End of May

Altar for Mary in courtyard

The heat is taking its toll on the Land ... a series of forest fires have broken out throughout the north, center and south. The frightful thing is there's a strong wind blowing as well ... so that makes the fire spread so much faster.

It's also the last day of May and we have the traditional Marian Mass at 5pm with the procession of the statue around the Christian Quarter. Everyone looks forward to that ... and now that there's no restriction on gatherings, we can expect a large crowd. The scouts will also be drumming and blowing their bagpipes ... which I don't particularly like. The wailing is awful ... and they're not very well trained. But as long as they have fun, that's what counts.

Today is also the Feast of the Visitation. There was a solemn Mass at the Church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem. There was also a live broadcast of it in various languages. 

June will begin tomorrow and the end of the half year begins. Time flies, so I'll have to prepare for the second half and I hope it gets better than the first. That means I get to rest more. I'm feeling so exhausted.

Summer heat

Palm Plaza pigeons

The month of May is almost over. Today there was the annual procession of the statue of the Madonna around the Christian Quarter. Because there is no more limit to gatherings, the crowd was sizable. A fitting end after a year of lockdowns. We hope the Madonna has conquered the pandemic.

We might have a new govt. after all ... in a matter of hours. The Center-right party is in probable coalition with the Left. That would see the ultra-orthodox parties out and also the incumbent PM. It might just be the fresh air we need. 

Today was very hot and when the pigeons and crows at Palm Plaza take a dip in the fountain and then sunbathe. An amazing sight. Also fewer people are outdoors from noon to evening ... a wise thing to do since the heat can do harm to your health ... heat-stroke for example.

Sr. Amrutha, one of our indian sisters working in our chapels and kitchen, has been called back to her province in Hyderabad after 3 years of service here. This afternoon I organised a small meeting of english speaking students to bid her goodbye. It's not easy for her ... or anyone, to be given only 1 week's notice to return; and leave the holy sites of Jerusalem. But that's religious life.

Super moon

 

Super flower blood moon

The super flower blood moon is upon us .... It's a fabulous sight. Last night  saw it rising over the City Walls. After midnight the light is so bright my room was lit up through the window. I wish I had gone out for a walk then ... the streets and trees and buildings would look magical under the moonlight.

The rocket ceasefire is still holding ... so that's good news. However street fighting, lynchings and racial clashes continue. I read in the news that an arab driver was dragged out of his car and beaten by a gang of jews in the city of Lod (biblical Lydda); while in another place 2 arabs threw a molotov cocktail into a jewish home. Arab families with leftwing jewish supporters have been protesting in front of a municipal court because they're threatened with eviction from their homes ... this time not in Sheikh Jarrah but another part of town. Peace is unlikely in the near future ... 

Confrontation of kids and
police

Last night on my way home, I saw a crowd surrounding a police post at Damascus Gate and an ambulance that was just leaving the scene. Someone must have been hurt. Getting closer I saw it was a crowd of very young boys ... 12 - 13 yr olds protesting the police who were lined up in a row. Adults stood far off filming the whole thing. I'm not sure what happened but I guess one of the boys was hurt and the rest of the boys are blaming the police. As I walked on, the shoutings got louder and finally the police charged at the kids, chasing them away.

I'm still holding the helm at the library as my worker is still in hospital. However today I had a nice surprise. A 17th century book that had a cover made from an old parchment was analysed by an expert medieval musicologist as a 15th century manuscript. It was a great surprise and joy to find this out. I had sent a photo of the re-used manuscript to the expert yesterday. Now it publish this finding!

Back to normal?

The weather has warmed up today. It's 28 degrees and the bights are 18 degrees ... which is comfortable. It feels like summer again.

Clothes donation

Most of the Covid restrictions have been relaxed, with only masks required for indoor gatherings. And indoor gatherings are no longer limited to 20 persons. By June the country will return to normal ... and many people are feeling relieved. The Health Ministry has declared herd immunity in the country so everyone is feeling safe again. That's a good example of rapid vaccination and how normal life can be resumed.

Relaxation of restrictions also means donors can come and hand me their gifts to the poor. The parish in Jaffa brought in lots of clothes, and also Mian restaurant. Now my problem is to bring these clothes to the poor in Nablus. Covid is still rampant in the Palestinian region ... and the road to go there is tense as street fighting, stone throwing and shootings still occur. I must wait till the situation calms down sufficiently for me to travel to Nablus and bring the donations to the MC sisters.

My asthma has gotten better today and I could walk without major difficulty. I did not have to stop along the way to rest today on my way to work. Let's hope this keeps up. My chest pains also subsided.

I hear that tourists will be arriving soon in June. The Health Ministry is coming up with a plan to test all incoming tourists at the airport, without quarantine. Let's hope it goes ahead. Many locals who depend on tourism to survive need this break. Summer might just be back to normal again ... a new normal though .. with caution and personal hygience.

