All Saints Day

Tourists visiting in the night

It's All Saints Day today. We had early Mass at 6.30am as usual but it was mostly sung. It's a holiday for us so I was looking forward to a quiet day perhaps in our place in Jaffa. But of course things never ever work out the way I want it. I had to clean out the garden ... but with my sprained back I can't do much alone. Luckily 2 1st year students came to help me. That was great as I cannot lift the heavy pots by myself. By 12.30pm we stopped work and I prepared for lunch ... except that I have class at 1.30pm so I only had 10 minutes to eat whatever was served as appetisers, and no chance to eat the main course or cake ... or be with my community for that matter. I may not be a saint but I am sure a martyr.

Amazing sunset
colours at Via
Dolorosa

The weather is again hot in the afternoon but people are still wearing hoodies and sweaters because the wind is still chilly. There's been a sudden surge of tourism ... our streets are packed with foreigners. For one thing, it's cheaper to come now because the Jewish feasts are over and this is usually the low season. And I've also noticed that there're more groups coming in the night ... a little stupid because all the places are closed but they still come and take pictures of the outside. For one thing they avoid the dreadful local merchants pandering their souvenirs and thieves trying their luck.

A Jewish leader responsible for liaison with jews living outside Israel wanted the govt. that the rift between Diaspora jews and Israeli jews will deepen and tensions worsen if the ultra-orthodox are allowed to command all facets of jewish life. Implosion.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/sharansky-warns-of-new-flare-up-in-israel-diaspora-crisis/

And this internal divide is highlighted today when jews of African origin / "Black Hebrews" are discovered to be less than equal with Israeli jews as they status is not established. The past decade has already seen complaints of racism against ethiopic jews ... and all this is not going to help ease the implosion.  https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.819926

All Hallowed's Eve

Storm clouds in
the morning

Yes it's Halloween again ... meaning nothing here in the Holy Land. It's a thoroughly American thing and local christians here have no interest in dressing up as ghosts and ghouls. It'll only become an excuse for muslims and jews to accuse christians of devil worship. And God knows we've had our fair share of persecution ... we don't need to import foreign excuses for jews and muslims to persecute us further.

The weather is much cooler ... as predicted. And since we switched back to solar time from daylight saving last Sunday, our sunsets are a lot earlier. By 4.30pm it already gets dark and cold. Winter is upon us. I dislike the cold and winter is definitely not my favourite season. And summer flew past so quickly I don't even have time to regret no enjoying it. The sun and summer weather is almost gone and I have yet to spend a good 24 hours in Jaffa to relax. Life is not fair.

Sunshine in the afternoon

For 2 nights now I've had excruciating pain on my right back. I must have hurt it while moving dozens of enormous flower pots on Saturday. Enormous means enormous ... ancient pottery from Italy so big an adult can easily get inside it. I think I might have torn a muscle. It's so pain it makes me vomit and I get dizzy and I have no appetite to eat. I could not sleep and every movement sends sharp pain all through my right back and my right arm becomes numb. Last night I got Alberto our indonesian student to apply Tokuhon plaster on my back and the pain has reduced about 20%. Tonight I must try Tiger Balm plaster. Why must all bad thing happen to me?

There is this strange and worrisome news that Israel is going to demolish buildings inside the Wall separating Palestine from Israel. Now this means Israel is going to cross the border into Palestine and destroying palestinian houses there. This is outrageous to say the least. Can one country enter another country to destroy its houses because they were built without its permission. Scratch your head and read that again. It's like American troops entering Mexico to destroy mexican houses because it does have have American permission to build. My head is whirling.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.819121

Maybe all this is a bad Halloween nightmare.

"Pled guilty"??????????

