This week in Jerusalem: Too much ticketing

Too much ticketing

The quick-to-ticket behavior of city public transportation inspectors was finally addressed at the Knesset Public Inquiries Committee last week, with a senior Egged member admitting that inspectors receive bonuses for handing out fines to commuters. This follows the hundreds of complaints that have been submitted over the past year by passengers using buses and the light rail, testifying to the extremely humiliating and disparaging attitudes of the inspectors. 

British oppose plan 

The British Embassy in Tel Aviv, the British Consulate in Jerusalem, and the Scottish Church situated just off Emek Refaim Street submitted an official objection to the plan to build a hotel and commercial center in the northern part of Bible Hill. The objection was signed by Simon Walters, the British ambassador to Israel, and Diane Kornak, the British consul. The document states that implementation of the plan (contrary to the wishes of the UK) may cause irreversible damage to the excellent relations that exist between the State of Israel and the United Kingdom. Additional objections were submitted by local environment, planning, and heritage organizations and associations. The commercial plan was promoted by the Jerusalem Municipality and the District Committee, together with a foreign company registered in the Virgin Islands. Despite Mayor Moshe Lion’s public declaration against it, the municipality has not yet announced its withdrawal from the plan.

Left in the dark

A day center for the blind that has given visually challenged people a place to go and something to look forward to for the past 30 years – located in the Sapir Center in Givat Shaul, and managed by the Gesher association – is due to shutter its doors by April. As a result, blind Jerusalemites of all ethnicities who cannot be gainfully employed due to their disability and have nowhere else to go to spend their time will be forced to remain at home without access to employment or a social environment. “If we are forced to stay at home without any occupation, it will harm our souls and our independence; we will have no reason to get up in the morning,” a member of the blind community told In Jerusalem, adding that the closure of the center was akin to a death sentence. The reason for the closure is the financial difficulties of the center’s operator, who notified the municipality in January of the intended closure. The municipality is trying to find alternative solutions, but all agree that only direct intervention by the Welfare Ministry can change the decree.

Pay attention to the children

The Kanfei Dror organization and the Jerusalem Municipality have launched a call center dedicated to providing initial and ongoing support to evacuee children (and their families) suffering from all types of social and emotional distress, including bullying. The hotline operates five days a week and is staffed by 17 volunteers from educational and therapeutic backgrounds who have undergone a 14-session training course led by senior members of the Jerusalem Municipality’s psychological services department. Kanfei Dror volunteers use cognitive-emotional responses and practical tools for intervention. Depending upon individual needs, the call center can provide one-time or ongoing responses and allows for anonymity when requested. Where necessary, Kanfei Dror matches the callers or their families with welfare departments, schools, psychological services, and more. ■