By PEGGY CIDORJerusalem Tent Protest 311(photo credit: Melanie Lidman)Holy protestThe tent protest continues, and there are now five camps in our city. The largest one, known as the Single Mothers Camp, located in the park below King George Avenue, hosted two guests this week who attracted hundreds of residents.Rabbi Menahem Froman and singer Ehud Banai presented a program of protest songs and some talmudic learning, all focused on justice, solidarity and peace.
Another special guest was Ibrahim El-Awa, a resident of the Mount of Olives neighborhood and an old friend of Froman’s who, like him, is dedicated to promoting peace. Froman, who is suffering from cancer, was brought in a wheelchair but was nevertheless full of energy. The large audience listened to him with rapt emotion.The organizers of the evening – which will be followed by more daily programs of talmudic learning and music – were members of the Tikkun movement, established by Dr. Meir Buzaglo, which calls for more Jewish values and solidarity in the country. According to the organizers, Shlomo Bar and Kobi Oz are among the lineup for the next performance at the tent camp.Vicki, the single mother who initiated the camp, opened the evening by saying that she hoped the expressions of solidarity she and her friends have felt for the past four weeks will continue and increase until “something really essential will change here.”Housing for allFollowing a tough protest against the Housing Ministry’s project, leaders of Hitorerut, represented on the city council by Meirav Cohen, have announced that Housing Minister Ariel Attias (Shas) has agreed to expand the criteria of a new housing plan for young families.Originally, the plan was meant only for young but large families which, notes Cohen, meant that only Orthodox families, who qualify with at least four children, would be eligible.“Now that the plan, which is based on a discount of 50 percent of the price of the land on which the houses are to be constructed, is open to all young families who don’t have any other housing solution, we can be sure that it is a fair proposal,” she says.Cohen adds that this is not really a new plan.It has been implemented in the past but only in the periphery, “but now it will also include Jerusalem, and it is a genuine solution for young families who want to remain in the city but can’t afford the prices.”To change the ministry’s decision, Cohen says that she and her colleagues in Hitorerut followed Attias for many days, held vigils in front of his offices and submitted their request to him, which was finally accepted.Never too lateKen La-Zaken, an association created to provide support and counseling for seniors, is joining the housing protest that is spreading across the country. “We have been invited by the organizers of the protest movement to join and add our particular concerns,” explains social worker and founder of the association Nathan Lavon. He says a list of specific needs has been submitted to the alternative team led by Prof. Aviah Spivak but has also been sent to Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg’s team, “just to be on the safe side.”What remains to be seen is if the representatives of our elderly have been asked to bring their own tents to the protest sites.Not so much fun“A tough secular answer to the haredi threat against secular culture in Jerusalem” is the title of Saturday’s event scheduled at the Khan Theater. In response to the last haredi demonstrations against secular events held outdoors on Shabbat, the young leadership in the city – New Spirit and Hitorerut – have decided to fight back. The opposition to the events was organized by the Eda Haredit, an extremist group that does not even recognize the state, but representatives of the city’s coalition took part in its planning.“The feeling is that even if this is not organized by city council members, it might finally take us back to the days when secular residents didn’t dare hold cultural events on Shabbat,” explains Elisheva Mazia, head of New Spirit, the student and youth organization in the city. “It’s time we stopped explaining and apologizing and just do what we need to do so the city can offer something for its young population to enjoy.”As a first step, and after last week’s demonstration by haredi residents at Shabbat Square in protest against secular events held too close to haredi neighborhoods, the Khan Theater courtyard will host the first in a series of events called Shabbat in Jerusalem. Between 2 and 8 p.m., everyone is invited to take part. This week’s event features rock singer Hemi Rodner and will include singing, dancing and anything else that befits a secular cultural event.We’ll be in the moviesThe Jerusalem Municipality and the Jerusalem Development Authority are expanding the project to bring filmmakers to include the city in their movies. After the local film industry reached a peak when Footnote – which was shot entirely in Jerusalem – won Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, they are now inviting foreign moviemakers to include the city in their upcoming projects.The project includes a package deal of $400,000 to encourage producers and directors to make their films and TV shows here. The special incentive will be based on the place given to the city in the scenarios, the creativity of the proposed films and the investment value of the production during its filming in terms of income for the city.The project is being promoted through the new film foundation at the JDA. One of its most recent projects is 24-hour Jerusalem, in which local and foreign producers (including one Palestinian) will participate, featuring stories that take place in the city, with an emphasis on the human element (not the political aspects), co-produced by the German and French TV network Arte.
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