Feels like summer holiday

Full moon again

The weather has become much more bearable today. The night was cold and the morning was cloudy and windy. In fact I thought it might rain ... the clouds were really red in the night and grey in the morning. And the moon was full as well. It was a pleasant night.

And this morning all the Festival of Lights exhibits were gone. They cleared up really quickly. I was very surprised. Good to see some efficiency in this country. In place of the Festival of Lights, the full moon provides a great display.

News rocking the archaeological world is news that Chinese archeologists have discovered tombs of giants 5000 years ago in Shandong province. Really huge people ... like 1.9 meters. Could it be fake news?  https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.co.il/2017/07/archaeologists-recover-remains-of-5000.html

Meantime in the jewish world, another battle is being fought ... this time in the schools. Secular schools are now being targeted by jewish zionist missionaries, supported by the Education Minister. Parents vow to fight back.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.800076

And very worrying news about these zionists religious jews: news about a summer camp in the Samaria region where 10 yr old boys are taught to fire guns. It's teaching violence. If this were done by arabs, there would be an outcry of training terrorists. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4986185,00.html

The arab tea seller
at Damascus Gate

I'm seriously thinking of closing the libraries in August so I can really rest. No work. Absolutely. Everyone else is home for summer vacation but I've not had a vacation in 14 years. Those who are still here are encouraging me to do it. So I just might. I've had this summer vacation feeling today when I saw the arab tea seller at Damascus Gate. He's a regular sight in summer .... like the first summer I came back in 1992. There was the 1st Intifada, racial and religious tensions, bombings and riots ... but summer was still summer ... holiday period and we tried whatever we could under those difficult situations to enjoy our 2 month break. It was a matter of survival. And the tea seller was always at Damascus Gate, in his colourful Ottoman costume and enormous tea flagon. It was a jolly sight and made people feel happy despite the war.

Temperatures drop

Scorching sun by 9am

What a drastic change in temperature. While it was pleasantly cool in the morning, the late morning and afternoon were extremely hot like the past few days. Then by 8pm temperatures dropped and a cold strong wind whipped up ... and many people were caught unprepared. The crowd visiting the last night of the Festival of Lights felt the cold and many were hurrying to get home or sheltering in restaurants and shops. Needless to say these shops were making a brisk profit.

News is breaking that the Greek Orthodox Church is again selling off property for financial gains in secret deals. Some 1500 jewish residents are furious because their lease is ending and their homes built on Greek Orthodox property were sold to private investors. Security fears include who these private investors are ... overseas arabs? terrorists? The Greek Church is the largest private land owner in Israel ... having held massive chunks of land since the Byzantine era.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/1500-jerusalem-homeowners-up-in-arms-over-secret-sale-of-leases-to-church/

Indian premier Modi is visiting Israel and all the news is positive. Israel and India's alliance is seen as a balance against America ... India being a staunch supporter of Israel. China is of course the larger business partner but Israel is never sure about China's fidelity which is linked to business.

Tomorrow the weekend begins and I certainly hope I can rest. Am exhausted with so much endless work.

Reflections in the heat

Women carrying
their wares into
the Old City

This morning was a lot cooler than the past few days. It was cloudy and the breeze was constant. But by noon the heat was back ... in the mid 30s. As I was panting and heaving climbing up the stairs of Damascus Gate to get to work (I had a couple of meetings earlier in the morning at my other work place), I noticed the many men and boys pushing their carts heavy with goods. They help transport goods in and out of the Old City as it is not accessible to cars. Under this dreadful heat, and pushing 80 kg carts stacked with food or goods, they must really be having a difficult time. Yet they earn only 50 shekels each trip. And you don't hear them complain. It's something they must do to earn a living. Life is not easy for many. I am particularly touched by a young blind arab man who sits, literally crouches, at Damascus Gate selling toothbrushes. He never calls out to sell his wares. He just holds a box up with one hand while crowds walk pass him. He eats nothing nor goes to the toilet, just sitting there for 5 or 6 hours a day. I would really like to help him but because of so many arabs milling around him, I'm afraid they may rob him when I walk away. Once he was robbed and had no money to take the bus home. He was crying in the street. I felt so bad not being able to help him because people will only rob him again if they know I gave him money. And the worse is those thieves are his brother muslims. Shame.