Dark clouds and wet streets at
Herod's Gate

This morning it drizzled for many hours. Wasn't too heavy but it did wet the ground significantly and people were wearing woollen jumpers and hoodies. Tourists of course were prepare with raincoats and umbrellas ... which no local would ever use. Apparently in the north it rained quite heavily and caused flooding in several cities. I had to go out to do an errand this morning and found the streets very slippery. Dark heavy clouds hung overhead and the drizzle at times could have counted as rain. I went in and out through Herod's Gate because it is less of a hill, unlike Damascus Gate, and therefore less slippery steps to navigate. And I was surprised on y way back that there were armed soldiers perching on the turret of Herod's Gate. Lucky there was no lightening. Anyway the forecast for the coming week is winter weather. Temperatures will plunge and rain will continue to pour in the north. If we're lucky, we might get more drizzle in Jerusalem.  http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/in-israel/local/israel-prepares-for-winter-as-heavy-rain-and-floods-strike-the-north-32066

Half moon over
the City Walls

One thing has been irking me for the past year and now I have to let it out: the English language in newspapers are appalling. Over and over again, from USA to Singapore, I read "shuttered" as the past tense of "shut". Today in HaAretz, the headlines was "pled guilty". That broke the camel's back. I must have my word on this: The past tense of "plead" is "pleaded", not "pled"; the past tense of "oblige" is "obliged", not "obligated"; the past tense of "shut" is "shut", not "shuttered". Don't tell me the English language is evolving .... no it is not!! It is devolving!!!!!

The Defense Minister has called for all terrorists' homes to be razed to the ground. Well it is actually in action. But jewish terrorists who kill arabs do not receive the same punishment. I wonder why.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/liberman-calls-for-razing-homes-of-terrorists-who-wound-israelis/

Yesterday the ultra-orthodox waged war on soccer fans coming home from a match. The ultra-orthodox also clashed with conservative and progressive jews who held a Sabbath celebration ... obviously not according to the ultra-orthodox standards. And the ultra-orthodox attacked shopkeepers who opened shop on the Sabbath. Watch the video:
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5035108,00.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-protesters-soccer-fans-clash-in-jerusalem/

Sunday again

Great food donated from "Mian"

It didn't drizzle today but it was below 20 degrees most of the time. Only at noon was the temp above 20 degrees. Right now it's 16 degrees ... and I need the heater to be on.

Despite the cold, some poor families in the Old City got some hot food. Mian restaurant had overcooked lunch for a chinese group of tourists ... so there was a lot of leftovers. Billy the owner called me to collect the food as he didn't want them to go to waste. I went there in the evening and brought home 4 large ice-cream containers of food. I carried them to M. Teresa's sisters convent and they distributed it to the poor. It was nice of Billy and his wife Linda to think of the poor.

Then the whole day was spent working on my paper. Never ending job. Only other great thing was bumping into some real good jewish buddies in the street: the usual security guys whom I've not seen for some time .... David Cohen, Matan, Gete, Englanoff, Tobaly and the gang.

Drizzle

Jaffa Street in the drizzle

The forecasted rain today didn't come ... well almost. It drizzled all morning. And at times quite heavy. But nobody minded. Everyone was bare-headed and enjoyed the rare weather. The temperature has fallen though and everyone is out with hoodies and thick jackets. The nights go down to 12 degrees. But with the drizzle means the roads get very slippery and today I almost slipped twice. It's a scary experience. Luckily it's the Sabbath so there are very few cars on the streets and so no major accidents took place. I hope this little drizzle had helped put out the forest fire in Ein Kerem. It might at least slowed down the fire when the trees are wet.

Dies Academicus this morning

This morning I had to go to the Salesian university's Dies Academicus ... which is their sort of Speech Day. They invite some important person to deliver a keynote talk on a certain topic, and then the faculty presents it's honors to retired professors and introduce new books published. Despite the heavy drizzle a sizable audience turned up. I was lucky because our dean was going as well so he drove me along. But I came home early (in the middle of the talk!!!) because I had left the library unattended and there were several students and profs in there. So I rushed home (in the slippery roads, it was more like a waddle) to work back there.

In the afternoon the drizzle stoped and I had to clear up the courtyard from unwanted plants. There're huge vases which I cannot manage alone so I left those ... and threw away only the smaller ones that I could move. There're too many plants on the courtyard and it weighs down on the library and museum below ... causing leaks when it rains or snows. I guess I'll have to continue clearing the courtyard out tomorrow as well because once the rains begin, it'll be too late.

Forest fire

The Russian Ortho-
dox cathedral

It's Friday and almost the end of my turn as hebdomedarios. That's the week when I'm in charge of all the prayers including Mass for the community. It also includes clearing up the dinner table and washing the dishes. While it's a service to the community, it takes up alot of personal time and work usually gets backlogged during this week.

