inside a church in Bethlehem
It's going to be a white Christmas in Jerusalem. It is cold now, and raining, but the weatherman says there'll be snow by Christmas, and I'm looking forward to it. I was looking through my files for an appropriate picture to mark the holiday, but couldn't find any I cared to show here. I know I've taken pictures in Bethlehem, of the ornaments and holiday lights in the street, but that was some time back, and I couldn't find them now. It's a dangerous thing, looking for pictures. You come across all kind of images that you've almost forgotten, and find yourself swimming in old memories. I suppose that that is something that usually accompanies those big holidays.
Of course, being Jewish, Christmas has not been a holiday that I've ever celebrated. Nor do I know much about it. But my activity on the internet has brought me contact with Christians, and I did want to offer my best wishes for the holiday.
I know, there are many different views on religion, just as there are many religions and many sub groups within the many religions. And I've heard some of my American friends say that Christmas was nothing more than a milking cow for business and sales. But I always like a holiday, and if some folks see this holiday as a reason to wish good will towards all, I'll go for that.
I haven't posted for quite some time lately, and that was because I've been going through some hard times myself. And on a more general level, we've been having quite a few terror attacks, and lately, the Pals have been shooting missiles from the areas that Israel evacuated just a few months ago. And it's given me cause to think about the way people react to things like that. I've seen interviews with the parents of people killed in these attacks. And you might think that once a person had been personally afflicted, he would become more virulent in his opposition to the other side. But it doesn't seem to work that way. Strangely enough, those who were hawks, say, well this just proves what we were saying all along, that you have to fight the enemy till his is completely beaten and surrenders. And the "Peace Now" people say just the opposite: They say, this just goes to show you that half way measures won't solve the problem, and that we have to withdraw from all the "occupied" territories and help the Palestinians establish their own state. Until then, we'll just keep suffering.
You remember my little cat Nechama? Well, she's not so little anymore, and she's become quite active. I've tried to encourage her to tour the environs on her own, but she'll only leave our home when accompanied by me, and she doesn't venture far. But she's climbed a high tree already, and managed to learn how to climb down, which was a lot harder for her than climbing up. Actually, in the house, she's much more adventurous than she is outdoors, and races from one end of our apartment to the other, often carrying her toy mouse between her teeth. She jumps on chairs and the sofa, and waits in ambush for us to come into a room, and catches the occasional fly that managed to get in, and so on. As I watch her romp around the house, I am reminded that she never enjoyed the education that a normal cat might get from his parents and from cat society. And yet, her behavior is very reminiscent of the way a wild cat might behave in the mountains. No one taught her to catch a fly, but she is quite good at it. And it makes me think and wonder about how much of our personalities are inherited and not learned. Could it be that it's the same way when it comes to political convictions, and our attitude towards religion? Just wondering.
I would like to thank all the people who have written me, worried because I haven't been writing lately. And I would like to wish all my friends, and all those who read this blog, a very happy holiday, with a lot of love for our fellow man, and appreciation for this wonderful opportunity we've all had, to enjoy this world with all its wonders, and to enjoy the miracle of life.
