Weekend

In a surprising turn of events, there has been no demonstrations or clashes at the Gaza border for the 3rd Friday in succession. Reports say that the Gaza and Israeli goats are holding talks ... possibly also of exchanging prisoners. This could spell a new beginning and calm the tensions in the northern border as well. Let's hope for the best.

However local arabs have been targeted by israeli extremists again, burning cars, destroying property and defacing with graffiti. It happened last week to another village. https://www.timesofisrael.com/car-torched-graffiti-daubed-in-suspected-hate-crime-in-palestinian-village/

14th Station at the Empty Tomb

Today I had a full-activity day ... starting with class and then accompanying the seminarians of the Patriarchate to visit the Holy Sepulchre. It was a fruitful trip and I hope that the seminarians learned something. I got them to join the daily procession as well ... and they had the chance to enter the Empty Tomb and also touch Mt. Calvary. The Friday Way of the Cross was crowded with people. After this excursion, I had to go to a hotel quite far from the City to visit a group. Yesterday I had Mass for another group because their priest couldn't make it. I could take these engagements gladly if not for the terrible pain on my right shoulder. It's been 3 days now and it's so painful I cannot even sleep. I might have to resort to painkillers now.

And the annual event of shark swarming is back in the headlines. With the winter cold, sharks begin to gather around the Herzliya power plant where warm water is pumped into the Mediterranean Sea. Most varieties are not dangerous to swimmers ... but there're now hammerhead sharks who can get temperamental. People have been warned not to enter the waters during dawn and dusk.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-sharks-have-returned-to-the-warm-waters-off-the-hadera-power-station/?fbclid=IwAR1IU22-86weFBJPT0VAJ32G-vapaSM-n1XH5vd71OiiMYcm0GIEY5P4DW4

And if you didn't believe me about the butter shortage in Israel ... read this  https://www.janglo.net/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&page=display&catid=99&tid=476665&fbclid=IwAR0Nfv-BhKAtB5KWTARbQJxfBmJklir-roNGJk9Hg_6WXIOR383Ay49W0CY

Of blackouts and butter

Another blackout 

There's a kosher butter shortage in the country. Seriously. And it's making life difficult for many people. It's even gone all the way up to parliament. Then suddenly a bit of news surfaces with a photo showing lots of Israeli-made butter (kosher) in Los Angeles. I wonder why.

Things have cooled down relatively after the Day of Rage along the borders. There were no demonstrations and clashes. However Gaza did fire 2 rockets into Israel and Israel responded with air attacks. But that's in the south of the country. Police presence in and around the Old City has been reduced today though stop-and-search continues randomly when arab youths pass by major crossroads.

What is truly worrying though is the news coming out of Syria ... how the turks have been slaughtering the kurds. And the world is not even paying attention to it.And it's not just the kurds but the christian and other minority refugees hiding among the kurds who are also being killed. We feel so helpless here ... just receiving news of the latest deaths an killings of our christians there.

We've been hit with a series of blackouts these few weeks. It's not just the streets but entire blocks of residential areas that are reduced to darkness. Walking in the streets is hazardous as the paving stones are slippery and there're lots of steps and potholes. I guess I'll have to bring a torchlight soon as you never know where or when the next blackout hits.

Day off

School kids on excursion in Jaffa

Today the Palestinians called for a Day of Rage to protest against America's unilateral recognition of jewish settlements inside Palestine. There were clashes in several towns including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tulkarm and southern Jerusalem. If I am not wrong, I read that the protest is to last one week. Not a nice start to Advent in Bethlehem where we have processions and solemn entrances into the Basilica. This is all too disturbing. Let's hope the palestinian authorities are not using our Advent as an opportunity to cause trouble to fit their agenda.

