Ten Things About Jerusalem

There is a Canadian Forces contingent stationed in Jerusalem, known as Operation PROTEUS . Wherever enough Canadian soldiers are gathered, there will be a street hockey game . So every week, they play three periods on a hard surface court. The invitation is open to anyone brave enough to rub shoulders with some very large men and women In my debut, I broke two sticks (Most Destructive Player?) and got road rash from tumbling on the court (self-inflicted). I provided key defensive support for our beleaguered goalie, harassing attackers and taking down the largest player. Afterwards, there is a barbecue and beer. This week included the first fresh salmon I’ve had since arriving. After the match at the barbecue, one player is awarded a godawful hat – this week’s winner was the hapless ref. Sore the next day, but all wounds heal and they seem to like me. I will be back next week.

For its citizens, Israel has a vibrant democracy, including a parliament elected by proportional representation. As Israelis have diverse opinions, there are dozens of parties representing all viewpoints, which means coalition governments are the norm. Israel had an election in April, but no majority coalition was agreed, so the Prime Minister called for fresh elections. So by chance, we found ourselves in Jerusalem during the do-over election campaign. Lawn signs are scarce. However, parties can advertise on billboards, the sides of buildings and the backs of cars. SMS messaging seemed to be the most popular, judging by the large number of unsolicited Hebrew texts we received. Elections in Israel bring out extreme behaviour, with increasingly ridiculous promises, personal insults and dire warnings of war or social and economic ruin – all on a daily basis. After Election Day, the initial results indicate that no immediately workable coalition has emerged. So mortal enemi...

Without a car, we are fairly limited in our travels. We called in a favour for one particular event that we could not miss. Taybeh is a small Christian town in the West Bank, where Jesus spent time before his final Passover. More recently, it is the site of the Holy Land’s oldest microbrewery , which makes a solid beer.   For almost 15 years, Taybeh’s Oktoberfest has drawn people from Jerusalem and around the world. It was a mix of local and Germanic traditions: Palestinians danced the dabke, Austrians played the strings and Christian butchers served pork sausages. There were several limited batches of very Palestinian flavours (including prickly pear and za’atar), with their standard brews also on tap. Unlike North American alcohol festivals, this was quite family-friendly. We saw friends from school and work. The event did feature one annoying local custom: music cranked up to 11 (the default setting on all stereos). Outside the brewery, locals were ready with oli...