Haifa nonsmokers to be compensated

Camel restaurant patrons entitled to 500 NIS compensation for second hand smoke.

By MICHAEL OMER-MAN
Haifa (photo credit: Buyitinisrael.com)
Haifa
(photo credit: Buyitinisrael.com)
NORTH
Patrons of the beachside Camel restaurant in Haifa are entitled to compensation for being exposed to second-hand smoke, a judge ruled this week on a lawsuit filed by four plaintiffs late last year. The four, who went to the restaurant last June, had asked to sit in a nonsmoking section but found that other customers were smoking in the area. According to the complaint, they requested that the waitress ask the other customers to stop smoking, which the customers refused to do. Later, they claimed, the waitress admitted that smoking was in fact permitted, even in the nonsmoking section.
The disgruntled nonsmokers initially refused to pay their bill and demanded to speak to the manager. They also requested that a restaurant employee call municipal inspectors to cite those violating the indoor smoking law, but claimed police were only called much later, Mynet reported. The judge awarded damages to the four and, in addition, ruled that any customer who suffered from secondhand smoke between June 26 and November 28, 2010 (the time between the incident and the filing of the lawsuit) is entitled to NIS 500 in damages.
Unusual cemetery discovered in kibbutz
A new twist on a familiar discovery took place last week when a cemetery was found under a shed being demolished at Kibbutz Afikim. A quick reading of the long-forgotten tombstones, however, made it clear that the site was neither a Jewish nor Muslim cemetery, which when discovered, often complicate construction and infrastructure works. “Eros leaves dozens of women and hundreds of children [behind],” one tombstone read, immortalizing the memory of an old kibbutz dog that was apparently loved by many, Mynet reported. The small dog cemetery, containing only five graves, was established years ago by kibbutz members who wanted to memorialize man’s best friend. The pet cemetery, which was active in the 1990s, saw its last interment in 1997 and soon after became the site for buildings supporting the kibbutz’s fish ponds.
Haifa designated an ‘active, healthy city’ In a first-of-its-kind agreement signed last week in Haifa between the municipality and the Health Ministry, Haifa was an “active and healthy city.”
The agreement, which was expected to see an increase in the construction of sports facilities, public activity areas and hiking trails, was intended to promote healthy lifestyles among residents of the city. Ministry deputy director-general Boaz Lev cited the infrastructure already in place in Haifa as one of the main reasons the city was chosen for the pilot program, Mynet reported. Government agencies and ministries were expected to allocate funds for the project.
Nahariya man suspected of abusing teens
A 67-year-old gardener who works in Nahariya was arrested on suspicion of raping a 13-year-old girl and sexually abusing an additional 10 girls, it was reported last week. According to police, the man is suspected of enticing the girls by letting them help him with his gardening work after building a rapport with them. He later asked the girls to perform various sexual favors, for which he paid them.
CENTER
Givat Olga beachside restaurants get the ax
The first of four restaurants was demolished and cleared from Givat Olga Beach in Hadera over the weekend as part of an initiative launched by the Environmental Protection Ministry, Israel Police, the Israel Lands Authority, the Health Ministry, the Housing and Construction Ministry and the Attorney-General’s Office.
The restaurants have all been served with demolition orders following hearings that determined they were built illegally and had a negative impact on the protected beach area. The Environmental Protection Ministry said that the restaurants blocked public access to the local beaches, have damaged the ecosystem at the site and the open spaces, and that debris from them contributed to pollution. When the demolition and removal of the restaurants is complete, work at the site will begin in order to restore the beach’s natural conditions and ecosystem, the Local website reported.
Ra’anana residents report chemical cloud
A poisonous cloud that drifted into a Ra’anana neighborhood late last week caused some residents to suffer from a burning sensation in their eyes and face. Dozens of complaints of a suspected poisonous substance in the air were received by authorities Thursday evening, prompting a massive response by emergency services personnel. An initial investigation by the Ra’anana Municipality and firefighting officials revealed that a local farmer had been spraying his nearby fields with a chemical substance, which had then drifted into the residential neighborhood, according to the Local website.
Hazardous materials teams, police, firefighters and Environmental Protection Ministry representatives all participated in an effort to quicken the dispersal of the chemical cloud. No serious injuries were reported.
Bnei Brak teens allegedly robbed bus driver
Three 18-year-olds were arrested in Bnei Brak on suspicion that they attacked and robbed a bus driver last week. The youths apparently hassled the driver after he refused to let them exit through the back door without paying their fares. Police requested that the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extend the boys’ remands.
SOUTH
Yavne neighborhoods banish cell towers
The last cellular antenna in a residential area of Yavne was taken down last week after a long battle to have the unpopular relay stations moved away from homes. Despite a years-long effort by local residents that was fully supported by the Yavne municipality, the move was only recently made possible when the city acquired the land on which the last antenna was built. The city had previously demanded that cellular companies relocate their antennas to areas outside residential neighborhoods. The municipality said of the tower’s removal, “This move ensures better monitoring and control over antennas for the good of the public,” Mynet reported.
Eilat kicks off Euro open water swim race
The European Open Water Swimming Championships took place in Eilat this week. Among the 87 competitors from 22 countries were 24 Olympic medalists. The race stretched from the shore of Eilat down to near the Egyptian maritime border and back. German swimmer Thomas Lurz won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the European open water 10-kilometer event, beating Russian Vladimir Dyatchin and Ukrainian Igor Snitko. The competition in Eilat is one of the world’s most competitive open water swimming events. The week-long event will continue throughout the weekend and early next week.
Police crack down on metal thefts
Israel Police and the Public Security Ministry recently established a special police task force to battle what officials describe as a growing number of thefts of materials from national and private infrastructure projects. Since the establishment of the task force, 50 indictments have been filed against dozens of suspects, the Local website reported.
Since the beginning of 2011, 310 incidents in which infrastructure facilitates were damaged during thefts have been reported in the country’s southern region alone. In most of the thefts, copper and other metals were stolen from telephone lines, the Mekorot water company, Israel Railways and the IDF.
Police bust counterfeiting ring
Five Ashdod residents were arrested last week in a case involving hundreds of thousands of counterfeit NIS 100 bills.
Police first caught wind of the affair when they arrested a 70- year-old man who was found to be in possession of NIS 120,000 worth of the fake currency. Later, a father and son, aged 52 and 33, were arrested on suspicion of having produced the counterfeit money. Two other suspects were also arrested in connection with the affair. Police also seized computers, printers and machinery they suspect were used to print the bills. Four of the suspects had their remand extended by the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court.
Two arrested in connection with Ashdod beach murder
Two men were arrested Friday on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a woman’s body at an Ashdod beach. The woman had apparently suffered multiple blows to the head. Police said they suspected that either one or both of the men attempted to rape the woman, and that when she resisted she was beaten to death. The suspects’s remands were extended by the Ashdod Magistrate’s Court over the weekend.