As was to be expected, there was a flurry of activity late yesterday evening, as the Press kept up their usual hobby of baiting Jews just before the day celebrating the birth of Jesus (who many now deny was Jewish himself).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/bornliveddied.html
Having been alerted by friends in Britain, I sent off a couple of letters to various media outlets myself, but was really astonished at the puerility of Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, whose sentimentality regarding 'David's City', as expressed in one of the Sunday papers, truly beggarded belief. For in 'David's City' it is Jews, not Christians, who are verboten, and this seems little detail seems to have slipped the minds of some.
However, what made up for this were two e-mails and a phone call. The e-mails were from the Bishop of Manchester and the Lambeth Palace Press Officer, both rather positive. And the phone call was so Israeli (in the nicest possible way) that you just have to laugh
A previous blog had mentioned the joys of exploring various small streets in the area of Emek Refayim, Jerusalem. Well, I received a phone call from someone I know who's moved there recently from Haifa.
If you were in Lloyd George, why didn't you pop in to see me?
The reasons I didn't were:
a) she's just moved and I didn't want to disturb her
b) I didn't have her exact address
c) I had only made up my mind to take a stroll in the very cold weather that afternoon - a Shabbat - so couldn't have rung her
d) Didn't have her correct phone number
Today is sunny and quite warm, so I shall probably go down to the beach and take with me a friend's manuscript, which I've been asked to look over. It's a crime thriller - based in fact - and located here in Israel.
And the bumper edition of the Church Times, which has just arrived, appropriately today. I wonder if they have heeded my pleas not to join in the Jew-baiting which goes on at this time of year, as at Easter.
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/index.asp?id=48723
And then it will be choir practice.
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