The jewish man suspected of burning the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish was found guilty by the Court but his accomplice was released without charge. This after 2 years that it was perpetrated. Now we'll have to see if that guy will actually serve jail term. You can be sure his rabbi is gathering support for his release and appeal.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.799246

Still on Court cases, the High Court has ruled against the demolition of 3 jewish murderers' homes after finding them guilty of beating and burning alive a 16 yr old arab. When an arab commits an act of terrorism, their houses are immediately demolished and the whole family is forced to move out without compensation. But in this case the perpetrators are jewish. Arabs and leftwing jews are crying that there are double standards in the law.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.799450

Tomorrow night the Festival of Lights ends, but many other concerts will be taking place throughout the City. Summer is never dull here. The fear of course is that all these events help to distract people from seeing and thinking and acting for justice and charity.

Heatwave still

Sunrise heatwave

And the heatwave continues to beat down on us. Believe me, just walking in the street is like a death sentence ... the sun is so hot you feel roasted under it .... but worse still the heat emanating from the ground is just as overpowering. The waves of heat hit your nose and suffocates you, your feet burn with each step you take. Words like "wither" "shrivel" "roast" batter your mind when you walk out in the sun. Umbrellas can't save you. Indoors is the solution ... but not in the evenings and nights when the stones which all houses are built with, release the heat stored during the day. Houses become ovens. That's why you see people splashing water on the ground and roofs during the day in an effort to cool the stones. It works ... to an extent. However with the drought that we're experiencing, splashing water is expensive business. We've been told that this heatwave is blowing from Spain and Portugal what ignited those devastating fires. But tomorrow cool winds and rain is predicted for Europe, so we'll enjoy cooler weather when this wind blows our way.

The italian team of volunteers have started its work, which is good for me, because it frees me to concentrate on other pressing matters. We're having a week of serious meetings ... and though it doesn't involve me, I was asked to present a report and was asked to come back again to present some proposals. So I've been very busy.

Trees chopped and earth dug to
prepare for the security tower

The Light Festival will end in 2 days' time and the crowds are still coming in large numbers. Many shops along the roads are making brisk business ... especially drinks and pizzas. The arabs try to set up their trolleys along the road to sell their Kaik bread which is a very elongated type of doughnut bread covered in sesame.Most jews know nothing of arab cuisine and are willing to give it a try.

Well all this revelry in the heatwave will soon pass and work to build the security watch tower at Damascus Gate will start. Actually it has already started ... trees behind the temporary police blocks have all been chopped down. This morning the earth has been dug up to prepare for the foundation of the tower. It would look ghastly.

Continuing heatwave

Dominican nuns watching the
fire show

Last night continued to be very hot ... at 10pm it was still 30 degrees. No wonder everyone was out taking a walk to cool down with the occasional breeze ... and enjoying the Festival of Lights. It had to be Sunday because all the nuns were out of their convents ... the sisters of Notre Dame de Sion, the FMMs, the Dominican nuns ... all out to see the Lights and profit from the breeze. It'll be the same for tonight ... 30 degrees and even now at 8pm crowds are already slowly strolling through the streets trying to catch a breeze. It's Monday so no nuns around. Hahahahahaha

Giant radio at Ben Yehuda Mall

I felt better after an all afternoon rest yesterday. I didn't even read like I originally planned. Just slept through the fever and drank lots of water as I was quite dehydrated. The joint pains are gone now. Hope I'll get well soon despite the work schedule ... there's no summer holiday for that. That meant opening the university library the going to the Post Office then coming back home, cooked some noodles for a student who's studying so hard he has no time to eat, and running off to the other library to meet a new group of volunteers and scheduling their work, then to the Greek Consulate to help with some visa applications then rushing back for a very important meeting of our head friars before going home at 4pm to close the university library. Dozed off for half an hour and then back again to the other library for more work. Passed by Billy's restaurant and picked up some chinese herbal soup. His wife Linda told me to go home and rest as I looked pale and tired still.

Like I predicted, so it came true. One of Israel's biggest jewish american financier is pulling out his funds from Israel after the PM sided with the ultra-orthodox jewish domination over conversion validity and praying at the Wailing Wall.   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4983617,00.html

And in an macabre twist, an army officer staged his own suicide to look like a terrorist attack. Unbelievable how they hate the arabs so much they would even do it in death.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4983866,00.html

Well the madness that this heat is bringing to everyone doesn't dampen the summer holiday spirit here but rather enhances it. At Ben Yehuda Mall, there's a giant radio that actually works. You can change the frequencies and volume ... with 2 hands as it's enormous.

