By PEGGY CIDORMayor Nir Barkat with staff and volunteers of the Israel Cancer Association’s Jerusalem branch(photo credit: Courtesy)Big sale, big issue The late acclaimed poet Zelda Schneersohn Mishkovsky, widely known as Zelda, asked her heirs not to publish her final works; she even requested that the works be burned.A forgotten notebook containing unpublished poems has been found and will be put on sale by the city’s Kedem Auction House on Tuesday, November 15. The value of the notebook is estimated at tens of thousands of dollars, but her friend and biographer is arguing against the sale, noting that it violates the wishes expressed in Zelda’s last will.Kedem argues that Zelda should be compared with noted writer Franz Kafka, who also didn’t want his later work to be published – but whose later writings were finally issued for the benefit of the public at large.The notebook is in good condition despite the fact that a few pages are missing, and the appearance of unknown poems by the beloved writer is raising much anticipation and emotion among connoisseurs of Zelda’s poetry. Unresolved is the issue of how far the last will of acclaimed authors should be respected despite the interest of fans, scholars and the general public.Knocking on doorsLate last month, the Israel Cancer Association launched its annual Knock on the Door campaign at the municipality in the presence of Mayor Nir Barkat. Running throughout November, the campaign has been raising money nationally for cancer research for some 56 years; this year’s Jerusalem participants include pupils from 24 schools and seven youth groups from around the city.“The participation of Jerusalem students in this important campaign is a positive and educational duty,” Barkat noted at the end of the ceremony. For more information: www.cancer.org.ilFrenchiesItinéraires de Paris à Jérusalem, the annual photography competition of the Institut française de Jérusalem Romain Gary, is now under way.
The competition was organized under the patronage of the Agence France-Presse. A professional jury and the public, through Facebook, will decide on the top prizewinners for photographs submitted in two categories, professionals and amateurs. The theme for this year’s competition, Wonder Workers in Jerusalem, focuses on traditional craftmanship; the submitted portraits should feature artists and craftsmen who use their hands “to reinvent the world each day.”Photos may be submitted throughout November.The competition is open to residents of Israel and the territories under Israeli control. Sophisticated cameras and other prizes will be awarded to top winners in both categories.Stuck in Ramot traffic An emergency meeting of Ramot residents held at the local community center called for rapid intervention by the national government and the city council to solve the problem of morning traffic leaving the neighborhood.Despite years of appeals for a solution, nothing has been done so far and the residents have decided to take bolder action on the matter. The emergency meeting was organized by Deputy Mayor Itzhak Pindrus, and attendees included Ramot resident Deputy Mayor Dov Kalmanovitch and Mayor Barkat.Ideas to ease traffic included traffic lights, roundabouts and a bypass. Now, all await the Transportation Ministry’s decision.Geulim plot Baka and Talpiot residents are invited to a special meeting at the neighborhood council center about programs for the community and the future use of the renovated Geulim plot. Following the completion of extensive renovations on the plot, the time has come to decide what the community wishes to do with this location. The meeting will address the proposed hours of activities and their character, as well as guidelines regarding the facilities and use of the premises.Where’s the money?We previously reported that this year’s municipal budget for the recycling dump was not used, and that Mayor Nir Barkat has designated the funds for other purposes.Following the mayor’s decision last week not to use the money to add cleaning teams, Hitorerut representatives at city council, led by Deputy Mayor Ofer Berkowitz, are still trying to prevent this decision from being carried out. Berkowitz says that even though hiring additional teams at this stage of the year is indeed – as noted by Barkat at the last council meeting – not possible, there are other ways to apply the money toward cleaning.As reported here last week, NIS 8 million of budgeted funds that haven’t been used this year by the municipality – including the NIS 3m. designated for dump recycling – is to be applied by the end of the year toward a range of festivals and cultural events in both the general and religious sectors of the city.“Jerusalem already has had a lot of cultural events held and scheduled this year, a sector in which we have accomplished a real revolution.But we also have other duties toward the city and the residents, such as cleaning, that deserve more attention,” asserted Berkowitz.Blue line Last week, concerned residents took a guided tour of the route of the light rail’s planned Blue Line, originally set to go along the German Colony’s Emek Refaim Street.On November 14, a debate will take place at 8 p.m. at the Beit Yehudit community center regarding the two alternative routes being proposed.All residents are invited to take part to see for themselves what the plans are and to decide how they wish to influence the outcome of this significant neighborhood project.