In your absence The local committee for businesses licenses rarely draws attention, but it did exactly that recently. Noting that the secular members of this committee skipped a recent meeting, the haredi representatives voted not to renew the licenses of two of the most prominent clubs open on Shabbat – the Zappa and the Justice. These clubs are located close to the First Station compound, long a red flag in haredi eyes. The vote to close the venues took place on the spur of the moment, yet the rules require prior notice of at least 48 hours before such an action. Following a warning from exiting Deputy Mayor Ofer Berkovitch – who was immediately informed – and the immediate intervention of Mayor Nir Barkat, the move was canceled. Order on the Mount Responding to ongoing violence, including stone throwing, a joint operation of the police and the municipality arrested 70 residents of the neighborhood of E-Tur (near the Mount of Olives) on November 15. While the police arrested suspects, municipal employees erased political graffiti, cleaned accumulated garbage off the sidewalks and identified residents who owed taxes to the authorities. Officially, the operation was part of a mission to improve the quality of life of the residents and free them from lawbreakers who impose their will on the neighborhood. Weapons confiscated included an M16, and the arrested were brought before a judge. While some locals have expressed gratitude off the record and admit that these operations bring relief from the atmosphere of fear generated by the hooligans, many of the residents in the Arab sector criticize the fact that police actions are conducted in full coordination with the municipality. Who is the boss? In the haredi Beit Yisrael neighborhood, shops are open and active until late at night. Some businesses stay open even beyond 2 a.m. This may be convenient for someone who hasn't had time to shop during the day, but it is a constant nuisance for residents who live above the shops. Five years ago, the municipality issued a map of areas where businesses, in particular coffee shops and bars, could stay open after 11 p.m. At that time, residents of Beit Yisrael requested time restrictions, but the shopkeepers there objected, so new rules were not introduced there. Residents are now trying to renew the push for earlier closing times and they managed to obtain support from the committee of neighborhood rabbis, but the shopkeepers prevailed and the move was canceled, so shopping in Beit Yisrael continues into the night. Touchy funicular Resuscitated several times over the past decades, the plan to operate a cable car across the Ben Hinnom Valley to the Old City is invariably set aside because of possible political repercussions. As legendary mayor Teddy Kollek once observed, “Moving a tree in Jerusalem becomes an item on the UN Security Council agenda.” Despite the fact that installing a funicular with a terminus close to the Temple Mount esplanade and the Old City walls is a sensitive issue, Mayor Nir Barkat seems resolute about moving the project forward. Regarded as beneficial for tourism, the project plans are scheduled to advance to the national infrastructure administration level for approval by the beginning of next month. If all goes well, the 73 passenger cabins of the planned funicular will transport some 3,000 people a day by 2021, enabling hundreds of thousands of tourists to avoid traffic and parking issues on their way to visit the Old City and its holy sites. The Jerusalem Development Authority, the Jerusalem Affairs Ministry, the Transportation Ministry, the Tourism Ministry and the municipality are the promoters and financiers of the project, estimated at NIS 200 million. For the moment, the identity of the building company is undisclosed – to avoid what happened two years ago, when a French company was forced to withdraw from the project due to political pressure. Despite its obvious advantages, the project seems to be anathema to left-wing activists; city council member Laura Wharton (Meretz) voted against it. Ready? Go! In a recent poll conducted on the website of local newspaper Kol Ha'ir, Mayor Nir Barkat performed poorly. Topping the list with 30% each were deputies Meir Turgeman and Moshe Lion – both members of Barkat's list. With between 10% and 11% of the votes each were exiting Deputy Mayor Ofer Berkovitch, the first to officially declare his candidacy; attorney Yossi Havilio, whose high profile in the social media indicates that he plans to run; and Avi Salman. Surprisingly, the support for Barkat, who has yet to announce his political intentions, came in at only 8%. How significant are these results? Considering that it was an unscientific two-day online poll, it is unwise to take it too seriously. For example, some of the candidates benefited from a sudden swell of support late in the poll, perhaps indicating a concerted effort to inflate the results. Nevertheless, this first attempt to take the pulse of voters indicates clearly that we are clearly into the campaign, and additional polls and related activity in the months to come are to be expected. Enough is enough The forum to combat incitement against haredi soldiers held an emergency meeting earlier this week. Founded by haredi and national religious elements, the forum has already launched several initiatives to protect the haredi soldiers who are harassed by the “Jerusalem faction” of Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, a haredi rabbi regarded as one of the leading Lithuanian spiritual and political leaders for haredi Ashkenazim living in Israel who are opposed to drafting young yeshiva men to the IDF. A report on recent cases of incitement and violence against haredi soldiers was presented and participants proposed ways to support the soldiers and prevent further violent acts. Among the proposals was establishing a defense group for these soldiers, who are sometimes physically attacked upon coming home from the army.
The Beit Yisrael neighborhood: Shopping into the night.(photo credit: WIKIMEDIA)