Avichai Avraham, until recently the chairman of the municipality employees' committee, has announced that despite his dismissal, he will continue to represent the 10,000 city hall employees to the best of his ability.
Avraham assumed the chairmanship three years ago, seeking to improve employee conditions without resorting to sanctions and strikes. During last fall’s mayoral campaign, Danny Bonfil, chairman of the Histadrut’s Jerusalem District, pledged full support for candidate Moshe Lion, saying that he expected all employees who are members of the Histadrut to help elect Lion.
Avraham felt that open support for a candidate could be a problem for the employees he represents. Bonfil’s dislike of that position apparently led to Avraham’s suspension, because he didn’t “provide the goods,” meaning employee benefits.
Avraham appealed the suspension, lost his case and was dismissed. Expressing surprise at the mayor’s lack of response, insiders warned of municipal strikes and work disruptions. Avraham announced that he will not give in and will get ready for the next elections for the committee members and chairman in January 2020.
Knesset bound?
Yonatan Yosef, a grandson of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, has served on the city council for three months so far (on the “United” list led by Arieh King) and is number three on Eli Yishai’s Knesset list – a list that represents those who left Shas, the party that Ovadia Yosef founded in 1984. Yosef junior, like former Shas president Yishai, is at odds with Shas and its present leaders.
If his party passes the electoral threshold and he is elected, young Yosef will continue a tradition launched in 1984, when two members of Jerusalem city council made their debuts in national politics upon moving from Safra Square to the Knesset.
Net gain
Barring the unforeseen, Jerusalem will be connected citywide to high-speed Internet. The SMBIT company will provide the technology. After two attempts years ago by former mayor Nir Barkat to provide such services, it seems that this time things are poised for success.
Robust Internet will connect most of the city’s basic infrastructures, such traffic signals and street lights and people virtually everywhere in the capital will be able to surf the Web rapidly free of charge.
Math lessons
Although equal funding may be the goal, Education Ministry figures reveal disparities in school budgets in Jerusalem. As a rule, religious high schools get more money per pupil than their public secular school counterparts. One explanation for this is that junior high and high schools in the public religious stream have higher tuition rates paid by the parents. According to ministry data, the highest per-pupil annual budget is that of the Ort Spania religious high school, with NIS 57,000 per student. At the other end of the scale is the Shuafat high school, with only NIS 15,000 per student. Between the extremes are prestigious secular high schools such as Leyada (NIS 24,000), Gimnasia Ivrit (NIS 25,000) and Boyar (NIS 19,000).
Armenian festival kicks off
The third annual Armenian community festival begins this Monday evening and will run until March 21 at the Museum of Natural History on Mohliver Street. Highlights include culture, music, arts and food, together with guided tours on Armenian history and more, with a special focus on the local community in the Old City. Topics of lectures, exhibitions and films include the relations between the Armenian and the Byzantine churches, Armenian pottery traditions, the history of the Armenian music and the tragic stories of Armenian orphans. Info and tickets: nuzteva@gmail.com or (02) 563-1116.