City Notes: Three northern districts win education award

Acre, Kiryat Shmona and Ma’alot- Tarshiha were last week named the winners of this year’s regional education awards in the northern district.

By TAMARA ZIEVE
Students from Amal school participate in debate 370 (photo credit: Amal group)
Students from Amal school participate in debate 370
(photo credit: Amal group)
NORTH
Acre, Kiryat Shmona and Ma’alot- Tarshiha were last week named the winners of this year’s regional education awards in the northern district.
“The Acre Municipality, the school principals and education staff in the city are investing a lot into improving the achievements of students in the city,” Acre Mayor Shimon Lankri said. “Acre is creating an innovative and up-to-date educational system while realizing the personal potential of every boy and girl regardless of religion, gender and origin, and while striving for excellence, both personal and as a community.”
Education Ministry northern district director Dr. Orna Simhon said that the prize is a “tool that is capable of producing motivation and empowerment of even more action, achievement, success, values and excellence.”
“It is testimony to the success of the teacher, the educator and the entire education system in touching the soul of the child and connecting to their world,” she continued, adding that the prize was an expression of appreciation of their wonderful work and of all those involved in it.
Umm el-Fahm resident arrested for murdering woman
Police on Sunday arrested a resident of Umm el-Fahm after he turned himself in at a local police station for the murder of a family member. Police arrived at his apartment in the village and found the body of a woman, aged 57.
Doctors find plastic stuck in patient ’s hand
A Haifa resident in his 60s arrived at the Bnei Zion Medical Center last week, complaining of a tingling in his fingers, the Local website reported.
Doctors from the hand surgery department discovered that the cause was a four millimeter-long piece of plastic in the shape of a bayonet that was pressing on a nerve in his hand.
Bnei Zion’s director of hand surgery, Dr. Shaul Goldstein, described the case as “rare.” “It’s not something you see often,” he said. Only through X-rays and precise testing were the doctors able to find the cause of the patient’s unusual sensation in the palm of his hand. Goldstein noted that despite difficulties in finding the piece of plastic, it was successfully removed through surgery in which doctors opened up the nerve. The patient’s condition was monitored following the operation.
14 homes evacuated as fire blazes in Revaya
Fourteen homes in Moshav Revaya in the Bet She’an Valley were evacuated last week as a precaution against a brush fire blazing in the area. Several chicken coops and greenhouses were damaged in the blaze.
Pedestrian hit by car in Migda l Ha’emek
A woman pedestrian was hit by a car in Migdal Ha’emek on Sunday afternoon, United Hatzalah reported. The woman, 20, was in moderate to critical condition and was taken to the hospital for further treatment.
CENTER
IAF opens bases to Holocaust survivors
The Israel Air Force hosted Holocaust survivors from Ramat Gan day centers at its bases last week, the Local website reported.
Fifty Holocaust survivors from the Mandelbaum Day Care Center visited the Sde Dov base together with another three survivors from the Miriam Marcus Center. Meanwhile, 48 survivors from the Weinberg Center visited the Palmahim base.
The groups toured various units, listened to their stories and watched a film about the flight over Auschwitz.
Art exhibition opens at Ra’anana Par k lake
A new art exhibition opened this week at the art gallery on the lake in Ra’anana Park, features an array of stone statues created by four artists. The theme of the exhibition is “Testimonies of Moments of Love” and is open until the end of the month.
The art display will be open to visitors from Sunday through Thursday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and 5 and 8 p.m. On Friday visiting hours are between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Bat Yam argument leads to bloodshed
An argument grew violent in Bat Yam during the early hours of the morning ahead of the weekend last week, Magen David Adom reported.
The conflict resulted in a 25-year-old man being stabbed repeatedly.
The man was brought to Ichilov Hospital in critical condition after receiving treatment from medics on the scene.
Tel Aviv cops take part in self-defense week
Police officers operating in Tel Aviv participated in a week-long self-defense course last week as part of a new nationwide initiative that will eventually be held in all districts. Tel Aviv was selected as the first district to undergo the training.
During the week police from various units attended the lessons, receiving basic training in self-defense in order to improve the physical safety of the officers and prevent them from using unnecessary force.
Supt. Uzi Kaplan, the head of self-defense at the operational fitness base, remarked, “Recently, we have witnessed an increase in violence against police officers. To combat the problem we decided that the best solution is to teach basic self-defense to officers. We view this as an experiment, as part of a series of changes that the police commissioner is leading.”
Tel Aviv man survives roof cave -in
A man miraculously survived after his roof caved in on top of him last week in Tel Aviv, a United Hatzalah spokesman reported.
The man sustained light injuries to the head for which he received treatment from medics on the scene.
“The roof caved in, in two places, including over the apartment of a doctor who became trapped and was lightly wounded,” medic Aryeh Shavit reported. “Miraculously, the tenants of the floor above [whose floor collapsed] were not home at the time of the incident.”
SOUTH
Ashkelon summertime game underway
The Ashkelon Municipality, the Barnea community and the Ashkelon Economic Corporation were set to launch an interactive cellular game this week for the city’s residents. The game focuses on the Barnea neighborhood with participation by Ashkelon residents, with the opportunity to win prizes.
The aim of the game is to strengthen and deepen ties between Barnea residents, for residents to get to know new areas in the developing neighborhood and to connect them with other residents of Ashkelon. “The neighborhood is not just a residence, but a dynamic place that is shaped and characterized by the people that live in it,” the municipality said.
The game, called “Discovering Barnea,” will last for five weeks and during that time the Ashkelon players will have to answer four questions each week – the answers to which will be revealed through barcodes in various areas of the neighborhood. Successful contestants can win valuable prizes weekly, including an iPad 4 and a 32-inch television. At the end of the game a multimedia 55-inch television.
will be a big raffled among all the participants. The game is the latest addition to a series of widespread activities conducted in the neighborhood in recent months by the Ashkelon Economic Corporation, which founded the “Barnea Community.” In the framework of these activities, the neighborhood residents have enjoyed shows by children’s stars in events open to the general public, along with open-air films.
Ashkelon Economic Corporation CEO Oren Gilad said he believed such activities “unify the community and allow children and parents to become more familiar with the area in which they live. We understand the importance of these activities and in the future, we will continue to run them.”
Beersheba police arrest minor over indecent acts
Beersheba detectives arrested a 15-year-old boy last week after they saw him unzipping his pants and flashing a girl, the Local website reported. The boy spotted the detectives and tried to flee, but was caught and arrested on suspicion of indecent acts and theft of mobile phones.
Beersheba police opened an investigation following separate complaints filed by two women regarding a youth who had flashed them, according to the report. Police found that the two cases occurred in close geographic proximity. The officers used an undercover policewoman as bait who alongside a team of undercover detectives, went to the area where they expected to find the suspect. As soon as the boy walked past the female officer, he unzipped his pants and exposed his genitals to her, resulting in the subsequent foot chase and arrest.
During the investigation that followed, the suspect linked himself to the previous cases as well as two incidents of smartphone theft a week earlier.