Anyone who hasn’t traveled around Jerusalem for a long time, due to coronavirus restrictions or simply because they had no need to be in certain parts of the city, including in their own neighborhoods, will be surprised, if they take a trip around almost anywhere in the capital, to see how much has changed over the past 18 months.
Landmark buildings have been destroyed, including some that should have been preserved for historic reasons, and modern, multistory residential, commercial and office structures have been constructed in their place.
Among the most recent casualties in the race for urban renewal is the old flour mill in Givat Shaul, which admittedly had not been used for years, and which fell into a state of neglect, but it was an important feature in the history of bread making in the capital, and was linked in some ways to Berman’s Bakery, founded by Lithuanian immigrant Kreshe Berman in the Old City in 1875, after which it moved to Mea She’arim in the late 19th century and in 1965 to Givat Shaul.
Angel’s Bakery, which is also headquartered in Givat Shaul, and is today the largest commercial bakery in Israel, was founded in 1927 in Bayit Vegan by Salomon Angel, who was born in Mishkenot Sha’ananim. In 1958, the bakery moved to the Givat Shaul industrial zone. The bakery has been modernized with state-of-the-art equipment, but continues to exude that old-fashioned aroma of freshly baked bread.
Givat Shaul has changed dramatically over the years and continues to do so. It is also where the studios of KAN, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, are located.
But back to the old flour mill, which was destroyed last week to make way for Ir Olam, a residential and commercial quarter that will link the neighborhoods of Beit Hakerem, Givat Shaul and Kiryat Moshe.
The project is an initiative of the ISA Group, headed by Akiva Zorbein and Shalom Greiba, which specializes in initiating, building and developing real estate projects in Israel and abroad. Businesspeople from all over the country as well as Mayor Moshe Lion and senior municipal officials witnessed another historic building biting the dust as they simultaneously attended the launch of Ir Olam.
■ PEOPLE WITH physical disabilities periodically complain that others have poached or blocked their parking spaces. Unfortunately, there are seldom police on hand to apprehend the guilty parties and fine them. Likewise, there are seldom police present to stop both motorcyclists and jaywalkers from risking their lives and those of their children by crossing the road on a red light. But in the case of people with disabilities being unable to park in parking spots specifically designated for them, or to drive out of such areas, the perpetrators of this discomfort are not only inconsiderate but criminal.
A case in point was a white Mazda sedan with license plate number 39 555 69 that was parked all day last Friday in a special indented area on Keren Hayesod Street that is reserved for drivers with disabilities. There were no stickers on the front window of the car to indicate that it belongs to a driver who has the right to park there, and obviously, there were no traffic police around to impound the car and have it removed.
■ THE OPENING of the annual Jerusalem Film Festival at Sultan’s Pool on August 24 will be attended by Lion, who attends nearly all the major events in the capital.
Also in the audience will be President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, attending the festival for the first time in their present roles; and festival guest of honor American film director, actor, screenwriter and producer Quentin Tarantino and his Israeli wife, singer Daniella Pick.
The Israeli premiere of Ari Folman’s acclaimed animated film Where is Anne Frank will open this year’s festival, a preview of which was screened at the Jerusalem Cinematheque last Friday, with scores of journalists and film buffs presented with the opportunity to view three out of nine of the films that will be screened at the festival.
■ EVEN THOUGH Health Ministry directives are not nearly as strict as they were at this time last year, tourism is still at a low ebb, partially because Israel is limiting its intake of travelers from abroad, and partially because some countries have limited exits from, as well as entries to, their various international airports. That means that for the second consecutive year, Israel’s hotels, including those in Jerusalem, are unlikely to be fully occupied during Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot; and if they are close to being full, the guests will be overwhelmingly Israeli.
Sonia and Daniel Lew, who live in Kfar Saba, are frequent visitors to Jerusalem, and stay in hotels in the city for a night or two. During their most recent visits over the past couple of months, they have noticed a lot of midweek Israeli guests, which was not the case a couple of years back.
Not everything about the present situation is negative. Israelis who never visited certain places in the country before are now exploring Israel, going on walking tours, seeing the richness and variety of museums and art galleries in various cities and towns, and enjoying other cultural options.
■ IN NOVEMBER 2020, Judy Amsel and Daniel Weil dedicated the Jenny and Max Weil Music Program to honor the legacy and memory of their parents. The Weils were generous philanthropists, contributing to numerous projects. In addition, Jenny Weil was both a talented musician and music teacher.
Highlights of the dedication ceremony last year included memories shared by Judy and Daniel, a performance of some of their favorite music, the presentation of the Broken Fiddle sculpture to the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, and stories from the grandchildren and a close family friend.
Broken Fiddle is a memorial tribute to musicians who were murdered or died of other causes during the Holocaust, and was gifted to AACI from the home of Jenny and Max Weil, who, though born in different parts of Europe, spent many years in the United States, from where they made aliyah, and lived in Jerusalem from 1994 to 2019.
AACI has initiated a Jenny and Max Weil music program, which will be livestreamed on the date marking the second anniversary of Max Weil’s death, on Sunday, September 12, at 6:30 p.m. It will feature Diana Lupo on violin and Rivka Arki-Amar on harp, playing music of Tchaikovsky, Paliashvili, Bach, and a selection of Jewish and Israeli music. The cost is NIS 45 for nonmembers and NIS 35 for AACI members. Registration is at https://aaci.org.il/events/classical-music-concert/. The livestream link will be sent upon registration.
Lupo began violin lessons in her native Russia when she was four years old, and later received a bachelor of music degree from Mannes School of Music in New York, and a master of music degree from Yale University. She is a member of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and acts as concertmaster for the Jerusalem Opera, Tel Aviv Soloists and the Israel Chamber Orchestra.
Arki-Amar was born in France and began studying the harp at age eight. She graduated with honors from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and was the principal harpist of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. She runs the Avivim Music Center in Jerusalem and serves as a member of the Musical Committee of the prestigious International Harp Competition.
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