This week in Jerusalem: A hope and a prayer

A hope and a prayer 

The future of a synagogue that operated for 60 years in the German Colony is in jeopardy.

The congregation of the Sephardi synagogue Hessed V’Emet wanted to return to the Hatzfira Street structure – a one-story stone house. The synagogue was established by the municipality, with a large part of its area belonging to the city, but a few years ago a real estate developer acquired it for tens of millions of shekels. Although during discussions with the municipality it was agreed that the developer and the congregation would come to an understanding regarding continued use of the facility, the developer told worshipers that they were “trespassers” and had to vacate.

Following a public struggle, it was agreed that the congregation would return to the synagogue after the renovation of the building and creation of a new underground parking lot.

However, it seems that the district committee is no longer committed to the agreement obliging the developer to return the building to its original purpose. At Safra Square there have been confused, frantic attempts to find a solution.

Creature comfort 

The new veterinary clinic in Har Hotzvim, located in the municipal veterinary service complex, is one of the largest in the country. Spanning an area of 60 square meters, it contains a hospital room; a treatment and preparation room for surgery; an operating room with two operating stations and a laboratory; and an examination room, all of which are equipped with advanced medical equipment.

There is also an exhibition of illustrations of abandoned animals.

Stray dogs and cats for adoption will be spayed or neutered. And animals that are injured or sick, collected by the service inspectors around the city, will be cared for. The clinic does not provide medical treatment for animals that have owners.

Call anytime

The municipal call center, Moked 106, fielded over half a million calls in 2022. The most common calls? There were about 10,000 reports of illegal parking. In second place were reports on the state of street cleanliness. In third place, calls about street lighting.

According to officials at Safra Square, the Jerusalem Municipality is doing its best to handle all inquiries. “Over 70% of the calls to the hotline were answered in just 30 seconds, with an average call time of about two minutes.”

Recycling 

It turns out that Jerusalem is one of the top recycling cities in the country. According to municipal data, the capital produces the highest amount of waste, but in relation to the number of residents, it actually ranks at the bottom of the list. And the good news is that Jerusalem is the recycling champion in Israel.

In 2021, some 559,000 tons of waste were collected across the city. Although this is the largest amount of garbage collected among the municipalities in Israel, when the number of residents in the large cities (over 100,000 residents) is taken into account, Jerusalem is toward the bottom of the list, with 1.6 kg. of waste collected per day per resident, an amount higher only than Bnei Brak (1.41 kg. per person) and Beit Shemesh (1.59 kg. per person).

In recent years, the amount of waste that is collected and sent for recycling in Jerusalem has increased significantly. In 2021, some 224,000 tons were sent for recycling (mostly organic waste). Forty percent of the waste was collected, and 335,000 tons were sent to a landfill (60%).

In 2021, Jerusalem had an increase of 287% from the amount sent for recycling in 2014, a higher increase than that of Israel (60%), Tel Aviv-Jaffa (193%) and Haifa (22%). A significant part of the increase in the amount of recycled waste in Jerusalem is due to the opening of the Grint plant in Atarot, which is responsible for separating and recycling a large part of the waste in the city.

No level separation

The level separation plan at the Ora Intersection has been stopped by District Court Judge Alexander Ron, who ruled earlier this week on the petitions filed by the environmental and public transportation organizations against the plan.

Ron determined that a comprehensive environmental review is required, and that there was a significant flaw in the National Planning Council’s decision not to conduct such a review.

The ruling is considered a significant achievement for nature lovers and activists. The petition was submitted by the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, together with the public transportation organization 15 Minutes against the National Planning and Building Council and others.

The major objection was that, according to the law, it is not possible to advance a transportation project that includes cutting tunnels and paving additional routes in one of the most ecologically and historically sensitive areas without an environmental impact survey being conducted first.

The petition was submitted with the encouragement of the Save the Jerusalem Mountains movement, which opposes construction on the White Ridge, after the planning council canceled the decision of the appeals subcommittee, which ordered an environmental impact survey.

Ron’s decision is expected to delay the start of work in the field for a long time, and perhaps even to cancel the plan.

Deputy Mayor Yossi Havilio, who opposes the plan and was one of the respondents in the petition, noted that “the ruling is a huge legal achievement for all nature lovers in Israel, as it reinforces the requirement to examine the environmental aspects before carrying out development projects. I hope that after conducting a review of the impact on the environment, we will succeed in canceling the level separation plan, both the construction plans on White Ridge, and also the future intention to build additional neighborhoods in the Hadassah circle at the expense of the remaining high-quality green areas in the Jerusalem mountains.”

He added that any decision other than conducting an impact review would be scandalous and could lead to endless trouble and regret.

Forging ahead

“Looking Ahead” – featuring paintings, sculptures and installations in mixed media – is a first-of-its-kind exhibition to mark Agunah Day, traditionally held on the Fast of Esther preceding Purim. The exhibition is an initiative of Mavoi Satum, an NGO for women agunot “chained” to marriage and refused a get (Jewish divorce document), together with the Studio of Her Own Center. The exhibition, in which curator Nurit Jacobs-Yinon collected the works of 12 women artists, will run from March 1–31 at the Jerusalem Theater’s Salon Gallery. ❖