There's been a lot of noise just a few minutes ago outside in the streets. Went to the terrace to have a look and saw 3 arab grooms in 3 wedding cars ... and a dozen other entourage cars with youths running along side clapping and singing. It's the last weddings before winter ... and weddings will again resume in early summer before Ramadan or after Ramadan. Good luck to those grooms. The economy is so bad and the political situation is so shaky ... it's a risk to marry without without a permit to move around, get a job or even rent a room.

Defaced tourist
information on
Garden Tomb

Though I've passed it many times, I've never noticed how beautiful and imposing the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Trinity is. It's in the Russian Compound of the New City and many people walk pass it without looking up. Yet while monuments of christianity stand, anti-christianity continue. A new plaque that explains the protestant Garden Tomb (supposed tomb of Christ according to the protestants) to tourists was defaced. There is no reason why ... it's just a tourist piece of information. And the culprit could both be jewish or muslim as both use that road.

And right now there's a massive forest fire in the southwest of Jerusalem ... which is the forest near Ein Kerem where John the Baptist was born. Let's hope the rains predicted for tomorrow will fall and out it out as we've had a very dry year and the forests are tinder fodder.  http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/IN-PICTURES-Flames-threaten-Jerusalem-forest-508617

One good thing happened today, the firefighters from Israel, Palestine and Jordan held a joint drill to fight fires. No politics ... just save lives. That's good ... but what I want to know is ... how come the forest fire in Ein Kerem? Is the joint fire-fighting team battling this fire? No use holding a drill when a real live fire is just round the corner!!!    http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/world-news/the-israeli-connection/watch-israel-jordan-pa-in-joint-regional-disaster-exercise

Christian zionism is spreading as seen in last Sukkoth's celebrations. A lot of chinese. Well all I can say is if Israel is depending on that lot for constant support, they're backing the wrong house. Protestantism is fickle ... it depends on the charisma of the leaders. People flock to support famous pastors but once they die or retire or fall out of grace, the flock witch allegiance to another overnight. And many of these followers have only a shallow understanding of Zionism .... usually limited to a fascination of Judaism in it's outward expression like wearing phylacteries and prayer shawls. It's a theme-park experience that does not feed a stable spirituality.  http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/White-Evangelicals-Used-to-Dominate-Christian-Zionism-but-Not-Anymore-508621

Another day

How many security
cameras can you
find on this pole?

The weather is back to it's dreadful undecided self. Afternoon get very hot ... up to 26 degrees (and the weather station says it's hot enough to wear shorts); then in the evenings it drops to 12 degrees and is cold enough that you might need a heater at 4am when it gets the coldest. And of course the influenza wave is overtaking the country. Man people are sick with the flu ... in our house we have 5 down and some more to go. Luckily I've had my flu vaccination so I'm alright. Crossing my fingers that the vaccine will last for the next 3 weeks.

The arrests of several terrorists has prompted the Municipality to step up it's security measures around the Old City. There are now so many security cameras it's a wonder if they all actually work!!!

The jewish implosion continues as the majority of ultra-orthodox jews who do not agree with the violent demonstrations undertaken by the small Lithuanian sect against the police and general public, has decided to fight fire with fire. They've posted blogs and other social media, and printed posters .... of the culprits responsible for disrupting daily life and causing a nuisance in the ultra-orthodox world. They call for boycotts for their businesses and schools. Its is rare that the ultra-orthodox community is so split but it has finally caved in when the spirit of Torah study has been disturbed and other reputable rabbis and their synagogues have been attacked by these extremists for not supporting the demonstration. It's backfiring.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5033890,00.html

Meantime the High Court is deliberating today if shops in Tel Aviv should be closed on the Sabbath. This extremist ultra-orthodox have already controlled Jerusalem and enforcing it's strict jewish laws on everyone .... now they want to control Tel Aviv, the modern open tolerant city by the Mediterranean which hardly any ultra-orthodox living there. Well they tel avivians will put up a fight if the law goes through.  http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/High-Court-to-rule-today-if-Tel-Aviv-supermarkets-may-be-open-on-Shabbat-508454

And one bit of good news: Israel is heading the world in medical marijuana use and research. Now there's a study on it's effect on asthma. That will come as a big relief because we asthma sufferers are sick of steroids and cortisones that make us bloated and sick while keeping asthma under control. Medical marijuana will not have these side-effects.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-cannabis-guru-to-study-effect-of-weed-on-asthma/