Tense weekend

The 2 kittens sleep-
ing on my alyssum

The weather is once again playing ames with us. Though it's very hot in the afternoons ... around 21 degrees today ... the nights are very chilly and a hoodie jacket is necessary to stay warm. I think the fruit trees are all confused. Grapes have started ripening though the harvest should be in August. The animals however are birthing as usual. The stray cat that sleeps in the sisters' courtyard gave birth to 6 kittens. 4 have since disappeared but the remaining 2 have grown and are causing havoc to my plants. Flower pots have been broken, flowers scratched out and my sweet-smelling alyssum have become their bed. It's time to remove these kittens. We do need a cat around though because there are rats running around every night. They have even entered the library. But to have an entire family of cats is too much.

Fresh bread

Today is my last day celebrating Mass at the Ivrea convent. We take turns going there ... each person is responsible for one week. It's about 1km away from our house and the Mass is pretty early ... 6am. For me with my asthma and swollen ankle, I need at least 25 mins to walk there. But its a lovely walk ... the air is fresh and the streets are quiet except for the muslim pilgrims going back to their hotel after dawn prayers. They are mostly indonesians. Bedouin women arrive carrying their vegetables for sale, and boys carrying on their heads fresh baked bread are always photographed by foreigners. And the sisters serve a good simple breakfast after Mass. I've known the sisters for 26 years now. They are old and motherly.

Tensions have flared at the southern border with Gaza. The Palestinian enclave has bombarded Israel with over 100 missiles today ... which was preceded by several incendiary bombs in the past few days. Israel responded by bombing Gaza's military posts. The rise in tension was expected since Ramadan is days apart from Israel's Independence Day ... which the palestinians call the Nakba or catastrophe because they lost their land to the israelis. The palestinians celebrate Nakba Day on May 15th. Well all these celebrations ... which are charged with strong emotions and fanaticism ... all occur within 10 days of each other. A sure recipe for explosive reactions and responses.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5503459,00.html

BBC has reported that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world ... bordering on genocide. But no one is interested. Not even christians themselves. I have yet to see christians voicing concern or organising movements to protect christians ... it's the beginning of the end of christianity, the waning of a once great religion.   https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48146305?ns_campaign=bbcnews&ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0KG_GZIx0y86IihEYHonbR-KfmY7tz0tkITGuA1U-IXx3IhO--lUtM-5w

Desert storm and other plagues

Jerusalem in a desert storm

There was a terrible hamsin blowing yesterday. The sky was yellow and overshadowed with the fine desert sand that blew from the south. The atmosphere was stuffy and everyone was coughing. Bad weather for asthmatics. Still I had to go to work ... it was dreadful to walk out in the open. The hamsin (meaning 50 in hebrew and arabic, and Pentecost in greek) is an expected feature during this period between Easter and Pentecost. It's exactly 50 days between these 2 feasts.

Moth in my garden

Well the hamsin is blowing a whole host of weird things into the City. First we had locusts 3 weeks ago ... a whole plague-full. Then at the beginning of the week there were thousands of big black beetles. Harmless but they were awfully big. Then a few days later we had moths by the swarms. I found them in our courtyard and garden. They were not very big but I didn't fancy walking and squashing them underfoot ... making a mess. And they're innocent insects. Tried to leave them among the shrubs and trees.

Today is the last Friday before Ramadan begins. Muslims come by the thousands to pray at the Al Aqsa mosque and feast before the fasting begins on Monday. They fast from sunrise to sunset but after that they feast all night. It's been reported that muslims eat more during Ramadan than normal times. 

2 days after Ramadan's start, the State of Israel will commemorate the fallen soldiers of Israel. It's a very sombre day with no entertainment or mass media on a festive mood. Then as it ends at sunset another feast begins ... Independence Day. That's very festive and there'll be the annual flypass of Israel's latest aircrafts. I love it. Usually I go to our house at Jaffa to watch it life. The aircraft use our church as a landmark. They fly directly overhead ....very low as well. But this year I'll be in Jerusalem. With all these arab and Israeli celebrations taking place within a week, security will be crazy and borders will be closed and police blocks will be up every few meters. Now that's the real plaque.

Very hot day

Women selling herbs

It was hot today. 29 degrees at noon. Tel Aviv was in the 30s and Tiberias in the north was even higher. Everyone certainly felt that summer has come. Out in the park, families were sitting under trees, some picnicking and others sleeping. Little children were playing in the fountains at Palm Plaza. T-shirts are back and bermuda shorts ... the following months will get even hotter.