I decided to take a day off today. I was just too tired to do anything ... mentally I am exhausted. I cannot finish a sentence because I can't remember what to say. So early this morning at 4am, I packed my backpack and went to our Jaffa house. The new superior there was very kind to me and led me to a guest room he had prepared for me when I arrived at 6am. After Mass the community came to chat with me and I felt so much more relaxed. The sea breeze was warm and salty ... and the weather was balmy. About 17 degrees. That's almost 9 degrees warmer than Jerusalem. You can see the difference between Jerusalemites and Tel Avivians ... there I was in 3 layers of jackets and they were in T-shirts and shorts. School kids were out in the hundreds on excursion with their teachers. And tourists were everywhere.

old couple in the sunset

I met up with some Singaporean exchange students studying at Haifa University. They made the one-and-a-half hour journey to Tel Aviv and we had lunch together. Then we sat by the beach while they worked on their computer and I rested in the sunshine. Strange sight ... I was still in my winter pullovers while people were in swimming costumes. People stared, had a laugh ... and nodded to say they know ... I'm from Jerusalem. One thing that caught my attention at the beach though ... while people were soaking in the sun, many were working on their laptop computers. Walking past them, I saw that they were all working on documents and charts. Some people are so lucky! They can bring their work to the beach!!! And I took a photo of a lovely old couple sitting by the sunset ... magnificent scene.

Sunset

The journey home was tortuous though. By 4.30pm the sun had set, the traffic was dreadful as everyone was heading home. My bus was stuck in the jam for over 100 mins along the journey. Some people sitting behind me were losing their patience. Well they couldn't get off the bus along the highway so they had to sit it through. Anyway I got home safe and sound. A little refreshed by being away from work and demands ... my phone batteries died and I didn't bring my charger so I had no phone calls to disturb me all day. Divine intervention.

Christ the King feast

Christ the King ... tabernacle of the
Flagellation chapel

Yesterday was Christ the King feast. That's centred in our Chapel of the Flagellation and Coronation of Thorns. Here we recall Christ crowned with thorns and mocked as King of the Jews. The soldiers dressed him in a purple robe and bowed to him, giving him a reed as a sceptre. That's as real as it gets ... it took place here ... just 2 meters from my room.

I had to celebrate the Mass at the Armenian Catholic church as with every Sunday. But in the evening the Custos invited our entire community including our indian sisters, to pray vespers at St. Saviour Church (our custodial church) and then dinner  at the massive refectory there. Over 100 friars with 7 sisters attended. The refectory is so huge it's necessary to use a microphone to bless the food and grace after meals.

Cold quiet streets

I had hoped to spend the afternoon resting after 3 weeks of intensive courses. But the MC sisters called at noon asking me to bring them visit the Jewish Quarter. We visited the Cardo and several archeological sites and then I had to rush off to do my Sunday shopping in the New City before going to the Custody meeting mentioned above. My legs were like jelly as I was exhausted. Several other students also had to quickly do their shopping ... buying stationary for class; toiletries; food; even winter clothes. It's the only day we're free to buy these things as school takes up all our time for the next 6 days.

Saturday was the jewish memorial of the death of Sarah, wife of Abraham. She's buried in Hebron and thousands of jews converged to her grave. However it's an arab neighbourhood and several arabs including a baby were attacked by the visiting israeli crowd.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/over-a-dozen-palestinians-said-injured-by-israelis-in-hebron-over-weekend/?fbclid=IwAR0hnWR4l1uB9XaxHurq2dIUkdvwGMAQXfkZJwonUpbz5wrU8i4gKS7S3eU

Feastday

2nd year students

I was just out to buy bread for tomorrow's breakfast when I was almost runned down by a took took ... that's those mini-trucks made in China that's heavily used by merchants nowadays. It ran through the vegetable hawkers' boxes of fruit and ran over a small boy in front of me. Poor boy ... about 6 yrs old. Looked like his ankle or chin was broken. There is no law against the use of these tuk tuks ... and it's about time a law ban these vehicles on pedestrian malls. On my way back form buying bred ... at the same area but out on the road, 2 cars collided. There was a small crowd swirling around ... not sure if anyone was hurt but it caused a massive traffic jam down into Damascus Gate. What an awful evening.

