Storm causes millions of shekels of damage in Upper Galilee

NORTH

National police commissioner Yohanan Danino visited the Upper Galilee on Sunday to see the damage wrought by last week’s stormy weather, the Local website reported. Communities in the region evaluated the damage at millions of shekels.

A number of area communities spent the weekend without electricity, after power cables were torn. Schools were closed and the Upper Galilee Regional Council operated an emergency shuttle to evacuate families to relatives, hotels and local guest houses, until electricity was restored to their homes.

A United Hatzalah spokesman said that over the week, paramedics administered medical care to more than 50 citizens in Safed and the Upper Galilee, who were suffering from cold, bruises and fractures from slipping in the snow, as well as other issues, including the evacuation of the sick and pregnant to hospitals. The Local website quoted a volunteer as saying that medics had worked in four-wheel-drive vehicles and SUVs belonging to United Hatzalah, and provided humanitarian aid and rescue services in over 150 cases where citizens were stranded or needed assistance due to the heavy snow and harsh weather in Safed.

Man stabbed, seriously wounded in Haifa after car accident

A 30-year-old man was in serious condition after being stabbed Monday morning near Haifa. According to Magen David Adom, he had apparently been involved in a car accident close to the scene of the incident.

He was taken to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center with stab wounds on his upper body. Police were investigating the incident.

Ski season opens early at Hermon following stormy weekend

Hundreds of people visited Mount Hermon at the beginning of this week, as the ski season opened earlier than usual. There was more than a meter of snow piled up under the upper cable car, and 70 centimeters at the lower one.

“I hope that the early opening will herald an unusually long ski season,” Channel 2 quoted Hermon site chairman Yaakov Shohat as saying.

Staff worked all night to enable the opening of the site on Monday morning, and said the conditions were excellent for skiing and snowboarding.

CENTER

Hadassah, Mayumana to launch musical initiative at youth village

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, was set to launch a musical initiative this week at its youth village near Beit Yanai, together with a team of performers from the Mayumana group, led by one if its founders, Elon Nofar. Hadassah Women representatives were also due to participate, including Barbara Goldstein, vice president of Hadassah’s international wing in Israel, and Barbara Sofer, worldwide Hadassah spokeswoman.

During the event, the youth – together with the Mayumana participants – were expected to open packages of dozens of new musical instruments, which were donated to the youth village as part of a project called Music Aid International. The Mayumana performers were set to sing, dance and play together with the village youth, following the unveiling of these instruments.

The project is the initiative of two people active in Hadassah in Connecticut, Ethel Ann Chorny and George Howell, music store owners who believe that the study of music builds self-knowledge and empowerment.

Light aircraft makes emergency landing near Herzliya Airport; 2 lightly hurt

A light aircraft made an emergency landing in a field near the Herzliya Airport on Sunday morning, an MDA spokesman said. Two men in their 50s who were on the plane were lightly injured.

Traffic police rescue driver after brakes fail

Volunteers from the Israel Police’s traffic department rescued a woman whose brakes failed as she was driving on Route 6 last week.

The traffic department received a call from the woman in distress, who realized she wasn’t able to stop her car. Two volunteers from the department, Yaron Ganor and Solomon Halevi, who were on patrol on Route 6 at the time, responded to the call immediately and hurried to find her. They called the driver and managed to locate her, realizing they did not have much time to stop the vehicle and prevent a disaster.

Ganor then directed the woman as to how to drive while attempting to calm her down, instructingher to turn off her vehicle at the right time while blocking the lane. Eventually, the driver managed to stop the car with no injuries.

SOUTH

Eilat in recycling push with purple bin distribution

The Eilat Municipality is busy placing purple recycling bins for glass waste around the city this week, as part of an agreement with the Tamir recycling association. The municipality began its recycling campaign in March, with the distribution of orange bins.

Twenty-five purple bins were placed around Eilat this week, meant for the collection of olive oil bottles, glass jars, bottles and cosmetics containers. The bins were placed next to other recycling facilities in central locations, near schools, shopping centers and major highways.

This completes the distribution of a series of recycling bins for different types of waste: orange for packaging waste; blue for paper and cardboard; and other facilities for plastic bottles.

Since this March, some 180 tons of packaging waste were collected from the orange bins, and the amount of waste taken for recycling is expected to increase every month.

Tamir is working with local authorities to collect and recycle packaging, and prevent environmentally harmful waste disposal, through education and raising public awareness.

Ashdod parents of special-needs kids form support group

A group of Ashdod parents with special-needs children has formed a support group, after participating in a workshop designed to help them care for their children, the Local website reported this week.

The Rehabilitation Division of the Ashdod Municipality’s Social Services Department ran the workshop for 12 couples, all of whom have at least one child with special needs. Out of this workshop, a group was formed, and some members began a parental leadership course via the family center. So far the group has held two meetings, each time at the home of a different couple.

The three-day workshop was held at the Ma’aleh Hahamisha Hotel, with the aim of providing parents with tools for coping with raising such children; strengthening relationships and parental skills, as well as individual abilities and interpersonal skills; identifying avenues of self-expression and selfrealization, and raising self-esteem; providing support and creating a sense of belonging and security among participants; and creating a support and self-help group that can continue working in the community.

The group has also formed a Facebook group called “The Angels” to publicize their mission.

4 men arrested on suspicion of indecent acts with teenage girl

Ashkelon police arrested four men on suspicion of carrying out indecent acts with a 14-year-old girl, Israel Radio reported on Sunday.

The girl’s mother went to the police station six weeks earlier and told police that she had found numerous correspondences with older men on her daughter’s mobile phone. The girl told investigators that she had joined an online social network and had noted her age. A few men sent her messages and she reportedly met with some of them. Police suspect that during those meetings, the men performed indecent acts with the girl. The four suspects are from Yavne, Modi’in and Hadera.

The Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court extended the remand of two of the suspects by four days; one suspect was released and the other was expected to remain in custody for one more day at the time of this report.