City Notes: Norwegians nursing students arrive in North

From around Israel, the round up of news you need to know.

By MICHAEL OMER-MAN
Netanya Laniado 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Netanya Laniado 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
NORTH
A group of Norwegian nursing students arrived in the North last month to take part in an exchange program with the University of Haifa, focusing on clinical psychology.
In the program, which is taking place at the Tirat Carmel Mental Health Center, the students learn about new treatment methods and ways of coping with certain patients and conditions, including methods for dealing with cultural, linguistic and religious differences between patients and medical staff, explained Tal Drori, the center’s head of nursing.
Although the visiting students are working under regular staff, they are interacting with patients, and linguistic and cultural issues are mitigated by the fact that many of the patients speak English. Drori quipped that “the patients were able to thaw the Norwegian cold.”
The hospital also noted that the students arrived during Operation Pillar of Defense, and that despite concerns they and their families had, the Norwegians expressed enthusiasm and said they would become unofficial ambassadors for Israel upon their return home.
Haifa officer finds his own stolen phone It is already a sign of bad luck for a criminal to get arrested, but one young juvenile delinquent saw his self-imposed misfortune multiply upon his arrival at a Haifa police station’s interrogation chamber last week.
The 17-year-old was arrested after a patrol officer discovered he was carrying a knife on a city street, the Local website reported. But when he was brought to the police station for interrogation, the investigating officer – himself a recent victim of property theft – found a cellular phone he suspected was his own.
The phone had been stolen from him on an area beach some two weeks before, according to the report. When he checked the phone in the suspect’s possession, it became clear that it was indeed the device stolen on the beach.
CENTER
Togo president plants tree during Israel visit Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé marked his arrival in Israel last week by planting a tree in the Nations of the World Forest in the country’s Center. Speaking at the ceremony, Gnassingbé said his tree “represents the good relations between our countries and our shared desire to build a better world together.”
In the traditions of his country, he added, “if you planted a tree, it’s a sign you’ve led a meaningful life. Planting symbolizes growth, development and prosperity.”
Other dignitaries who have planted trees in the forest in recent years include United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former German president Horst Köhler.
Petah Tikva man killed in crane collapse A man was killed on Thursday when a crane collapsed at a construction site in Petah Tikva. MDA paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene after attempts to resuscitate him failed. No one else was injured in the accident.
Justice Ministry workers lauded for bus bomb reactions The Justice Minister’s Office held a ceremony this week granting certificates of appreciation to Justice Ministry security guards and officers, one lawyer and one legal intern for their actions following last week’s Tel Aviv bus bombing.
The 13 ministry employees were the first to arrive at the scene of the terror attack, which took place next to the State Attorney’s Office. Overcoming the panic inherent in such an attack, the security officers and employees put out the fire on the bus, administered first aid, blocked off traffic to the area and were able to gather witnesses in order to pass valuable information to police as they arrived on the scene, according to the ministry.
“Your dedication is commendable,” Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman told the honorees at the small ceremony in Tel Aviv. “The sages said that whoever saves a life in Israel saves the whole world.”
He added, “In the name of the government of the State of Israel and in the name of the Justice Ministry, I would like to give you [our] appreciation for your blessed deeds and life-saving actions.”
3 killed, 17 injured in road accidents in one day Three people were killed and 17 injured in three car accidents on Sunday.
In an accident on Petah Tikva’s Jabotinsky Street, a pedestrian died after being hit by a bus. In Nazareth, an 85-year-old woman was killed when a vehicle hit her car early Sunday morning; police detained the driver for questioning.
An accident involving three cars on Route 4 left one person dead and six others injured – one severely, one moderately and four lightly.
Meanwhile, 10 people were hurt in a traffic accident on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway Sunday morning.
Among them were three children, suffering from light to moderate injuries. Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated the casualties to Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center, and to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer.
In addition, a 20-year-old bike-rider sustained severe injuries in a Karmiel motorcycle accident.
Netanya’s Laniado wins nat’l hospital beauty prize For the fifth year running, Laniado Medical Center in Netanya was awarded the “flag of beauty” this week in a nationwide competition among hospitals.
The Council for a Beautiful Israel singled out Laniado, which won in the category of hospitals with under 900 beds, for its superior work in environmental friendliness, cleanliness and aesthetics for the past five years.
The hospital noted that it had not changed anything since receiving the previous awards, but that the results spoke for themselves.
The Health Ministry co-sponsored the award, which is in its 18th year and judges dozens of medical centers annually.
In the judging process, Laniado also presented the committee with new projects it was planning, including an orthopedics department, an intensive care unit, a neonatal unit, a dialysis unit and a maternity ward.
Laniado director-general Rabbi Haim Hammerman noted that along with cutting-edge medical care, “a clean and enjoyable environment, clean sheets and improved appearances of departments play a large part in the recovery of patients at the hospital.” He emphasized that mental recovery was no less important than physical recovery, and that the hospital had made that a major theme of its patient care.
TA-Jaffa residents have highest city pride Tel Aviv-Jaffa ranks No. 1 among the country’s municipalities when it comes to the amount of pride residents take in the city, according to a poll released last week.
The Geocartography Institute released the study’s findings at a municipal conference in Jerusalem, the Local website reported.
Coming in behind Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Jerusalem residents were secondproudest to live in their city, followed by Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Ra’anana and Ashdod, according to the report.
Tel Aviv-Jaffa also has the best-liked mayor in the country, Ron Huldai, according to a popularity poll the Geocartography Institute presented. Once again, Jerusalem came in second with Mayor Nir Barkat, the website reported.
Also notable is that 70 percent of the Israeli public said they were proud to be residents of the city or town in which they lived, Local reported. In addition, over half of the respondents said they felt their respective mayors were working for the benefit of the residents they represented.
SOUTH
Southern police head thanks officers serving under fire Israel Police Southern District commander Asst.-Ch. Yoram Halevy sent his thanks last week to thousands of police officers and volunteers for their work in keeping residents of the South safe during last month’s Operation Pillar of Defense, the Local website reported.
Noting that he had been promptly promoted to the Southern District command at the start of the fighting, Halevy said he had been happy to find “commanders, officers and professional volunteers who were dedicated, motivated and, with willingness and fervor, ready to give as much of themselves as was demanded in order to preserve the peace in the South, protecting both [personal] security and property,” Local reported.
The police professionals’ dedication, steadfastness and operations “are a source of strength, courage and [inspiration] to carry on for residents of the South in the complex reality” in which those residents live, he added, according to the report.