Belly dancing If belly dancing is your secret dream, it may well be close to coming true. Hamsa, the center that teaches belly dancing for all ages, is opening next week at the Philip Leon Community Center in Kiryat Hayovel. Yam Even-Shahar, who until recently worked in PR, has studied the secrets of this famous Oriental dance for years and is now is ready to teach the exotic technique to individuals, as well as groups. Hamsa wanted to create an interest in Oriental dancing as an art form through training and serious study because belly dancing is not just a way to move your body but a serious art and culture that requires a professional approach. The workshop will include dance training, special attire and classes in the cultural roots of belly dancing.New life for an old rail Two kilometers of bicycle paths will be inaugurated on Thursday, following years of planning and work done to transform the route of the old railway tracks into a green space that includes a walking path, a bicycle lane and a few playgrounds for children. What was planned until less than five years ago as a highway that would have cut right into Baka and the German Colony has turned into one of the most successful community projects. Thanks to the residents’ determination not to surrender to what they considered a real ecological threat to their neighborhood, the municipality finally agreed to change the plan, and now it’s time for celebration.On Thursday, in the presence of Mayor Nir Barkat and the CEO of the Jerusalem Development Authority, Moti Hazan, who implemented the residents’ plans, Messila Park will be inaugurated. And this is just the beginning. Ultimately, the park will extend through seven kilometers along the southern neighborhoods of the city.School on suspension The residents of Beit Hanina will apparently have to wait a few more years until they have the new school they have been awaiting for more than six years. The reason is not lack of funds but strong opposition from the neighbors of nearby Neveh Ya’acov, who fear that a high school at the junction will incite young Arab students to throw stones or worse. The Beit Hanina neighborhood council was ready to make it a girls’ school or a school for children with disabilities, but to no avail.Now it is not only the residents of Neveh Ya’acov but also those of Pisgat Ze’ev who are opposed to the whole idea of building a school for Arab students so close to the Jewish neighborhoods.At the municipality, the city’s engineer and the president of the planning and construction committee are trying to find alternative solutions, but for the moment the school’s construction is frozen. Meanwhile, according to the Ir Amim association, there are still more than 4,000 Arab students who have no classes in which to study. Pepe Allalu, the deputy mayor in charge of education in east Jerusalem, says he is “deeply upset” and promises not to give up until a solution is found.
This week in Jerusalem
Peggy Cidor's round-up of city affairs
Belly dancing If belly dancing is your secret dream, it may well be close to coming true. Hamsa, the center that teaches belly dancing for all ages, is opening next week at the Philip Leon Community Center in Kiryat Hayovel. Yam Even-Shahar, who until recently worked in PR, has studied the secrets of this famous Oriental dance for years and is now is ready to teach the exotic technique to individuals, as well as groups. Hamsa wanted to create an interest in Oriental dancing as an art form through training and serious study because belly dancing is not just a way to move your body but a serious art and culture that requires a professional approach. The workshop will include dance training, special attire and classes in the cultural roots of belly dancing.New life for an old rail Two kilometers of bicycle paths will be inaugurated on Thursday, following years of planning and work done to transform the route of the old railway tracks into a green space that includes a walking path, a bicycle lane and a few playgrounds for children. What was planned until less than five years ago as a highway that would have cut right into Baka and the German Colony has turned into one of the most successful community projects. Thanks to the residents’ determination not to surrender to what they considered a real ecological threat to their neighborhood, the municipality finally agreed to change the plan, and now it’s time for celebration.On Thursday, in the presence of Mayor Nir Barkat and the CEO of the Jerusalem Development Authority, Moti Hazan, who implemented the residents’ plans, Messila Park will be inaugurated. And this is just the beginning. Ultimately, the park will extend through seven kilometers along the southern neighborhoods of the city.School on suspension The residents of Beit Hanina will apparently have to wait a few more years until they have the new school they have been awaiting for more than six years. The reason is not lack of funds but strong opposition from the neighbors of nearby Neveh Ya’acov, who fear that a high school at the junction will incite young Arab students to throw stones or worse. The Beit Hanina neighborhood council was ready to make it a girls’ school or a school for children with disabilities, but to no avail.Now it is not only the residents of Neveh Ya’acov but also those of Pisgat Ze’ev who are opposed to the whole idea of building a school for Arab students so close to the Jewish neighborhoods.At the municipality, the city’s engineer and the president of the planning and construction committee are trying to find alternative solutions, but for the moment the school’s construction is frozen. Meanwhile, according to the Ir Amim association, there are still more than 4,000 Arab students who have no classes in which to study. Pepe Allalu, the deputy mayor in charge of education in east Jerusalem, says he is “deeply upset” and promises not to give up until a solution is found.