By PEGGY CIDORThe Jerusalem Botanical Gardens(photo credit: PR)Train in the valleyFollowing Mayor Nir Barkat’s decision to submit the plan for the light rail’s Blue Line to run along Emek Refaim Street, another split has occurred among the group of residents opposing the route. The more hard-core among the opponents have hired a lawyer, Eliad Shraga, known for his many struggles against the establishment, and have implemented a twopronged approach.On one side, they attack the procedure, pointing out several breaches in regard to residents’ rights; they are also taking the regular tack of submitting as many objections to the plan as permissible by law. For now, most of their energy is focused on finding cracks in the legal process and presenting it to the court. Meanwhile, the District Planning and Construction Committee, which has the prerogative to make a final decision on the project, will be handling as many objections as possible.As for the split within the group, the residents had a major disagreement over the best policy to use. The secessionists argued that the best way to achieve their goal was through dialogue with Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan staff, who presented the Blue Line plan. The rest of the group believed there was no chance of reaching any such agreement, so they decided to wage an open struggle, hired the lawyer and are determined not to surrender until they obtain the desired end result.Asked how many supporters they have at this stage, Mordechai Avraham, one of the leaders of the residents’ group, said they already have 350 signatures, but it is estimated that 1,000 residents will join the opposition to the plan.New York, New YorkThe Big Apple is the first destination chosen by Uri Lupolianski, former mayor of Jerusalem and one of the people convicted in the Holyland affair. Lupolianski was sentenced to seven years in prison, which was commuted to community service due to his medical condition. This month, upon completing his sentence, he will get his passport back and be allowed to travel out of the country.Lupolianski, who established and managed Yad Sarah, a nonprofit that lends medical equipment to individuals across the country, is the major fund-raiser for the organization, which has been recognized by the UN for its exemplary volunteer work and is a model for other countries.In its central building on Herzl Boulevard in Beit Hakerem, Yad Sarah now has a modern, fully equipped, interactive visitors’ center.No thank you Believe it or not, at Safra Square some high-ranking officials believe that employees must be advised not to accept any gifts. To that end, city hall is running a training program for all of its employees (more than 7,000), teaching them how to refuse gifts offered by residents who come to seek municipal services. The training course includes videos staging specific situations and how employees should respond, while maintaining a respectful dialogue with the residents.New guy in the gardensThe Jerusalem Botanical Gardens at Givat Ram has a new general director.Replacing Oren Ben-Yosef this week, Tom Amit Freiman draws from extensive experience at environmental and sustainable sites, including years serving as a guide at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. His plans include enrichment of the values of nature that visitors to the gardens take away and apply in their lives after their visit, and he would like a visit there to become a “must” for both city residents and tourists.The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, the largest of their kind in the country, boast more than 10,000 species of plants from around the world. In addition to being a popular attraction for leisure and appreciation, they are a center for related studies and serves as a bank of plant specimens to protect and safeguard rare species.The sounds of childrenA nice evening for children and their families was planned last Saturday night, on what happened to be New Year’s Eve.It turned out to be an evening of anger and frustration for all sides, with the police preventing the children – all members of the Ezra youth movement – and their guests from entering the building.Instead, they stood waiting outside in the cold and the rain.The incident followed complaints from neighbors about the noise that the movement’s activities have been making for a long time. As one of the neighbors related, “The Ezra chapter in the German Colony is a constant cause of disturbances that negatively affect the local quality of life. The chapter is planted in the middle of a quiet residential area, yet that doesn’t prevent the children and their counselors from blasting loud, obnoxious, repetitive music at night throughout the year.” The resident added that the music continues well beyond the hours permitted by city ordinances and national laws. Neighbors claim that repeated appeals to Ezra counselors have been largely ignored, although the police came more than once to enforce noise laws.Last week, the police decided to show up before the event started, and only after extensive discussions with the Ezra counselors was the event allowed to take place.A spokesman for the Jerusalem police said that since the youth did not respect the conditions laid out to them before the event began – which caused the police to come three times to the place – their amplifier was confiscated and given back only after they committed themselves not to break the law again.New spiritMore than a decade after she created New Spirit, one of the city’s most influential associations for the young generation, Elisheva Mazya is leaving her position as CEO and moving on. But not too far away – just to the Treasury.New Spirit was founded in 2003 in the framework of Barkat’s mayoral campaign – a campaign that didn’t succeed at the time. The association aimed to enhance the image of the capital in the eyes of young Jerusalemites – and find ways to enable the city to regain its luster in the minds of the waves of young locals who were moving to Tel Aviv year after year. The group took measures to upgrade the city’s role as a major center for art, develop economic opportunities and foster community spirit. It created a framework for more than 2,000 students and young adults to become involved in various projects to promote the local economy and cultural life.New hope The latest updates regarding the situation at the Smadar movie theater sound positive. Following the engagement of Deputy Mayor Ofer Berkowitz, the key parties involved – the owners (the Harish family) and the representatives of the Lev chain – agreed to meet at Berkowitz’s office last week and reached a temporary agreement.The Smadar will continue to operate until May 2017, enabling the parties to work toward a more permanent solution.The prompt and large reaction and engagement of the public, which showed up at the meetings and purchased subscriptions at NIS 300 each (more than 1,200) helped to create facts on the ground – namely, the understanding of the owners that they could not ignore the feelings of such a large public – which even includes even the wife of President Reuven Rivlin, Nechama.Following the decision at city council four years ago initiated by former council member Pepe Alalu (Meretz) that limited the use of the building to cultural and entertainment purposes only, the owners were left with a property that could not be upgraded (e.g. sold to an investor for luxurious apartments) and refused to pay for repairs of the roof necessary for safety. The Lev owners said they could not fund these repairs, hence the decision to close down.Now the owners have agreed not to raise the rent until May, while the Lev people try to find ways to finance the repairs. On another front, the municipality, which cannot under any circumstances allocate public money to this private endeavor, has agreed to do the only thing it can – fund cultural and educational services provided by the Lev managers.It is still too early to say whether the Smadar is finally out of danger, but at least there is room for some optimism.Arnona, my loveHave you wondered lately why you didn’t get this annual friendship declaration from the municipality – the request to pay your city taxes, otherwise known as arnona? Well no need to celebrate – the bills are on their way. They are not even late, since the city council voted a few months ago, to start the payments later than in previous years. As of 2017, the payment due date is no longer January 1, but January 28. No further explanations were forthcoming from Safra Square, just a promise that the bills are on their way.
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