Where’s the money? Sunday evening, Hall No. 2 of the Jerusalem Cinematheque was packed with students, waiting for Mayor Nir Barkat and Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, who were scheduled to describe their vision of a better future for the city’s younger generation. But Barkat was not able to come, and the minister was late. City councillor Yakir Segev, once holder of the east Jerusalem portfolio in the mayor’s coalition, gave the audience a round-up of the capital’s history and the particular problems it faces. Bottom line: The solution lies not in random demographic changes but in a bold government decision that would bring in truckloads of money to be spent on all aspects of municipal life – first and foremost on east Jerusalem and its residents.When he arrived, Bennett – recently appointed Jerusalem affairs minister – continued the history lesson. He explained that the time had come for us all to say loud and clear that Jerusalem is united and is our capital forever.“If we don’t do that, how can we expect foreign countries to do it for us?” he asked. But when questioned about the specific budget allocated to his renewed ministry in order to fulfill all the plans and projects he had just detailed, Bennett admitted that he “still doesn’t have a clue.”It doesn’t sound too promising for Segev’s trucks.Academic and cultural land The Jerusalem Affairs Ministry may not have a large budget to implement its leader’s vision, but at least in one aspect, solutions are coming from another ministry. Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel has issued an official announcement promising special bonuses for institutions in the capital. As of this year, museums and academic colleges in Jerusalem will obtain additional plots of land for development at low prices, exempt from the cost of tenders and taxes. Among the grantees of this new policy are the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and the Jerusalem College of Technology. The situation is even better for the city’s museums, which might – as in the case of the Natural History Museum – obtain the land completely free of charge.Ariel, who announced the news at the end of a special government meeting on Mount Herzl in honor of Jerusalem Day, emphasized that for him, it is a privilege to take action for the benefit of the capital.WoW hopeful over changes to Kotel regulations Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein on Monday night announced that the state would not appeal the Jerusalem District Court’s recent ruling releasing arrested Women of the Wall members and potentially undermining the prohibition against non-Orthodox prayer at the Western Wall.The district court ruling reinterpreted the regulations pertaining to religious practice at the site and argued that “local custom” does not necessarily mean Orthodox practice, as has been hitherto understood.In light of this ruling, the Attorney-General’s Office announced Monday night that Religious Services Minister Naftali Bennett would address the issue through amendments to the regulations on religious practice at the site by amending the regulations of the Law of the Holy Places.Until the regulations are amended at least, the district court ruling, which reinterprets the regulations to allow non-Orthodox practice at the Western Wall, will be upheld, said a representative of the Justice Ministry present in Tuesday’s Knesset hearing.Women of the Wall will hold their monthly Rosh Hodesh prayer service at the Western Wall on Friday and have declared that they will wear prayer shawls and tefillin, as is permitted by the district court ruling.A representative of the Jerusalem Police stated at the hearing that the police would not act against the district court ruling regarding religious practice on Friday, meaning that for the first time, participants in the Women of the Wall service who choose to wear prayer shawls and tefillin will not be subject to arrest.Earlier on Tuesday, Women of the Wall officials met with Bennett and Deputy Religious Services Minister Eli Ben-Dahan, who runs the ministry, to discuss the matter.Women of the Wall chairwoman Anat Hoffman described the meeting as positive.Following the attorney-general’s announcement Monday night, the religious rights organization expressed concern that the amendments being pursued by Bennett and Ben-Dahan would seek to circumvent the district court’s ruling and explicitly define “local custom” as Orthodox practice.However, following the meeting with Bennett, Hoffman stated that the impression she got was that Bennett would not seek to revoke the group’s new-found rights and that he was interested in dialogue.Regarding the upcoming service on Friday, Bennett asked that Women of the Wall not read from the Torah at the Western Wall, as it had planned to do, a request with which the group said it would comply. – Jeremy Sharon and Yonah Jeremy Bob Leibowitz lane Almost 12 years of struggle culminated in a productive ending last week at the monthly city council meeting. Haredi representatives and city councillors from Bayit Yehudi finally approved the committee’s decision to name a Jerusalem street after somewhat controversial professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who died 19 years ago. Sources at Safra Square say that despite the final approval, Leibowitz’s name still raises too much emotion among a portion of the public, thus the street that will bear his name will not be a major one.Deputy Mayor Pepe Allalu (Meretz), who led the struggle for approval over the last 10 years, admitted that the fight would end in a small side street, probably on or close to the Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus.“It is true,” said Allalu, adding that “it is not so bad. After all, Leibowitz spent almost all his time on this campus, so why not perpetuate his memory there? His greatness doesn’t have to be represented by a large, noisy street. What is important is that we finally won the case!” New lease on life The stylish building on Derech Hebron was supposed to be the last word in high-class senior citizens’ residences in the city – something never before seen here or anywhere else in the country.But for reasons that remain unclear, the project hasn’t succeeded, and the elegant building has remained empty since its completion about a year ago. Now it seems that new life will be breathed into the sleeping giant, with an agreement signed between the owners and Channel 10.For the new season of the reality show Beauty and the Geek, the 116 apartments, gym, swimming pool and movie theater, as well as the two restaurants and coffee shops in the compound, will be turned into a set for the popular TV program. The building was recently acquired by the Meuhedet Health Fund, but so far no decision has been made about how it will be used once the show’s season ends.Women dance for a challenge The third Flashmove event to raise awareness about women’s status in marriage according to rabbinical law, initiated by the Kolech Orthodox feminist organization and Mavoi Satum, which fights for the rights of mesuravot get (women who have been refused a Jewish divorce) takes place today on Hillel Street. The event is one in a series of events planned by the two organizations to raise awareness about the need for couples to sign a prenuptial agreement. The organizers want to encourage young women and men, before they step under the huppa, to sign such an agreement to ensure that if things go wrong in the marriage, the woman’s situation will not be compromised. According to the organizers, there is a need for an additional security agreement besides the ketuba to protect women, since the prenuptial agreement can release a woman from an unhappy marriage even if the husband refuses to grant her a divorce.Flashmove is scheduled for noon and is open to all women.Ethnic and jazz Confederation House is launching a series of Saturday night concerts, one per month, until the end of August. The series is a combination of jazz and Israeli and ethnic music entitled “Middle East Improvisation.” It opened last week with a concert by the Hadar Noiberg Quartet in a new program called “Journey Back Home.”The next concert is on June 26 with Itamar Erez and Ishai Afterman. The series is being held only once a month, but judging by the packed hall last Saturday night, it might turn out to be a real success.
