City Notes: United Hatzalah treats some 1,000 people over snowstorm

What's going on in the North, South and Center.

By TAMARA ZIEVE
Beach at Bat Yam (photo credit: COURTESY BAT YAM MUNICIPALITY)
Beach at Bat Yam
(photo credit: COURTESY BAT YAM MUNICIPALITY)
NORTH
The United Hatzalah organization responded to some 1,000 medical and humanitarian cases during last weekend’s blizzard.
In order to enable emergency medical teams to reach patients and casualties speedily, volunteer doctors, paramedics and medics – in cooperation with the Health Ministry’s Emergency Department – spread out in their vehicles in strategic areas of Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Safed, Gush Etzion, Samaria and Binyamin.
The teams of volunteers equipped themselves with snowsuits, overshoes, thermal hats and gloves, and blankets to prevent hypothermia. Those working in snowy areas also had chains for their vehicles’ tires. In addition, 4x4 vehicles were mobilized to these areas to allow off-road access so the volunteers could provide first aid and transfer patients to clinics.
“Volunteers from the organization worked with jeeps to help the Barel unit, and rescued civilians and women in labor who were stuck in traffic on roads that were blocked at the entrance and exit to Jerusalem,” said United Hatzalah chairman Ze’ev Kashash after the weekend. “I would like to thank all the civilians and volunteers who recruited, and gave aid with rovers and 4x4s, and gave their time to the wider public throughout the country who needed assistance.”
Young activists brave storm to show support for farmers
Despite the cold and the storm last week, the Hanoar Ha’oved Vehalomed movement went out to show support for farmers, in a call to the government to provide them with a financial safety net.
Members of the Jordan Valley branch of the organization demonstrated at the Tzemah shopping center in a show of solidarity as plummeting produce prices have hit farmers hard. The demonstrators handed out pamphlets to passersby and gave out fruit salad made from fruits grown in the region. They also held signs demanding that the state intervene in the agricultural crisis, with slogans reading “Save Israel’s farmers from bankruptcy!” Ariel Katz, the movement’s Jordan Valley coordinator, explained the cause’s importance to the region: “The Jordan Valley [regional] council is entirely based on agriculture, and therefore it is only natural that the leaders and members of the youth movement come out to support the farmers and try to help prevent a crisis.
Our goal is to awaken the public to what is happening and to demand that the state support the farmers before the situation gets worse.”
He added that “agriculture is true Zionism and has a vital role in the nutritional security of the State of Israel.”
Wine-lovers head to Haifa festival
The Salute 2015 wine festival presented 25 wineries last week at the Haifa Convention Center, where festival-goers received a glass and the opportunity to taste about 120 different wines.
There were also cheese, olive oil, dim sum and bakery stands, accompanied by jazz and Latin music. Guests were invited to hear lectures about the various wines as well.
The event, which came a week after Jerusalem’s annuall kosher wine festival, was geared toward the business and private sector, hotel and restaurant owners and members of the public interested in getting acquainted with the world of wine.
Guy Epstein, the owner of the company that produces and organizes the festival, said, “We see the exposure and growth of the wine consumption culture in Israel as an important subject and are working on the matter for the benefit of all wine-lovers. The audience that comes to the festival can enjoy fine wine and a cheerful and lively atmosphere, while enriching their knowledge in wine culture.”
CENTER
Bat Yam launches program to promote women in sports
Bat Yam joined the Culture and Sport Ministry’s Athena program this year, which works to promote girls and women in sports via activities and special projects.
The move was the initiative of Anat Livnat, manager of the physical education wing of the city’s sports department and adviser to the mayor. The program is now operating in the city’s elementary schools, two junior high schools and six sports associations, in the fields of tennis, sailing, volleyball, surfing, judo and gymnastics.
The Athena program was established in late 2005 following a government decision to create a public council to promote girls and women in sports. The vision of the program is to create social change in the country’s sports culture, in a way that will ensure the full partic - ipation of girls and women in all areas of sports, at all levels.
The Bat Yam program seeks to engage as many students as possible in sports activities, to find talented students who do not usually practice sports and build a professional team that will continue to train and play in the framework of the sports associations.
“When I saw the call for applications, I knew that this was one of my obligations and my contribution to society, as director of the PE department and a consultant on the status of women,” says Livnat. “As a former athlete, I have no doubt that sports is one of the most meaningful tools for girls.”
Francophiles indulge in gourmet cuisine during French Culinary Week
The third edition of French Culinary Week, “So French So Good,” took place across the country last week, organized by the French Embassy.
A delegation of 20 leading French chefs traveled to Israel for the occasion and participated in the event to - gether with local chefs.
Cities participating in the event included Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Tiberias and Acre. The chefs put to - gether menus for their Israeli audience so participants could experience French cuisine. The event also included cooking classes, and a gourmet French market was set up at the Tel Aviv port to sell cheese, sausages, chocolate and wine.
The Mega supermarket chain also participated, selliing special French products throughout February.
Amid rising anti-Semitism in Europe, Taglit-Birthright brings groups to Israel
As security concerns for European Jews have been growing due to increasing anti-Semitism, Taglit-Birthright Israel currently has groups from France, the US, Germany, the UK, Brazil, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia touring Israel.
Their stay in the country entails a 10-day educational trip through landmarks across the country, from the Dead Sea to Masada and Yad Vashem.
Taglit-Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark says that in the past year, his organization “took a strategic position to invest and significantly increase its actions to bring more young Jewish adults to Israel from France and will continue to do so under any circumstances.”
Korean delegation in Israel to promote tourism
 A delegation from the South Korean Tourism Authority recently visited Israel to promote tourism coopera - tion between the two countries. Heading the delegation was Kim Kyon-Soo, director of the Tourism Authority’s Istanbul branch.
Israel and Korea are marking 53 years of diplomatic relations. The number of Korean tourists visiting Israel is the highest of all the Asian countries and is growing every year, with some 30,000 Korean tourists in 2014.
More than 12,000 Israelis visited Korea last year, a statistic that has also increased annually.
SOUTH
Security forces rescue two motorists stranded in flood IDF helicopters and police rescued two motorists stranded on Route 222 due to the flooded Nahal Habesor. The two central Israel residents were evacuated to the hospital for treatment.
Eilat wins Culture and Sport prize
Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat presented Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak with her ministry’s sports prize last week. The mayor received the award at a fes - tive ceremony attended by the leading authorities that invested in culture and sports in the past year.
“The prize constitutes a great compensation for our investment in the field of sports, and as such, recog - nition in our work to promote sports in Eilat and the transformation of the city into a leading sport city,” said the mayor.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the ministry is awarding the prize, to the tune of NIS 1.1 million.
Livnat initiated the award in order to encourage local authorities to promote and foster activities in the fields of culture and sports for the benefit of their residents.
The prize goes to the top three cities in the categories of big city, small city, local council and regional council.