Feast night

Crowds at Herod's Gate

 Yesterday night the muslims celebrated Laylat al Qader or the Night of Destiny. It's actually several things that are commemorated. Firstly it recalls the first verses of the Quran revealed to Mohammed. Then it recalls the heavens opening tonight and God hears all the prayers of the people and forgives sins. Then it also marks God recording your destiny for this year. So its a combination of events. There were thousands and thousands of muslims entering the Old City to get into the Al Aqsa Mosque. I didn't expect it. I walked home from work at 5.15pm but saw the massive crowds at Damascus Gate. No one was moving anywhere. I was afraid of being crushed so I stayed as far away as possible.

Damascus Gate jammed

Going down to Herod's Gate, there was a long trail of other muslims doing the same. Herod's Gate was equally jammed with people no one could move forwards or backwards. I stood there for a full hour hoping for a break in between so I go get in. No chance. So I walked back to Damascus Gate and sat under the palm trees for another hour. By 7.30pm when the cannon fires and the fast is broken, the City Gates will be empty. Everyone will be eating and no one will be moving around. 

So sure enough after 2 hours, the cannon boomed and everyone sat down where they were ... mostly in the parks outside the City Gates, but also along the streets on the floor. That was my chance to enter the City and get home. 

Crowds walking to Herods Gate

The prayers at the mosque went on all night and crowds after dinner milled around. Newspapers say 250,000 muslims were inside the Old City! I'm not surprised. The noise they made till 5am kept me awake. I was terribly exhausted when I went to work this morning. Had to grab half an hour's nap in the afternoon otherwise I'd get dizzy and unproductive at work, unable to focus and concentrate. I hope to be able to sleep better tonight.

Back to normal

Musrara open market

 The sandstorm is still in the air though much reduced. Still the ground continues to be carpeted by desert sand. It makes walking dangerous as it's very fine and slippery. Many people are having respiratory problems these days. No wonder. Well at least normal daily life is coming back. 

There's a social post going viral. A makeshift tent on the rooftop of a Tel Aviv apartment block is renting for US$1,680 a month. That's approximately 5,500 shekels. No toilet. That's how expensive property in Tel Aviv is. No wonder it's the most expensive city in the world to live in, ousting Singapore and Hong Kong. I'm sure this will be a major topic for the next elections.

Musrara open market

The open markets in East Jerusalem is still relatively cheaper since most of the produce come directly from the arab farms. You find jews and arabs and lots of foreigners going there to buy the week's groceries. People come in cars and trolleys to buy by bulk. That saves a lot of money. I buy bread form there. It's cheaper. 1 shekel for a bun.

I've just checked out next week's holidays. Sunday-Monday is Eid el Fitri or end of Ramadan for the muslims; Monday-Tuesday is Remembrance Day for Israelis who remember their fallen soldiers; Tuesday-Wednesday is Independence Day for Israel. It's a pretty tight clash of dates and I hope there won't be any violence in the streets.

After the storm

Desert sand on terrace

 Here's a photo of how bad the sandstorm was/is. Very fine sand from the southern desert blowing across the country. it's so fine it gets indoors even if the doors and windows are closed. Everyone has been sweeping and swiping again and again. This morning Municipality cleaners flushed water on all the streets to wash away the sand. What they forget is when the sand goes down the drains, it'll block the drains and sewage system! That'll be a worse problem than before. Anyway today is better than yesterday, though dust is still blowing about. It may take another day for this sandstorm to blow away. 

Neophyte Leo

This morning we had the pleasure of welcoming into our Church community a student from Beer Sheva university. He received the Sacraments of Christian Initiation (baptism, confirmation and Eucharist). It's good to see that the faith is still being evangelized effectively here in the Holy Land. It's encouraging.

Tensions continue in the Old City though not as violent as the past week. Thank goodness the Jewish Passover and Orthodox Easter are over. The Orthodox had caused chaos in the streets on Saturday by refusing to obey police orders and breaking through street blocks to reach the Holy Sepulchre which realistically does not have space for so many thousands of worshippers.

And Lebanon had fired a missile into Israel, after Gaza did the same several days ago. Israel retaliated as a warning. I doubt it'll worsen. There're little gestures which the arab countries have to show to appease their locals in support of the tensions at the Al Aqsa mosque. A symbol of solidarity. We'll have to see this weekend when Ramadan ends ... if there'll be a rise in violence. Local arab uprising is the gauge. But all I want is a quiet summer ... me and many many others who have suffered 2 years of Covid lockdown. We just want peace and quiet to live normally after Covid. 

Sandstorm

Street blockaded

 The Orthodox Easter began on Saturday. But because the Basilica is not big enough to several thousand people, the police had limited each Church to 400 people each. With Greeks, Russians, Georgians, Rumanians, Ukrainians, Cypriots, Copts, Syriacs, Ethiopians and many other smaller groups, it would go well into 4000 people. But this year crowds of Greeks and Copts have come. Police blockaded the streets and people kept out were fighting. It got quite violent. But these people don't understand that it's for their own safety. The Holy Fire was supposed to descend into the Tomb and the patriarchs would bring out lighted candles to be distributed among the people. It literally spreads like wild fire and the police every year worry about the Basilica burning down and stampedes. That's why they limit the people coming in. But there's no reasoning with this people. Once the fire came "down" at 2.30pm and the people got what they wanted, everyone dispersed. Many went straight to the airport to fly back home.

