Paying for the trash It doesn't happen frequently, but it did happen recently: at the last meeting of the city council's finance committee, the sanitation department had a surplus of NIS 3 million. Despite the lack of precedent for such an occurrence, most of the coalition representatives immediately offered proposals for what should be done with the money. However, the committee head, Hagit Moshe (Bayit Yehudi) had another idea – apparently Mayor Nir Barkat's idea – that she, as a member of the coalition, raised for a vote. The decision was to use that money for “cultural events and festivals.” This, surprisingly enough, raised protests from the secular members while it was accepted with serenity even by the haredi holder of the Sanitation portfolio. The secular branch's anger was mainly based on the fact that the city needs additional cleaning much more than another festival. There is more to the story than what has been published in the local press and social media. The NIS 3m. surplus came from the budget of recycling, which is done before dumping of the city's garbage – the procedure simply didn't need all of its allocated budget. According to regulations, as explained by Itzhak Pindrus, deputy mayor and holder of the portfolio, that money couldn't be used to hire more cleaners – whether through private companies or directly via municipality human resources – because this involves a procedure that takes time and requires an agreement with the Histadrut labor federation. Therefore the decision was made to use the money elsewhere for the benefit of the residents. Still, what needs to be done urgently is to add cleaners and budgets to the general cleaning of the city, independent from specific recycling and dumping services. Christian schools The Jerusalem Institute for Policy is holding a conference on the topic of Christian schools in the capital – what they stand for, what their situation is today and what a religious education means and imparts to students. Dr. Amnon Ramon of the JIP and Hana Bencowski, director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish- Christian Relations, will host the meeting at the JIP on Radak Street on October 31 and provide a roundup of the situation today. Christian schools in Jerusalem are respected for the high level of learning they provide, and many Muslim children attend them to obtain the best education possible. Careful with eggs The struggle against smuggling clandestine food items never ends. Last week, the council for the egg and poultry industry intercepted 10 containers with more than 40,000 illegal eggs. The eggs sported counterfeit stamps meant to enable them to be sold – despite being unsanitary and of unsafe origin – in the Mahaneh Yehuda market. Smuggled from Palestinian Authority territories, the contraband eggs are not laid under veterinarian supervision, nor are they transported under regulated sanitary conditions and are therefore considered highly risky for consumption. Moreover, the illegal commerce harms the income of local providers of eggs who are supervised and recognized by the council.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)