Inthewarm,reinvigoratingsummerair,walkingalongthecobblestonedalleysoftheOldCityofJerusalem becomesarediscoveredpleasure,deniedinSydneywheretheuseofapedestrian'sfeetisconfinedprimarily to pressing a brake or an accelerator.IcanbelievefriendswhohavebeentoJerusalemclaimingtheyhadlostpounds,poundingthestreetsof the Old City. A steep climb in an Old City streetIamcarryingalongmentallistofallthepeopleIhopetomeet.Thereisalwaysthepossibilitythatsome ofthemmightnotevenbethere.TherearesomanyplacesIyearntoseeduringmyflyingvisit,this"ziaret, tijaret" (a common Turkish expression, broadly translated as "business with pleasure").Inevitably,myperegrinationsalongthestreetsarepunctuatedbyfrequentintervalsofhugsandback slappingsasIstumbleacrosstheoldguardofmyyouth,remnantsofthefriendsandrelativeswhohave remainedbehind.ItiscomfortingtodiscoverthatamongtherelentlesslywiltingpopulationoftheOldCity, the pillars of the "minority" communities, still hold their ground and their standing.Mostly,theyearshavebeenkindtothem-eventhepalpablytell-talescratchingsofcaresandworriesand uncertaintiesinalandwallowinginthemaelstromofmartialmayhem,havefailedtoleaveanyscarsonthe visagesIencounter.Themenlookedlookdistinguished,thewomenmoregenteelandmature.Therearea withered few, unavoidably.AsIticktheirnamesoffmylist,IalsobecomeawareofasubtlechangeintheirdemeanorsinceIhadlast knownthem:despitethegeneralsenseofarelaxed,laid-backacceptanceofandapproachtolife, Jerusalemiteshavesuccumbedtoanundercurrentofurgency,asiftheyhavebelatedlycometorealizethat time will not stand still for them and that they have to make the best of what they had, and fast.KevorkHintlian,aformerArmenianPatriarchateofficialwhoseknowledgeofJerusalemvergesonthe phenomenal, has just returned from a speaking tour in Canada."Howlongareyoustaying?"ishisfirstquestiontome.Heisnotthrilledwiththeanswer."Youareneeded here,"hetellsme.ItisastandingofferIhavedifficultycopingwith.Icannotconceiveofalifeawayfrom mygrandchildreninSydney.Atonetime,IandKevorkhadservedtogetheratthePatriarchateandourshad been a cohesive, efficient and forceful contribution.Kevork,whohasencapsulatedhisencyclopedicknowledgeofthecityandthehistoryofthe Armeniansin theHolyLandintoatiny70-pagebookletwhichisregardedasquiteauthoritativeonthesubjectdespiteits brevity(Iconstantlyurgehimtoexpandit),livesinsidetheConventofStJames,afewmetersawayfrom thedomicileofDrAlbertAghazarian,aclosefriendwhohasbeenalectureranddirectorofpublicrelations at the Palestinian university of Bir Zeit.Betweenthem,thetwocompriseaformidablelibraryofknowledgecoveringthesocial,religious,cultural, andpoliticalhistoryofJerusalemandtheirexpertiseisvaluedandsoughtbybothlocalandinternational scholars alike.AmongtheotherluminarieswhorepresentthesoulandessenceoftheArmenianpresenceintheHoly Land,YeghyaDickranianhasoptedforretirementfromhisarduousdutiesasdeputyheadmasterofthe parochialhighschool,butdraftsman,artistandpainterApkarHagopiancontinuestocreatemeticulously crafted canvases.TheSandrounibrothershavecarvedoutanicheforthemselvesinthehighlycompetitiveceramicsmarket, andSaroNakashian,formerheadofthebusinesseducationdepartmentatBirZeit,hasstartedhisown consultingbusiness.RaffiSafieh,whowithSarorantheArmenianPatriarchate'saudio-visualdepartment, carries on in the tradition of his father Hanna, the well-known Jerusalem photographer.Butoftheirchildren,thereislittleevidence.NotthatIwillhaverecognizedmanyofthem:afterall,it hadbeen15yearssinceIlastsawthem.Wherearethey,Iask?ThequeryisoneIwillunabashedlyposeto virtually every person I met.Andtheanswersaredisturbinglyanddistressinglyuniform:theremorselessPiedPiperofattritionhas