■ UNLIKE PRESIDENT Isaac Herzog and Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu and their wives Michal and Sarah, who went to Sheba Medical Center to receive their third vaccination shots against COVID-19 and the Delta variant, Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy and wife Nurit traveled closer to home to the Bikur Holim hospital – where Levy was shocked to discover that Keren Revivo, the nurse who administered the jab, was the same nurse who had treated him in January 2002. Then, as Jerusalem police commissioner, he had suffered a heart attack during a terrorist operation.
It was quite emotional for Levy and Revivo to meet up again. Levy took the opportunity to echo Herzog and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in urging Israelis over 60 years old who can be vaccinated according to the Health Ministry’s criteria, and have not yet done so, to get themselves inoculated.
“The vaccine saves lives, prevents severe illness and is our only way to continue with our everyday life,” he said.
■ THE JEWISH Art Museum at Heichal Shlomo has received what is believed to be the largest mezuzah in the world. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Or Babayit (Light in the Home) which affixes mezuzot to doorposts all over the country free of charge, commissioned kinetic artist Yaacov Agam, 93, to design a special mezuzah that would be on permanent display in a museum that celebrates Jewish art. Agam, who has designed signature mezuzot in the past, rose to the challenge, and the special mezuzah was duly unveiled last week in the presence of Mayor Moshe Lion; international businessman Haim Taib, who specializes in sustainable development and is founder and president of the Menomadin Group and the Menomadin Foundation and also founder of the Mitrelli Group; Barak Rosen and Asaf Touchmair, who are the co-owners of Israel-Canada, the property development group that is heavily involved in changing the face of the entrance to Jerusalem; Jerusalem-born singer Yehoram Gaon, and several other well-known personalities. Taib, who is also closely connected to Or Babayit, emphasized that the mezuzah is one of the most visible symbols of a Jewish home.
“We want to dedicate the tenth anniversary mezuzah to Jewish unity and cohesion,” said Taib.
Judaica lovers who are keen on mezuzot, should also go next door to the Great Synagogue to see the magnificent display of mezuzot on the ground floor.
■ SOMEONE WILL one day write a book called What Makes Rami Run. There’s no stopping discount supermarket tycoon Rami Levy, who is involved in numerous diverse business ventures. Last month, he set the cornerstone for Nof Zion, a whole new Jewish neighborhood that he is building with several investors in the heart of Jabel Mukaber, which is a Palestinian enclave in east Jerusalem.
It goes without saying that the local resident population was far from happy about this development and staged a protest demonstration prior to the cornerstone event. The project will include two hotels and a large commercial center as well as at least 400 residential units.
This week, Levy had another cornerstone laying for hotels that he intends to build on the Armon Hanatziv promenade.
Judging by the number of hotels approved for future construction by the District Planning Committee, those that have already been built over the last three or four years, and those presently under construction, the Ministry of Tourism and the Jerusalem Development Authority are optimistic about a major bounce-back in tourism and want to be ready for the influx, though little will remain special about Jerusalem once views are closed out by tall towers, and historic buildings are either pulled down or seriously damaged on the altar of urban renewal. On the other hand, if the expectations of people heavily involved with tourism are not met, hotels can easily be converted to studio apartments with the addition of kitchenettes. There are many single people in Jerusalem whose incomes do not stretch to the cost of renting a three or four-room apartment, but who would welcome a reasonably priced studio apartment, especially one that is close to public transport and commercial centers as are most hotels.
■ AN INTERGENERATIONAL project initiated by the Student Union of the Hebrew University is gaining momentum. Under the title of “Grandma show me how…” students meet with veteran residents of their neighborhood, who teach them some of the intricacies of cooking, after which they all dine together. Not all the students know each other in advance, so the project leads to new connections and friendships. In addition, the table talk, which initially centers on food, but moves on to other subjects, gives young people the opportunity to learn first-hand about how things used to be. It also gives them a greater respect for the older generation after learning of its experiences, and gives the veterans the feeling that they are still relevant beyond their families.
As for the way it used to be, in the days when Teddy Kollek was mayor, with few exceptions, residential buildings were limited to a four-story height. The Ben Yehuda mall was not a pedestrian’s paradise; it used to have the number 5 bus running through it. It was Kollek who decided that Jerusalemites needed a place from which to walk safely to different parts of town.
In buses, the noise came from the driver’s radio, which was cranked up to full volume whenever there was a news bulletin. Today the noise comes from passengers who speak too loudly on their cellphones. Parents transported their infant children in fold-up strollers, rather than in the large sophisticated baby carriages that take up so much room now on the light rail and in buses. The same parents are also a blight on storekeepers because they wheel their baby carriages all over the store, frequently blocking the aisles, and thereby preventing other shoppers from reaching the merchandise in which they are interested, and so potential purchasers simply leave. Drivers and passengers used to smoke on the bus. When legislation was passed to ban this practice, few people thought that such a law could be implemented. But it was and it is. Pavements were often cracked and broken in places, but at least they were reasonably safe for pedestrians. There was the occasional bicycle rider, but most cyclists were on the road because there were fewer cars. But today bicycles, motorcycles, electric scooters and more are a nightmare and a hazard for pedestrians. Their drivers don’t obey road rules, meaning that they go in both directions on narrow pavements, forcing pedestrians into the road for fear of being hit.
Other than a glut of seats and benches around the city and suburbia, the comfort and safety of pedestrians apparently counts for nothing.
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