CityPass at an impasseWork on the light rail has been frozen until further notice following a bank freeze on its funding, according to some reliable sources at the municipality and CityPass. Citypass has taken out heavy loans from the banks (Leumi and Hapoalim). The loans were supposed to be repaid through the funding the government was supposed to hand over to the company if CityPass was on schedule. But CityPass is not on schedule, to put it mildly, so the state won’t pay. Since the state isn’t paying, CityPass cannot repay its loans. Now that CityPass is having difficulty paying back, the banks refuse to give the company any more loans. As a result, CityPass has even less of a chance of keeping to its schedule which, as a result, reduces its chances of getting any money from the government.Outstanding young musicians play onA substantial contribution from the David Goldman Family Fund hasenabled the Jerusalem music center at Mishkenot Sha’ananim to ensurethe continuation of its program for Outstanding Young Musicians. Fromnow on, the program will be named after its benefactors. On Sunday, thecenter will feature a special program of works by Haydn, Beethoven andBrahms, performed by young, gifted Israeli musicians supported byMishkenot. The Mishkenot Music Center, established in 1973 by world-renownedviolinist Isaac Stern and mayor Teddy Kollek, with the support of theJerusalem Foundation and the Yad Hanadiv Foundation, has trained someof the country’s finest musicians, such as the Jerusalem Quartet andthe Jerusalem Trio.
This Week In Jerusalem
Peggy Cidor's round-up of city affairs.
CityPass at an impasseWork on the light rail has been frozen until further notice following a bank freeze on its funding, according to some reliable sources at the municipality and CityPass. Citypass has taken out heavy loans from the banks (Leumi and Hapoalim). The loans were supposed to be repaid through the funding the government was supposed to hand over to the company if CityPass was on schedule. But CityPass is not on schedule, to put it mildly, so the state won’t pay. Since the state isn’t paying, CityPass cannot repay its loans. Now that CityPass is having difficulty paying back, the banks refuse to give the company any more loans. As a result, CityPass has even less of a chance of keeping to its schedule which, as a result, reduces its chances of getting any money from the government.Outstanding young musicians play onA substantial contribution from the David Goldman Family Fund hasenabled the Jerusalem music center at Mishkenot Sha’ananim to ensurethe continuation of its program for Outstanding Young Musicians. Fromnow on, the program will be named after its benefactors. On Sunday, thecenter will feature a special program of works by Haydn, Beethoven andBrahms, performed by young, gifted Israeli musicians supported byMishkenot. The Mishkenot Music Center, established in 1973 by world-renownedviolinist Isaac Stern and mayor Teddy Kollek, with the support of theJerusalem Foundation and the Yad Hanadiv Foundation, has trained someof the country’s finest musicians, such as the Jerusalem Quartet andthe Jerusalem Trio.