passed this way, enticing away the bloom of youth."Bothmychildrenareaway,"saysDickranian."TheboymarriedaJerusalemgirlandtheyhavemovedto the States. My daughter is working there, too." Aghazarian's eldest daughter is getting married in Sweden. "My son is studying in the States," says another."I'vepackedmychildrenofftoAmerica,"anArabintellectualconfidestome."Theyhaveabetterfuture there."Hagop Antreassian,potterymakerturnedbusinessman,tellsmehischildrenhavehisblessingiftheywant to emigrate. But neither he nor his wife will think of moving.ThestreetsandalleysoftheArmenianQuarterbaskinthesummerstillness,eachtileandcobblestone recumbent with untold tales of woe and wonder, of adventure and misfortune.Thereisnosoundoflaughter.Noshoutsorreprimandstonaughtychildren.Nomusic.Nopitterpatterof tiny feet.Itislikeasurrealghosttown.Nothingbutmemories.Thesteadydemographicerosionhasseenthe numberof ArmeniansinJerusalemslumpfromapeakofover25,000priortothe1948 Arab-Israeliwartoan estimated 1,000 today, while the total number of Christians has been slashed by half, to 12,000.Butdespitethedifferencesamongthem,theChristiancommunitiesshareacommonconcern.Although some,liketheArmeniansandGreeks,aresometimesatloggerheadsovertheirinterpretationofthestatus quo,anOttomanlegacythatattemptstoinstilsomesortofharmonyinbilateralrelations,theyareunitedin thefaceofanyexternalthreattotheirpresence.UnityistheresoundingrefrainIamtohearfromGreek Patriarch Theophilos III when I call upon him."Wemustbeunited,notdivided,"hestresses.Andtimeandagain,Iamforcefullyremindedbyvarious churchleadersinJerusalemthatevenifnotasinglelaymemberoftheircommunityisleft,thechurchwill still be there."Allthingspass,thechurchremains,"echoesDrJohnTleel,aretireddentistandaleaderoftheRoum(or Greek) community. He reads to me from a speech he has made at an interdenominational gathering:"Whateverthecircumstancesitiswewhoareandwillremaintheguarantorsandthedeterminersofthe historyofallwhocame,whocomeandgoandweremain.Weareinthemiddlenowbecausewewerebefore andwillbeafter,wehavetobeconsciousandproud.Ourmissionisenormousandthismakesour responsibility and indispensability still grater and unique.""Therearemanyhistoriansbuthistoryisone,"headds.Intheirrelationswithnon-Christians,thechurches are loath to make waves."Wearedestinedtolivetogether,"Tleel,whohasjustpublishedamassivetomecalled"IamJerusalem", notes.ButJerusalemdoesnotbelongonlyto Arabs,Jews,ChristiansorMoslems:itbelongstotheworld,andthe world must ensure that its special status as a fount of spirituality must be kept sacrosanct, I am told.InthewordsofDrTleel,aJerusalemitehastobealittleofeverything:"anArab,aGreek,aRoum,an Orthodox,aChristian,aMuslim,Ramallah,Gaza,WestBank,EastBank,Palestine,Jordan,Transjordan, Israel, Israel the old, Israel the modern, Israel the new and the entire world."Iwalkon,pasttheRomanCardo,intotheMarketoftheSpiceMerchants,andcomeface-to-facewithan almostforgotten,erstwhilementor,"Abu Ahmad."(Hedoesnotwanthisrealnamepublished).Perchedona stoolinhislittleshopintheMarketoftheSpiceMerchants,adjacenttotheresurrectedRomanCardo,he nods to me. "You're back," he says, simply. "Not for long," I reply. He nods again. We talk. And I come away with a lesson I shall never forget because it will serve me well in life."Wheneverthereisamomentofpain,unhappinessordifficultyinmylife,Imentallyfast-forwardto anothermomentwhereIknowtherewillbepeaceandjoyandcomfort:whenmyheartisheavy,Ianticipate themomentwhenIwillbeputtingmyfeetup,readingabookIlove,orwatchingmyfavoriteshowonTV. And the pain is forgotten. If it comes back again, I fast forward again."