Our armenian franciscan martyr

This morning started out early with Mass with my 2nd Year Theology students. It was a good gathering. I prepared breakfast for them and brought them up to our terrace for a panoramic view of the City and beyond. I think they enjoyed the morning out. Immediately after that I had to go preach a retreat for the Bethlehem sisters. Afternoon was spent cleaning my room at a leisurely pace. No stress today. I really needed to slow down and rest.

Yesterday we celebrated the feast day of our armenian friar Salvatore Lilli who was martyred with 7 other armenian laity. Armenia and Turkey were part of the Custody of the Holy Land till the turn of the century.

Newspapers have reported anti-arab vandalism in a northern arab village by extremist jews. Cars were burnt or defaced. I guess they have been emboldened by america's unilateral declaration of recognising settlements in Palestine.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-cars-torched-in-suspected-settler-hate-crime/?fbclid=IwAR0Vqr0NFzSYouiTNywcBPZgHf_5WoNtovf7KTJQtFxT-TwSTgLfkSThSpA

On a positive note, the first day of Tel Aviv running public buses on Sabbath has been a huge success. So many people used it that the municipality has decided then and there to increase services next Sabbath. That's a total opposite of the trial in Jerusalem ... which was a huge failure. That's because in Jerusalem the ultra-orthodox are numerous and observe rigorously the Sabbath. Secular jews are cowed.

Of seafood and classes

Fresh crabs!

There is a lull at the borders both north and south today.  And there were no clashes in our streets. It's quite a relief. I don't think I can handle another clash. All these tensions are tiring me and there're moments when I just feel like leaving.

It's Friday and this evening I went out to buy bread for tomorrow's breakfast. Seafood were again sold and being evening, it was going cheap. 3 kgs of anything for 50 shekels. I was tempted to buy some crabs and squid but realising I have no time to cook, I decided not to buy any. But one fine day I will. There were many indian and filipino migrant workers buying at this cheap price. It's affordable for these workers who are used to eating seafood back home, but here is expensive and rare to find because its not kosher.

Students taking photos of notes

This morning I finished teaching my course at the Sabbatical programme with the African missionaries. It was fun and there were several very bright participants who ask intelligent answers. One thing about modern students ... they don't take notes. They take photos of what I write on the whiteboard. Times have changed. I'm hoping to rest next week ... but we'll see. Work is continuously piling up and the last ting I need is a backlog.

The weekend has started. I'll sleep early as a reward for a job well done.

Stromata

Sunny cold day

Russia has waded into the israeli-syrian tit-for-tat bombings by exposing the operational details. That means Russia is seriously upset. I wonder where it'll all lead to. An escalation is the last thing everyone wants.

There was a raid into a muslim school inside the Al Aqsa compound yesterday by Israeli police. Students and teachers were escorted out of the building and school was closed for the rest of the day. Several arrests were made ... suspects of a terrorist movement using the school as a hideout. Tomorrow is Friday and we'll see if there'll be big scale demonstrations against the US recognition of jewish settlements inside Palestine, and the incursion into the muslim school. I don't look forward to anything violent as my door is along the road that's usually the venue for such demonstrations.

Locally a 3rd election is looming as no single party has succeeded in forming a coalition govt. Well let's hope for the best.

Seminarians in class

Weatherwise the day is sunny but cold. No winds though. I had to walk to Ratisbon which is 2kms away for a meeting at that school. It was a pleasant walk though strangely I've not seen any birds anywhere. Could it be the cold? I did have several jobs to do this morning ... and I had to quickly get them done in various offices because Thursday morning is the only time I am free. At 1pm I start classes with some latin american seminarians and then at 4pm to 7pm I'll have Mass and Bible conference with the MC sisters. Not as hectic as the previous days and weeks but nevertheless tiring. I'm not young anymore and I've noticeably slowed down alot. Multi-tasking is out.