of furniture.

As I almost reached Herod's Gate, police came out from an alley with a youth in handcuffs. They were followed by more police in riot gear. This is usually the modus operandi ... police watch the videos of the riot and make arrests within hours. There are some 260 cameras in the Old City streets. The moment you enter the Old City your movements are being monitored. You just can't get away.