Last week, the municipality warned the organizers and members of Bar-Kayama that they are requested not to engage in any activity involving politics at the Barbur Gallery.
By PEGGY CIDORShai Glick: Battling with Barbur Gallery(photo credit: FACEBOOK)
Inside the picturesque alleys of Ohel Moshe, part of the Nahlaot neighborhood, stands a low structure surrounded by a small garden – the Barbur Gallery, a space for art, gardening and social activities.Because the gallery is run by the nonprofit Bar-Kayama, which operates from a place that belongs to the municipality, the gallery is subject to the rules of a public space, which preclude holding political activities there.Last week, following a claim submitted by a local right-wing activist, the municipality warned the organizers and members of Bar-Kayama that they are requested not to engage in any activity involving politics.Shai Glick, a nephew of Temple Mount activist and MK Yehudah Glick, does not approve of the openly left-wing character of recent activities at Barbur, which included a workshop run by Darkenu, an organization linked to V-15, an association that worked during the last general election to encourage people not to vote for Benjamin Netanyahu. Another such event was an evening with members of Ta’ayush, a movement that, according to NGO Monitor, “promotes a narrative based solely on Palestinian victimization and Israeli aggression.” Bar-Kayama maintains that there is nothing against the rules in its scheduled activities, which therefore will not be canceled.Safra Square would rather not to have to deal with this issue: “Nobody wants this administration identified with repression of social activism, but once there is a complaint, we have to look into it,” said a source in the municipality’s legal department.This is not the first time that Bar-Kayama and the Barbur Gallery face inquiries into their activities by the municipality following complaints by right-wing activists.Is the screening of a documentary on a group of residents aimed to help Palestinian rights in the region an activity that shouldn’t be held in a public space? Glick is adamant. He declares time and again that he will not rest until any trace of radical left-wing activities held in public spaces that belong to the city disappears. Left-wing activists argue that raising awareness of political events and encouraging residents to engage in such activities do not break the rules, and therefore there is no intent to cancel any of these activities or programs.In the background are the requests of some residents of the neighborhood that the structure be used only for local needs, such as adding kindergartens for the growing haredi population of Nahlaot and nearby Mahaneh Yehuda, instead of enabling activities that attract mostly residents from outside the neighborhood.In the middle of all this stands the municipality, which, for the moment, has summoned the Bar-Kayama people to a second hearing (the first was held several months ago) about the situation in Barbur, scheduled for next week. The Bar-Kayama people hope that things will again calm down, so that they may continue with the cultural and social programs.At the Darkenu organization, however, voices have been raised against any attempt of the municipality to interfere in its programs, with talk of an eventual appeal to the High Court of Justice.And Glick? He is convinced that he will win this case. Stay tuned.
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