Fighting for the air we breathe The Interior Ministry's Planning and Construction Committee submitted plans for the Mitzpe Neftoah project, and residents and organizations can submit their opposition to the committee. Although nothing is being done until the procedure is completed, several things are being done in the fight against it. On Monday, Deputy Mayor Tamir Nir (Yerushalmim) spearheaded an emergency debate at the municipality to come up with ways to prevent its implementation. Participants included representatives of KKL/JNF, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Megama Yeruka, youth movements and residents of Ramot directly affected by the project. They tried to come up with a plan to prevent the final approval that would destroy one of the city's major green lungs. From crime to art Musrara, the neighborhood on the seam between the Jewish and the Arab part of Jerusalem, was the target of many snipers between 1948 and 1967 and was notorious for its crime rate. The Black Panther protest movement of the early 1970s was born in Musrara, bringing some of its local heroes to the Knesset for a short time. Over the years, the original residents died or left and were replaced by many Anglos and wellto- do people seeking some authentic flavor and architecture. The real change came with the establishment of the Naggar School of Art, which has created an artistic environment that works closely with residents and neighbors. A new initiative takes participants on a walking tour to see the art and culture that has developed in Musrara and tell the story of the neighborhood. The tour, led by Eran and David Gal- Or (in Hebrew), will take place on March 3 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. For details: www.maslulim- israel.co.il/index.php?dir=site&page=track s&op=area&id=172 New man in charge The Israel Museum has appointed Dan Handel as its curator of design and architecture. An art critic and professor, Handel is a founding editor of Manifest, an annual journal of American urbanism and architecture, and member of the faculty at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. He served as co-curator of the Israel Pavilion for the Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale in 2012. Handel will oversee the museum's Design and Architecture Department, further developing its unique international perspective from the vantage point of the country's disciplines of design and architecture. Funiculi, Funicula The title is not referring to the famous Neapolitan song but to the comeback of the funicular cable car project to connect the southeast part of the capital to the Western Wall. According to the plans – which have been presented and canceled or postponed several times during the past 20 years – the 2.5-km. cable-car route will run from the old railway station (where the First Station is now located) for four stops, ending at the Kotel. While the project could reduce traffic and pollution, it is creating a lot of apprehension for the Wakf Muslim religious trust and the directors of al-Aksa Mosque, as well as environmental organizations, who fear that it could harm some of the historic gems of the Old City and surroundings. Mayor Nir Barkat is pushing hard for the renewal of the project but, for the moment, without much support. Inclusion for all For the third consecutive year, Jerusalem has taken first place as a city that promotes inclusive employment of people with mental disabilities. For years AKIM, the country's largest organization that promotes the welfare of people with mental and physical disabilities, has promoted the project to enable the employment of these people in accordance with their capacities. AKIM CEO Victor Lipak says that the affection for Jerusalemites has been key in the organization's efforts to have the disabled be employed and feel proud of themselves. The finding is the result of AKIM's annual survey regarding how many people with disabilities are included in official services, as well as the attitude of the public toward them. Another aspect of Islam Sufism is a stream of Islam that strives to achieve understanding and peaceful relationships through a highly spiritual path. Today (Friday) at 11 a.m. the Museum for Islamic Art is hosting a lecture by two scholars of the Sufi Movement in Israel. Liat Kozma and Tawfik Deadala of the Hebrew University will discuss the character of the “just” (tzadik) in the Sufi tradition. Tickets (NIS 40; NIS 20 for children and seniors) are available at the museum, 2 Hapalmah Street. Call 566-1291. Baby boon The Yehuda Hotel in Givat Massua has a unusual proposition. Take a room at the hotel on February 29, a date that occurs only in a leap year (which in Hebrew is called “a pregnant year”), and if the woman becomes pregnant that night, the hotel will give the couple an extravagant gift. The first couple that can “prove” that they got pregnant on the night they spent at the hotel will receive a package deal including a brit mila, a bar/bat mitzva and a wedding for free at the hotel, for up to 100 guests at each event. Hotel manager Ishay Barnea says that within just a few days of the offer, there have been “phone calls and orders coming in all day long” and many posts on the hotel's Facebook page. Preserving the legacy The city council's Preservation and Restoration Committee has added 141 buildings to the list of structures to be preserved in Rehavia. Deputy Mayor Tamir Nir, head of the committee, says, “Slowly but surely we are changing the course of things regarding the preservation of our legacy in the city.” Considering that some of the most painful cases of demolitions have taken place in Rehavia, the committee's unanimous decision is an important victory for those who care about preserving Jerusalem's architectural history. The next step is to make this list accessible to the Planning and Construction Committee so that when an entrepreneur wants to add floors or renovating an existing structure, the rules and limitations imposed by the law will be implemented.
(photo credit: TIM HURSLEY / COURTESY THE ISRAEL MUSEUM)Updated: Read More