This week in Jerusalem

Peggy Cidor’s round-up of city affairs.

By PEGGY CIDOR
Zaka founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav during a rescue mission in Thailand. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Zaka founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav during a rescue mission in Thailand.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
 A lone voice Who says that illegal construction or transgressions take place only in the Arab or the underprivileged neighborhoods? Imagine one of the most luxurious residential areas in the city, David’s Village, facing the Old City, where lack of facilities is not exactly a major problem. Imagine a beautiful neighborhood where every single detail is given lot of attention in terms of cleaning, grooming and maintenance, yet conceals illegal construction or misuse of public space.
Although it sounds surprising, that is what is happening there. It might have remained undetected if not for one persistent resident who decided to take action. Solomon Ballas, who made aliya from England several years ago, has become rather unpopular in his neighborhood, following his adamant request for enforcement of the law. His complaint to the department of investigations for such cases resulted in a visit by city inspectors, who indeed identified the illegal use of parking lots. Ballas even received, through his attorney, a letter from the complaints department confirming the findings and stating that “The inspectors will continue their investigation and act according to their findings as required by law.”
However, since that letter, dated January 27, more than seven months have elapsed and nothing has happened. The parking lots are still being used illegally, and Ballas is losing patience.
Considering the short distance between David’s Village and Safra Square, one cannot help but wonder why more than seven months hasn’t been enough time to complete the investigation and take action against the offenders.
A municipal spokesman confirmed that a city inspector found illegal enclosure of parking places for personal use by the residents, and ruled that they must remove the structures. Fourteen structures have been removed, two will be removed by Succot, and seven residents submitted a request to allow them to keep the structures, a matter that is in the hands of the city’s legal adviser.
Planned but not expected A nice local victory for Mayor Nir Barkat: Last week, the local planning and construction committee approved the plan to build 2,200 housing units in the Arab neighborhood of Sawahara. In the framework of what Barkat calls his plan to boost the infrastructure and legal construction in the Arab neighborhoods, the plan for this neighborhood was a landmark.
Openly and publicly presented as another link in the chain of consolidating Israeli presence in the Arab part of the city, Barkat is promoting a policy of approving legal construction according to the city’s master plan – preserving areas of public spaces and roads.
It is worth noting, however, that there are about 1,000 illegal structures in this neighborhood, quite a few of them situated on what is planned as public spaces or buildings or roads. The new plan does not require any demolition of the illegal structures first, but sources at Safra Square say that in cases of illegal construction on plots designated for public use, there will be no hesitation to issue demolition orders.
That plan was also the reason for city councilman Arieh King, who fumed over what he called “rewarding lawbreakers,” to petition the court against the plan. As a result, Barkat dismissed him from all his duties and authority. But for the moment, King is still part of the coalition.
The current plan covers only 40 percent of the master plan for this neighborhood, which will be continued at a later date.
Honor all the way Founder and director of Zaka, Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, was honored last week by President Reuven Rivlin for the organization’s activities during Operation Protective Edge. Meshi-Zahav, a Jerusalemite from one of the most zealous haredi families, has come a long way since the days when he led riots against the police and the “Zionist” state.
Zaka and its volunteers are on hand day and night to respond to emergencies such as accidents and wars. At the event organized for the Zaka volunteers, Rivlin praised their activities.
Honorable pianist The Jerusalem Rubin Academy for Music and Dance awarded pianist and founder of the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival Elena Bashkirova a special distinction – Honorable Fellow of the Academy. The renowned pianist founded and is the artistic director of the annual festival, an international event that features some of the greatest names in the world of Western classical music.
The festival, founded in 1998, has opened its gates to special programs in which the academy and its teachers and students are invited, to promote the art of music in Jerusalem. This year’s festival will run until tomorrow.
In and out, Jerusalem style A new plan recently approved by the city council and the local planning and construction committee will allow the construction of a park in the Gonenim neighborhood and new housing in nearby Kiryat Menahem. The plan also includes the evacuation of old buildings and the construction of two high-rise apartment buildings of 22 to 25 stories each, which will consist of a total of 400 apartments.
The high-rises will be built close to the end of Hanurit and Costa Rica streets, overlooking the shopping center in Kiryat Menahem. These will replace the 100 apartment buildings built in the 1950s and ’60s, the majority of which cannot be renovated.
It is worth noting that the whole plan has been established with the complete cooperation of the residents through the efforts of social workers and community assistants in the neighborhood, with the help of the local council.
Special care Staff and parents associations in the Arab sector worked hard to prepare for the return to school. One of the decisions taken at meetings of the general Jerusalem Parents’ Association headed by Paz Cohen was to hold monthly meetings of the Arab parents’ committees, with the participation of Cohen and additional staff, to closely monitor any emerging problem in that sector.
Special attention and care have been given to the Amal Atarot school, where Muhammad Abu Khdeir studied, and which is one of the schools utilizing the Israeli curriculum (not all schools in the Arab sector chose to). According to school principal Fauwzi Abu Gosh, himself an Israeli Arab, none of his students have decided to renounce the Israeli curriculum, despite the tension and riots that took place during summer vacation. The first day and perhaps thereafter, the majority of school hours were to be devoted to events of the summer – from the Abu Khdeir murder through the riots and arrest of four of the school’s students.
Hag sameah Most charitable organizations put an emphasis on supplying food baskets towards the High Holy Days, since these days things are very expensive – precisely what makes it hard for underprivileged families in Jerusalem and the rest of the country. But there is also a different approach. For the boys and girls studying in boarding schools because their families cannot afford to feed or clothe them, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews – founded and headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein – has embarked on a joint project with the H&O clothing chain and donated 8,100 gift vouchers at a cost of NIS 2.5 million.
The students will be able to choose the outfits and accessories they want, providing a little comfort for the upcoming holidays. The list of items includes shoes, dresses and shirts, as well as school supplies.