Stromata

 Yesterday's number of viewers was 65 ... which is still high but alot more realistic. Scary.

Dinner at Jack's home

I've been feeling very sick these 2 days. Chest pains, bloated tummy, nausea and bad asthma. Extremely dizzy. I don't know what's  happening ... I should see the doc I guess but it's up in Sheikh Jarrah ... the center and origin of all the clashes. The police have closed the roads around that neighbourhood so I don't think I can get to the clinic of my medical insurance.

The rockets have stopped for 3 days now ... but the clashes continue. For 2 mornings now, muslims have been protesting at jews who enter the Al Aqsa compound under heavy police security. While I advocate all holy places to be open to everyone, I can understand that the Al Aqsa is for the arabs their last bastion of sovereignty and symbol of national identity. It's a sensitive point. Anyway here's an interesting article from Unicef regarding the war with Gaza.  https://www.unicef.org/stories/children-bear-brunt-violence-gaza?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic-en&utm_content=girl-destroyed-buildings&utm_campaign=gaza&fbclid=IwAR1dgAf9OQ-gsuTKgpSBzOMvyi09hQGdkLOxfEamoF2WI4BDEUas91kBXHE

Water canon at Palm Plaza

Several families have been asking for help to pay for their children's school fees ... due to the lockdown and lost of jobs, many could not pay last year's fees. I've been busy with our sponsorship department for past few days clarifying the situation, asking schools to give discounts. It's a tough job following up on each case. But thanks to your generosity, we've been able to help in some way or other these children. Thanks.

1st Communion

 Yesterday there were 165 viewers .... still being stalked. 

Lebanese food

Yesterday there was 1st Communion for the children of our parish. It was a big group as last year's was cancelled. Jack Katanasho's daughter was among them. Jack runs a small lebanese restaurant in the Old City but because of the lockdown it was closed for a year. He can barely pay for the rent and support his family. Some of your donations go to help pay his children's school fees and more recently to buy food for his family. He cares for his elderly parents as well ... all refugees from Lebanon.

After the Mass, Jack invited me to his apartment to celebrate. His brothers' families were also there. It's a tiny apartment and there was no space so a few of us stayed outside on the staircase to chat and eat. His food is fabulous ... lebanese fetteh (salad with breadcrumbs and yoghurt), roasted chicken, mtabal (eggplant puree) and sfiha (the original pizza before it became italian). I loved it all. And as I needed to go home early so as to avoid trouble in the streets, 

Though the ceasefire is in effect and no roclets have been fired from both sides, clashes continue inside the Al Aqsa compound. This morning, israeli police allowed over 100 jews to enter the compound ... something that was closed the past week. Unhappy muslims protested and 5 were arrested.

Anyway exams start tomorrow and our students are studying hard. Summer holidays begin in mid-June but everyone is wary of another wave of Covid infections. So we're all hoping for the best. fingers crossed.

Chill

Rain clouds this morning

Talk about scary ... yesterday there were 208 viewers and today 101 ... even though I haven't updated the blog. Anyway you guys know I'm writing this blog mainly to let you know I'm still alive. It's more entertaining than a circular letter.

We finally have a ceasefire! It took effect at 2am on Friday and the arabs were out in the streets celebrating. Fireworks were blasting all through the early morning till 9am. They saw it as a victory ... but the Israeli PM saw it as his victory. Whatever the viewpoint, the important thing is the people in Gaza can pick up the pieces and go on with their lives. I called the MC sisters in Gaza to see how they were. Exhaustion is the word ... 6 nuns caring for over 80 handicap patients with no workers helping due to Covid lockdown and the war.  I really hope some essential workers will be allowed to come back to work and help the sisters.

One of your beneficiaries, a young man from Gaza who's studying dentistry in Bangladesh, was trying to contact his family in Gaza but failed. He was very upset and scared of what might have happened to them. His late father was the physiotherapist at the MC convent but had died of a heart attack. We're sponsoring his son to study so that when he graduates, he will be able to take care of his family. Meantime his eldest brother gave up schooling to work so he can bring food to his very poor family. Anyway I managed to contact his family and they are all well except the windows in their house have all been blown out by the bombings. Now we'll be busy helping families rebuild their lives. Please help us help them.

Strong and chilly winds

The weather has suddenly turned very cool ... down to 15 degrees this morning. There were rain clouds drifting across the City at 6am and it was chilly and damp. I see the forecast is more chilly weather ... down to 13 degrees on Wednesday. Could be heaven's way of telling us to chill now that the ceasefire is in effect.

Mind you the ceasefire regards only the rockets and missiles. Nothing about street fights and clashes. Yesterday the police again entered the Al Aqsa mosque and clashes broke out. Internally within the muslim community, there's also division. During the Friday sermon, worshippers drove out the Grand Mufti who was preaching because he was staying politically correct and did not mention the dead or the war. There may be a ceasefire but internal cracks are showing.