Muslims were enjoying the sun now because in a few days Ramadan will begin and all the fasting will not enable them to go out enjoying. A survey showed that palestinians are the 3rd angriest people in the world ... and the 4th least rested. Ramadan fasting certainly wouldn't help.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Palestinians-3rd-angriest-people-4th-least-rested-survey-588327?fbclid=IwAR2L0tY-dUpr3GxuQprU39Y90sorXlJClb8FSwCO3Ki4yifoSe3i4f-l1uc

Flowers in our
courtyard

The sudden hot weather is making summer flowers bloom profusely. And plums, peaches and almonds are growing very well. Herbs lie mint and dill also are profuse ... but what I can't find in the market is basil. Really want to cook with it.

Exams will soon start and students are cramming. You see them walking to school with textbooks opened, or sitting under trees revising. That's only one side of the story. AT the other end, you'll have teachers having to correct hundreds of exam papers ... something I've been through. No fun. But the promise of a summer holiday makes it a lot easier to endure.

On Monday we were swarmed by masses of huge black beetles. Today we were swarmed by masses of beetles. Unbelievable ... could be the result of climate change. Truly plagues of biblical proportion!
https://www.jpost.com/OMG/Swarms-of-moths-attacking-Israeli-houses-report-588414?fbclid=IwAR3juTa8S3Ck_pNfEnf5Ut8FpcYpAHdrppLjWMNmGK5m5kVRNfCVERVs11w
and
https://www.janglo.net/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&page=display&catid=99&tid=465717&Itemid=0&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

And there was a report on hardline rabbis who preached to young jewish army enlisters that all races are inferior with genetic problems, that non-jews should be slaves to jews .... read the article and judge yourself.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/embracing-racism-rabbis-at-pre-army-yeshiva-laud-hitler-urge-enslaving-arabs/?fbclid=IwAR2GHrHiIBi6rKeW4jAa52SNWSRapY6y4ady9al3zlruxgJblCV2ao7EHTg

Eve

Damascus Gate decked for Ramadan

Another busy day today. The change of weather made sleep impossible. From 4 degree nights, it turned to 18 degrees last night. Too hot and kept me awake. I barely slept 3 hours. Then day work started before dawn and I've not stopped till now at 8pm.

As I reached home at my front door, I met 2 Israeli security friends on duty at the Western Tunnel exit. We chatted for a long time ... over an hour. It was good. We talked a lot of history. Will miss both of them as they're leaving this job tomorrow ...  though they promised they'd return to visit me as civilians. That would be nice.

Palm Plaza lighted

It's the eve of Holocaust remembrance day in Israel. It starts at sunset and a siren will sound at 8pm. Tomorrow morning another siren will sound at 10am. It will be a day of national mourning ... but not for all. Ultra-orthodox jews refuse to celebrate it ... they believe the 6 million jews killed by the nazis were justly punished for their sins. It usually draws anger from mainstream jews and criticism from politicians. We christians on the other hand also commemorate the day with added memories of our martyrs of nazism such as St. Edith Stein, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Titus Brandsma etc...

Next week begins Ramadan and the Muslim Quarter is preparing for it by decking the streets with lots of lights. Damascus Gate was lighted up last night and so was Palm Plaza. Our street too is decked with many rows of lights but this is financed privately by the residents and not by the Municipality. I look forward to the evenings when all types of arab food and desserts are sold in the streets. Will try some of it. However the noise of the crowds will keep us awake till 3am. That I don't look forward to.

Back to school

Easter sunset at Musrara market

It's Monday and back to routine. School has restarted but exams are soon round the corner so students have begun cramming. I slept only 3 hours last night as I was nervous about oversleeping and missing class at the morning. I had to postpone my Mass with the elderly nuns at the Ivrea Convent at 6am as class would just have ended and I can't reach the convent 1km away in 1 minute. Postponed it to evening at 5.30pm and then I received a message from the Archbishop who wanted to see me at 5pm. I had to find another student to substitute me for the Mass. What a clash of busy schedules on Monday. I must have been very very tired because at 2pm while writing I fell asleep. Woke up to find a half written message. Anyway finished an afternoon class and rushed off for the meeting with the Archbishop. Now back in my office feeling hungry but not really wanting to eat.

On Holy Week which coincided with Jewish Passover, we had an invasion of locusts not unlike the biblical epic account. Today we have an invasion of huge black beetles. At the Patriarchate while waiting for the Archbishop there were numerous beetles flying and crawling around.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/beetles-invade-israel-but-ministry-says-to-let-them-be/?fbclid=IwAR3G52H8sjFYgyAygPGDPywe4d8NIo5MuUng_xB9rZd5vJV5HBGe62HbUO0

Easter eggs/buns

I bought some traditional greek easter buns and eggs which were being sold in the streets of the Christian Quarter. Gave them to some first comers who don't know of this tradition. It's a nice treat ... a little something different from our routine.