Feeling better today

Umbrellas are up at
Nachalat Shivat

My fever lowered somewhat yesterday evening and the pain in the joints much reduced. I felt better and decided to go take a walk in East Jerusalem ... it's same level as my area so no hills to climb. There was a nice breeze and it definitely felt cooler than indoors. However at 30 degrees or so ... it's still quite stifling. Since I hadn't eaten in 24 hours, I went to get some AFC (Arab Fried Chicken) to fill my empty stomach. Then instead of going home through Herod's Gate, I walked on to Damascus Gate. It was a good change since I was quarantined in my room for 36 hours. Now I'm no danger to anyone. In fact this morning I celebrated the Sunday liturgy at the Armenian Catholic Basilica (3rd Station of the Cross). I was a bit exhausted and hoarse but I managed it without falling too ill. But everyone I met told me I looked ill and should stay indoors away from the heatwave.

The 3 PDDM
sisters at the 3rd
Station Basilica

The implosion in Judaism continues to dominate local news. Everyone is resigned to the fact that the country is now ruled by a minority ultra-orthodox community while the rest of reformed, conservative and other jewish expressions are too fragmented and leaderless to form a decent opposition. They will soon lose their rights as a result ... whether it be praying at the Wailing Wall, or opening shops or getting public transport on the Sabbath and so on. On the other hand, a newspaper analysis also studied the power vacuum in the ultra-orthodox world after several of their revered and knowledgeable rabbis (in their 90s and 100s) died last year. This has led to a power struggle. Meantime the fragmented leftwing and non-ultra-orthodox have managed to round up a thousand or so people to demonstrate against the PM's support for the ultra-orthodox domination over the conversion and Wall issues.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4983401,00.html

The funny thing I read yesterday was a criticism of the ultra-orthodox school  textbooks that teach hatred and racism against other jews ... but the author (presumably an observant jew whom those textbooks attacked) of that article has not acknowledged that his/her own non-ultra-orthodox school textbooks also include hatred and racism against non-jews and arabs and christians. A classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4983358,00.html

It might appear that the conflict with the arabs has taken a backseat ... and the day before some 300 jews and arabs and tourists joined in a 5 km jog around the troubled areas south of Jerusalem to show that co-existence is possible.   http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.798844

But due to the rise of the right and ultra-orthodoxy, there is a silent rise of violence against arabs. And the police are doing nothing about it ... or that's what the newspaper says.   http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/1.798869    and the kick comes in ... the AG authorised the legalisation of Jewish houses in private arab lands/houses ... http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.798816 

Still very sick

Hurva Synagogue
lighted up

My fever is still high today though my joints are less painful. Had to drink lots of water as I was constantly parched all night. It's strange to catch the flu at this time of the year. Someone remarked that the Ramadan Haj is over and lots of muslims have come back from Mecca, thus bringing back all kinds of flu from all round the world. I guess that could be true ... the camel flu was brought to Israel this way ... by muslim pilgrims to Mecca. Anyway everyone is avoiding me ... and I was told to quarantine myself in my room. It's not like there's anywhere else for me to go ... and it's so very hot. My new superior told me to stay indoors as he just cam home from St. Saviour's monastery and said it's unbearably hot ... too hot for me to go out. So I'll stay in my room today, drinking orange juice that I asked the kitchen to provide ... and cleaning up my room. There's this morbid obsession by religious that death can come anytime and we should not leave a messy room for others to clean when we're dead.

Lighted seesaws at New Gate

The internal jewish war over valid conversions and who can pray at the Wailing Wall continues to perturb not just the country but much more so in America, where Judaism is more pluralistic. The danger that the ultra-orthodox minority in Israel is courting by imposing it's expression of Judaism on the rest of the jewish world, would lead to a split with American jewry and ultimately it's financial support. Believe me, this is Israel's biggest problem ... bigger than any war with Lebanon or Gaza. A war with the muslim world unites the jews. But an internal war among jews will bring about its own downfall. We have seen it all at the 2nd Temple period of AD 70 when Jerusalem and Temple were destroyed, but because of the ferocity of the Roman army but by the baseless hatred of jew against jew, dividing the country and weakening it. Haven't they learnt this lesson today?

These heavy matters weary the mind. I'm too sick right now to consider these things. Better to go to sleep and wait for the fever to pass.