By PEGGY CIDORAt the burnt-out site of Oved’s Falafel on Bethlehem Road(photo credit: FACEBOOK)Do some homework The master plan for the Beit Hakerem neighborhood has been withdrawn by the local planning and construction committee, following firm opposition from residents, and has been re-sent to the professional staff at the city engineering department at Safra Square for significant revision.It was decided at last week’s committee meeting to review the plan after a large group of residents, backed by the local council of the neighborhood, protested against it, claiming it did not answer their needs and was prepared without their participation.After hearing the residents’ complaints and examining the plan, Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman announced that he was convinced that the plan required significant revisions. City engineer Shlomo Eshkol agreed and Turgeman sent the whole plan back for serious revision, taking into account the residents’ remarks.This is the first time that this committee has agreed to review a complete plan, and Turgeman called for “some serious homework to be done here” before resubmitting the plan to the committee for final approval.Bordellos around youBelieve it or not, the Jerusalem police force has managed to dismantle a chain of brothels that worked out of apparently normative locations.Three such establishments, owned and operated by the same team of two persons, functioned for the past few months in Gilo, East Talpiot and even in prestigious Rehavia. Suspicion was raised by neighbors who observed unusual activity in the buildings and communicated their suspicions to the police.One of the two operators was caught on location. The police also notified tax agents, since the owners of the business didn’t report their profits. Through their lawyers, the two declared that they were running a legitimate business of renting apartments in the city and did not realize what the tenants were doing inside.The two associates have been arrested by the police and an investigation is under way.Asked what aroused their suspicion, one of the neighbors explained that in such a quiet and small building, the sudden activity of so many men entering and leaving at various hours was the prime reason he and his wife felt that something improper was taking place in the rented apartment above them.No wedding here Are you planning a wedding at the Eretz Kedem festive venue? Perhaps you should plan again.The venue, located in the Mateh Yehuda region has been functioning without a business license on a plot of land that belongs to the state. The proprietors had no permit to use the 1,000+ sq.m. area, which is on a stretch of land designated for tourism activities. Despite repeated requests to vacate the spot and return it to the state for its original use, the owners of the venue continued to hold events there.Last week, the district court ruled that the owners have until June to evacuate the premises, and inspectors of the Israel Lands Authority, the lawful owners of the plot, are preparing to implement the verdict.Juicy stories Four people were arrested earlier this week following an investigation of the blackmailing of a former member of city council.Nachmaniel Sabban, a promising young face on the Shas city council list, resigned last September from his position as city counselor, without giving any reason for his decision. Sabban sent a letter of resignation to Mayor Nir Barkat and to party leader Arye Deri, declaring that the resignation was being tendered in “full faith” to his Jewish identity and “in confident hope for the imminent arrival of the Messiah.”At Safra Square, it was believed that Sabban resigned because he wanted to earn a livelihood (his commission at the city council was not paid), but it seems now that the reason behind the action was totally different. Sabban was recorded talking to one of the four suspects, saying that he was not observing Shabbat anymore and adding details about his sexual habits. At a certain point, the four suspects tried to blackmail him by threatening to go public with the recordings.The four have been arrested and the police are continuing the investigation. Still unclear is whether Deri knew about the facts and ordered Sabban to resign before the scandal broke.Not in our neighborhoodThree young haredi yeshiva students were arrested by police during riots in Geula last Monday evening.The protesters, who are opposed to the IDF drafting young haredim, tried to block the passage in Shabbat Square at the junction between Geula and Mea She’arim, and threw stones at passing vehicles.Observers in the haredi sector admit that there is a growing number of incidents inside the haredi neighborhoods, especially in Geula and Mea She’arim, against young haredi men who enlist in the IDF.In the framework of the efforts of some haredi public figures to stem the growing violence, it is worth noting that Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, once a leader of violence against seculars and symbols of the Zionist identity, uploaded a photo last week on his Facebook page showing him standing beside one of his sons – a soldier in one of the elite units of the IDF – in uniform. Meshi-Zahav added the caption: “Proud of my son.”Falafel mitzvaLooking for a good cause to contribute to? A new kind of mitzva combined with tasty food? The solution is simple. Treat yourself – and your friends and relatives, too – to a falafel. But not just any falafel. We are talking about the famous eatery on Bethlehem Road: Oved’s Falafel, which was completely destroyed by fire last week.Oved, who will never accept charity, is planning to reopen his kiosk next week and renew the modest business enterprise that he has run over the years with gentleness (not to mention culinary excellence) that made him a landmark.If you go there and buy your usual portion – perhaps even one extra – and if many others do the same, you will help him recover from the total loss he experienced recently.There is even a Hebrew Facebook page dedicated to this mission – or simply pop in on Bethlehem Road.
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