Now its time to recover from this first day of over-scheduled work and catch up with some sleep. We'll see if the beetles will leave us during the night or the invasion get worse. By the way the plague of measles is terrifying many people here. The outbreak is caused by communities who refused to be vaccinated. Now one air stewardess is in a coma with measles because an infected person was onboard a flight to Israel from New York. People here are now told to avoid crowds especially with ultra-orthodox jews because they refuse to be vaccinated.

Easter Sunday

Holy Fire spreading from the Empty
Tomb (photo from FB)

It's Easter Sunday for the Orthodox Churches ... and those who don't know these Eastern Churches will find it strange that it's totally quiet and unfestive. It's a total anticlimax after 40 days of Lent and an intensive Great Week (as they call Holy Week). But that's how they celebrate Easter ... the high point is the Holy Fire on Saturday afternoon and after that it's life as normal.

It was just as well for us. The streets are again passable with normal traffic. Shops are again open. The tension of road blocakages and extensive police presence is lightened. But not totally. Next week Ramadan begins and there are fears of muslim riots and agitation so the police are not relaxing their vigilance. And rightly so. Then there is Holocaust Day on May 1st and Memorial Day on May 7 and Independence Day on May 8. The coincidences of muslim and Israeli feast days will once again require intensive military vigilance.

Holy Fire from the Empty Tomb
(photo from FB)

I had the Armenian Mass this morning and fortunately one of our armenian seminarians was free to help me. It's not possible to celebrate alone with all the singing and responses. After that I thought of going for a walk in the New City but I felt very tired so I went home instead.

Tomorrow school reopens and the routine of work restarts. Not that it's anything exceptional as I've been working all through Holy Week and Easter Week as well. I've not had even a half day off so school restarting is just a name for an unending routine.

Holy Fire

Immense crowd at New Gate

If yesterday was bad .... today was triple bad. All streets and alleys leading into the Christian Quarter were closed off. No exceptions. The only way I could get to my office was walking outside the City and entering from New Gate. But I knew New Gate was equally closed. Thought I'd give it a try because I had to preach a retreat. When I reached New Gate, it was exactly as I had feared. Thousands of Orthodox pilgrims cramming at the police blockade  ... haggling to enter the Old City despite an enormous sign saying all pilgrims should use Jaffa Gate to enter. The orthodox were either illiterate or they simply ignored the sign. Anyway no one got in. I squeezed through the crowd and showed my ID to the military police. One of the officers further inside the Gate saw me waving my ID and shouted orders to let me in. Lucky me.

Orthodox christians and tourists jam
Damascus Gate to a standstill

Going home at noon was another worry. I knew I could get out from New Gate but where could I re-enter the City in order to reach home? Squeezing through the crowd to exit New Gate I decided to try Herod's Gate since Damascus was stuck with human traffic. The Copts, Ethiopians and Russians jammed the streets inside the Gate ... and Jews were still trying to enter for their Sabbath prayers at the Wailing Wall and the Muslims to the Al Aqsa Mosque.

Well I must confess one thing ... the police did a fantastic job. Yes the closures are a bother but it's necessary for crowd control and the safety of everyone. The police were very patient and courteous ... no shouting, shoving like in previous years. Kudos to them!

Crowd spilling onto the tram tracks
and into the road

Anyway the mysterious Holy Fire descended inside the Empty Tomb at 2.30pm and the Patriarchs carried the fire out to be shared to all the orthodox faithful. Then almost as quickly as it started, it ended. Everyone ran back to their hotels and packed their luggage and left for the airport. The City became deadly quietly and happily tranquil again in a matter of minutes! The Orthodox Church do not celebrate the resurrection of Christ as we do but rather focus on the Holy Fire ... which is neither biblical or logical. Anyway not my business.

Really bad news this afternoon : muslims in Ramallah attacked a christian village, terrorising them with live firing and stone throwing. Palestinian police came only 3 hours later. Apparently the attack was instigated by a high ranking Palestinian official of the area to intimidate a christian who accused him of something or other. It's no longer in Sri Lanka ... the terror of christian presecution has entered our own backdoor.  https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Gunmen-attack-Christians-near-Ramallah-after-dispute-involving-PA-official-588010?fbclid=IwAR3OhlOcDnR2-LD3FmUWaEWnzyqyScS6vQwvqfhIJfPDp_uUAv0xm7b04zw