Even before the meeting started, the large hall in the Beit Yehudit community center, part of Ginot Ha'ir, was packed with residents of Emek Refaim Street and people from around the German Colony and Baka neighborhoods. Not sure what would come out of this effort, they were concerned, angry and tired. Many felt sad about the need to fight in order to get what seems to them so obviously right. This step in the war over the fate of Emek Refaim kicked off on Monday evening with a meeting at which the leaders of the residents' organization and the lawyer hired for their struggle discussed the present situation and what to expect in the coming weeks and months. Some 350 residents showed up for the meeting, and before the evening ended there were already 123 objections raised by attendees to be submitted to the district planning and construction committee, the address for objections to the Emek Refaim segment of the Blue Line. The organizers expect to amass thousands of such objections. The time required to debate these objections might at least postpone the beginning of work on the line for many years, even if the residents do not achieve their objective of preventing that segment. One of the issues that aroused anger among the participants of the meeting was the revelation that one of their alternative proposals to that segment – a tunnel that would run under Emek Refaim – was summarily rejected by Mayor Nir Barkat and the master plan staff, even though a similar solution was easily accepted for the segment of the line through the Geula neighborhood. According to advocate Eliad Shraga, who represents those opposed to the segment on Emek Refaim, there is a fair chance that the residents might win their case, but it is still too early to say. The first step is, as mentioned, is a tsunami of objections; by law, the district committee has to hear each one. If that doesn't help, the High Court will be the next step. Shraga added that the moral basis for all of the objections is the understanding that the whole procedure regarding the Blue Line was not done in good faith, and in fact didn't take into consideration any of the residents' real needs. As for the tunnel option, which was adopted following the request of city council haredi representatives for the Geula segment of the same line, many attendees expressed anger upon realizing that their needs seemed to be less important to the master-plan staff and the mayor.
Emek Refaim Street today, where it intersects with Rachel Imenu Street(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)