Konkani Mass

I had to go to Jaffa for Mass with the Konkani people, so to avoid the street blockades which started at 6am, I had to leave my house at 5am and wait for transport. It's Saturday/Sabbath and also the last day of Pesach/Passover. So there was no public transport. Instead I had to ask a friend to drive the 69 km journey there. It was nice celebrating Mass for the Konkani people. I already know several of them from the past years. They're very well organised.

Today I simply rested. There is a horrible sandstorm blowing. Our terrace is all yellow with fine desert sand. Just walking out onto the terrace, I could breathe in sand even while wearing a mask. It was dreadful. I stayed in my room all day and kept wiping my table and shelves because every hour it would be covered with a layer of dust and sand. The sky was a sickly yellow and the sun could not be seen. I hope it'll blow away tomorrow as I must go to work.

Good Friday

Orthodox old woman

 It's Orthodox Good Friday today ... and though the Way of the Cross is a Roman tradition from the Middle Ages (though some sort of way was practiced in the early Church), today all the Orthodox Churches in Jerusalem practice it. And that makes our streets awfully crowded. I had to go to work and in our compound and all along the street there were immense crowds of copts, Ethiopics, Romanians, Greeks, Russians and other Slavic rites. Police were trying to control the crowds but they only got pushed away by feisty old ladies carrying 3 feet tall crosses. Never mess with orthodox old ladies!

Coptic Orthodox

Meantime there were clashes in the Al Aqsa Mosque early this morning. At 3am groups of youths going to the mosque were chanting slogans while Israeli police stood tensely in front of our garage. At 6am volleys of stun grenades and fireworks exploded back and forth in the mosque compound. By 7am there were videos of a huge cypress tree on fire. 

This afternoon tensions are still high. Streets are blockaded throughout the Old City and crowds of muslims are jostling with Orthodox Christians making the Way of the Cross. Security helicopters are flying overhead. I'm not sure if I can make it home today.

Birthday

 Yesterday a potential violent clash was averted thanks to the resolute police action. Extremist jews had hurriedly organised a nationalist march through the Muslim Quarter. But the police blocked the road down towards the eastern side of the City where the Gate is found. Despite some scuffles, the march was rerouted to Jaffa Gate at the other end of the City. A major clash was averted. Thank goodness, We were all very apprehensive ... those of us living in the Muslim Quarter. Still a small group managed to through and marched through the Suq (market) with flags. Arabs threw stones and soldiers accompanied them to the Wailing Wall. This morning there were still some clashes in the Al Aqsa compound as jewish groups entered it under police guard. It was relatively less violent than the previous nights. 

Patriarch with our sisters

This evening Israel closed the borders with Israel because tomorrow the Passover ends. It's a routine thing to stop crowds of palestinians coming into the Old City and potential pose a risk to the jews coming to the Wailing Wall for prayers.

Today is also the birthday of our patriarch. Being my classmate 30 years back, I sent him wishes in a message. Surprisingly he answered ... busy as he always is. We chatted a bit and I was very happy. Suffice to say that he is younger than I am. And he's patriarch archbishop while I still throw garbage out of the house. But I enjoy more freedom than he does. That's something he'll never have. 

The weather has warmed quite much ... almost 28 degrees in the afternoons everyday. But the evenings are still chilling ... around 14 degrees. Last night was chilly enough for me to turn on the heater. I'm hoping this will pass. I am tired of the cold.

Marzipan sweets

Marzipan Lamb of God

 Clashes continued the past 2 days on a lesser scale as police are trying to negotiate and lessen the tension inside the Mosque. They're really trying their best to resist from violent reaction as the police reaction has been very very restraint. I've lived here long enough to know this.  Even many muslims are fed up with a small group of muslim youths who are causing all the trouble. Their prayers are disturbed, the mosques closed and the Ramadan spirit of joy is turned to sadness. There was a video of an old muslim man yelling at the youths to stop their trouble-making but they ignored him. And by youths, I mean males and females. There's been a rise in female activists, all in their late teens, who provoke and raise the tensions. But likewise it must be said that jewish extremists are equally to blame. They insist on entering the mosque compound under police escort. Last Thursday and Friday a few even tried to kill lambs as a passover sacrifice, which the Chief Rabi has forbidden since there is no Temple or Altar.  And today the jewish extremists are threatening to lead a procession through the muslim quarter to show that they are in charge. Police have refused them permission, but the rabbis will have their way and I', sure the march will go ahead and the muslims will fight back and there'll be a terrible clash in my area. Looks like I can't go home tonight,

Full moon last night

Those infected with corona in my house are walking around, disregarding quarantine restrictions. Very very inconsiderate. And worse there are some who think they are doctors, going around advising people that it is only symptoms of a slight cold and is not dangerous. Well we have one old father who is intubated in hospital but they conveniently forget him. The travesty is worse because these law breakers are priests and professors of the Bible ... but they don't don't live it at all. Some other fathers are terrified and vexed by these smart-alecks and have locked themselves in their rooms. It's a mafia here. Yes it hap[pens even in a monastery. Among the italians.

I've photographed the annual marzipan Lamb of God and have passed it around those who have decided to stay inside their rooms to avoid infection. It pleased many and social media has made it easier to communicate when we cannot meet face to face. The Lamb of God was made by the Sisters of Ivrea where we go to celebrate Mass everyday. It's pure marzipan or almond paste so it's very sweet.  But it's a tradition. The other tradition is to eat maamoul cookies made by the arabs. They're date paste made into the crown of thorns, the sponge and the spear. I like that very much.