This week in Jerusalem: A round-up of city affairs
The municipality has approved an ambitious project to give a strong boost to the economy and development of east Jerusalem.
By PEGGY CIDORIsrael's most populous city, Jerusalem, May 13, 2020(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH 90)Cash on handThe framework of the city’s 2020 budget has been approved – including the special Jerusalem grant – but judging from the comments of opposition members, there seems to be significant disagreement between them and the mayor’s coalition regarding distribution of the funds.Jerusalem’s budget for the year stands at NIS 11.2 billion (NIS 4.4b. is for infrastructure development projects financed by the national government, while the regular budget is based on municipal revenues from taxes and other sources of income).Following the coronavirus crisis and its challenges to the national and global economies, opposition leader Ofer Berkovitch (Hitorerut) has called for emphasis to be shifted to address evolving needs. He has presented a list of objections and alternative proposals on some sections of the draft budget that was debated at this week’s Finance Committee meeting, before it is submitted for final approval by the city council. Up until now, the municipality has been working on the basis of last year’s budget (divided by 12 for each month) due to the fact that the State of Israel didn’t have an approved government until May.Berkovitch points at what he regards to be an oversized budget for the municipality’s spokesman and PR, calling for more public money to be devoted to programs for at-risk women and youth; fighting domestic violence; and helping small- and medium-sized businesses overcome the coronavirus crisis. He seeks to shift NIS 1m. from the spokesman’s bureau to various welfare projects, and to add NIS 5m. for residents who lost income following the pandemic to retrain for alternate professions. Berkovitch also requests at least NIS 300,000 for sports training for underprivileged city youth, and NIS 100,000 to help lone soldiers ending their army service transition into their new lives as citizens.A priest, imam and a rabbi...The Universal Peace Federation is a South Korean organization that promotes peace through interfaith dialogue. Last week, such an encounter at Rabbi Yaakov Luft’s house in Mevaseret Zion brought together Muslims, Christians and Jews from several denominations.Between the Jewish Shavuot and Christian Pentecost, recently preceded by Eid al-Fitr, which ended the month of Ramadan, the meet-up focused on what the Holy Scriptures teach all believers, and most important, how to use these sources to build bridges that link believers.Acre Imam Sheikh Samir Asi expressed concern that the Koran lacks commentaries and interpretations that can take religious Muslims into modernity and enable them to empathize with adherents of other religions. He pointed out that the Koran, which embraces and respects all the prophets of the two first monotheistic religions, should be the primary marker for such a move.Father Roman Kaminski, hailing from Poland and of the Roman Catholic Church in Israel, discussed the close correlation between the Jewish and Christian calendars regarding what comes after Passover, followed by words from Reform Rabbi Benjamin Munich.Luft closed the gathering with a short lesson from the Bible.Rising in the eastThe municipality has approved an ambitious project to give a strong boost to the economy and development of east Jerusalem. The project, which will create 10,000 quality jobs for Arab residents, includes 200,000 square meters for hi-tech; 50,000 sq.m. for business; and 50,000 additional sq.m. for hotels and culinary venues. Made possible by the special NIS 2.5b. budget approved by the government in 2018 as a five-year program for the east side, the project’s goals include a special emphasis on encouraging Arab women to get professional training and join the workforce.Strength and sweet soulsA new studio and art gallery at 31 Ben Yehuda St. where painter David Schmidt works and presents his paintings is dedicated to depicting the strength of the IDF soldiers.“Israeli soldiers have awesome strength, endurance, and are such sweet souls” says Schmidt, “and they are all our boys. They are standing in the light. Not just my sons, but all of them.”Among his works, one can find a series titled Mesirut Nefesh (Giving One’s Soul), which includes soldiers wearing a tallit and tefillin while carrying assault rifles. The works also include strong sad moments, like the bereavement over a dead soldier.“They are all our boys," says Schmidt.
