Jerusalem as a whole

Yeru-Shalem focuses on urban planning to advance pluralism.

By ARIEL DOMINIQUE HENDELMAN
Orna Angel, architect, social activist and former deputy of urban planning for Jerusalem, speaks at the conference (photo credit: NAOR GAMLIEL)
Orna Angel, architect, social activist and former deputy of urban planning for Jerusalem, speaks at the conference
(photo credit: NAOR GAMLIEL)
For Yeru-Shalem, the Coalition for an Inclusive Jerusalem, pluralism in the holy city is achieved foremost through more thoughtful urban planning and an equitable distribution of public resources.
Although secular, traditional and modern Orthodox Jews make up the largest percentage of Jerusalem’s residents and sustain the city’s commerce, they are becoming increasingly marginalized in public policy.
These demographics are poorly represented, particularly in domains like Shabbat regulations, education, housing and cultural initiatives.
Founded in 2012, Yeru-Shalem consists of a coalition of representatives from 10 neighborhoods, including Beit Hakerem, Ramot, Kiryat Hayovel, Rehavia and the Katamonim.
“These neighborhoods face the same problems,” Yeru-Shalem director Inbal Cohen says.
“We are a leadership network from the pluralistic neighborhoods in Jerusalem. We understand civic needs and are fighting to ensure that Jerusalem serves its citizens seeking freedom of expression for all. The first target populations are the secular, Orthodox and liberal Jews who want to protect the open lifestyle of their neighborhoods, with the ultimate goal of achieving tolerance and harmony.”
Yeru-Shalem’s main project is focused on creating cultural events in the neighborhoods to show that things are happening on Shabbat in Jerusalem. The nucleus of the project is the belief that all citizens should feel as at home on Shabbat as they do on other days.
“We took a survey asking people what they think about the connection between themselves and Shabbat, opening up Jerusalem, and how at home they feel in the city,” Cohen states. “There was a clear connection between what activities they have available to them and their families, and whether they are open or not, conservative or not. We started to see patterns in every neighborhood; the same problems and issues.”
The organization began to zoom in on urban planning as another avenue to achieving the goal of pluralism.
Cohen points out that because there are not many new buildings in Jerusalem due to political issues, the municipality has taken action to renovate old buildings.
Yeru-Shalem recently held a conference on the nature of urban planning and its impact on the character of Jerusalem. Cohen stresses that this is one of the city’s most vital topics of discussion today.
“The city is at a critical point; residents must take an active role in shaping its future,” Cohen adds. The conference featured Orna Angel, a well-known architect, social activist and former deputy of urban planning for Jerusalem, plus other professionals who related their experiences with activists and concerned volunteers.
The event also featured slam poets Jonathan Bloomberg and Edo Nitzan, sharing thoughts on urban planning and renewal. The conference structure was in some ways a reflection of Yeru-Shalem itself, with two round tables enabling professionals and volunteers to discuss particular neighborhoods and problems faced. Discussions focused on public structures and urban renewal.
“We have a responsibility to see that building projects and urban planning are open and accessible to the public, so that we can see there is no corruption. We need to sit with maps and say for each neighborhood what we need. This affects our daily lives. Neighborhoods don’t have enough autonomy in terms of their own planning.
Architects and planners can say whatever they want and give their opinions, but if there is pressure from the haredi side, it’s not going to help. The point of the coalition is to know what’s going on in the neighborhoods and see what we can do to ensure that this kind of planning is going in the right direction. We are citizens and have needs. We are watching and united. This is the point of the coalition.”
The community councils of each neighborhood cannot wage these battles alone, as they receive funding from the municipality. Thus their hands are often tied when it comes to doing what’s best for local residents, even though their job is to ensure that the needs of their neighborhood are being met. Last January, the community council of Kiryat Hayovel wanted to organize a film screening on Shabbat. Mayor Nir Barkat was opposed.
The pressure on the community council was immense; the municipality threatened to cut funding for other necessary things if they went through with the film. In the end, they did not.
“This was only a movie,” Cohen emphasizes. “There are bigger issues. But it’s a good example of what’s going on. Most citizens don’t know, but they see the impact in their neighborhoods. Maybe they see a yeshiva and think, ‘I don’t need a new yeshiva, I need a kindergarten.’ They don’t know what process produced that result.”
Cohen believes it is our responsibility as a civil society to ensure that the character of Jerusalem is open and tolerant for all residents. Yeru-Shalem works on the principle that the future depends on urban planning.
“There is a phrase in Hebrew that you prepare a place for one person and another leaves,” Cohen says. “This is how it works here. We see Jerusalem as a microcosm of Israel. We are progressive, but we have many problems.”
Yeru-Shalem’s coalition, which serves as the board, is half religious and half secular. The coalition’s Orthodox participants are not only active, they are leading the charge.
“They understand that they may be here alone if they don’t care about the needs of others,” Cohen states. “If people don’t wake up, the capital of Israel will not be a Zionist entity for much longer.”
Yeru-Shalem is on its way to being an independent NGO and has the support of the Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation. The organization recently did a crowdfunding campaign; all the money went toward fostering events in the public sphere. This embodies Yeru-Shalem’s philosophy that when the public spaces are open, people feel a sense of belonging.
Yeru-Shalem, as its name indicates, aims to create an inclusive space for everybody. They know that people who feel their city is closed to them leave. This circles back to city planning and urban renewal. Guaranteeing that the municipality represents a true cross-section of Jerusalem’s citizens is paramount. Currently, the percentage of haredi representatives in the municipality is twice what it is outside of it.
“We can’t let the free market decide what Jerusalem is going to be in 10 years,” Cohen stresses.
“I live in Ramat Sharett, the same neighborhood I grew up in. My oldest daughter goes to the same school that I went to, but if things continue as they are, she will not send her kids there. I see my neighborhood going a different way. Ramat Sharett recently went to the courts over a haredi preschool that was put here. I have to take my daughters to a preschool in a different neighborhood. It doesn’t make sense. So there is a legal process happening. The neighborhood raised NIS 30,000 to hire a lawyer. The needs of the ultra-Orthodox must be met and their lifestyle deserves respect, but not at the expense of diversity and the needs of other parts of the population.”
As the 50th anniversary of the city’s reunification approaches, Yeru-Shalem has emerged as a powerful network of citizens and local leaders seeking to preserve the capital’s diversity by strengthening mixed neighborhoods, and thereby the city itself.