Blue line, red alert Following Mayor Nir Barkat's decision to allow residents of the German Colony's Emek Refaim Street and surroundings to submit alternative paths for the light rail's Blue Line, a three-point solution is emerging. The residents' action committee – which includes a spectrum of positions, including those opposed to the Emek Refaim course as well as those who support it – has been working hard, with professional assistance hired for the purpose. The scheduled date to submit the residents' proposals is December 1, but the alternative plans seem almost complete already. The plans include three possible locations for the rails – the current plan on Emek Refaim; the original (and since canceled) plan along Harakevet Street (at three points, inside Mesila Park); and a new plan that would run through Hatnufa Street in the Talpiot Industrial Zone – which would serve, according to committee members, a new residential area with a planned high-population density. The Hatnufa route, using Hebron Road, would spare Emek Refaim and Harakevet streets the turmoil of road work and rails, but according to sources at both Safra Square and the Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan, this proposal has little chance of being accepted. “Not only would it deprive some 140,000 residents of light rail service, it also signals that the Old Katamon and the German and Greek Colonies officially don't want to enable residents from the northern neighborhoods to pass through their areas,” explained a source at the municipality. The activity of the action committee is being conducted with the help and logistical support of the Ginot Ha'ir community center. The objective is to determine the best plan and path for the light rail, taking into account transportation, environment, cost, preservation, safety and demographic realities. Express to the Wall Are we going to have a direct train line from Tel Aviv to the Kotel soon? Well, yes and no… A proposal to check the feasibility of an additional spur to the soon-to-be-operating rapid train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was indeed submitted this week to the Minister of Transport, but it is only a preliminary query; no can say at this point what its chances are. If adopted, the eventual addition to the line would run from the Central Train Station at the entrance of the city (facing the Central Bus Station) to Tzahal Square, near the entrance to Jaffa Gate. This would entail a 80-meter deep tunnel connecting the entrance of the capital in the west to the threshold of the Old City in the east, and from there, walking to the Wailing Wall, either through the shuk or the Jewish Quarter. According to a Jerusalem Master Plan for Transportation spokesperson, the general approach of the minister and the professional staff is positive – what remains to be seen is if the cost of such a project will be acceptable. Multicultural cities To live in a multicultural city is the major theme of the fourth Jerusalem Foundation conference on life in cities with mixed residents. What are the limits of free speech in such societies? How can a city with residents from different backgrounds, religions and political links achieve a normal life? The conference, at the Mishkenot Sha'ananim Center from November 15 to 17, will look into all these aspects of coexistence and more. Academics, scholars, activists in various civil associations and educators will participate, present and contemplate ways to live together in a city with so many different and sometimes opposing sides. More details at www.mixedcity.org.il Help in enterprising Are you a new immigrant or returning Israeli wishing to kick off a start-up or other enterprise in the city? You are no longer on your own. MATI Jerusalem offers assistance for a new business that includes a place in a hub for new Jerusalem entrepreneurs, as well as a grant of up to NIS 9,000 – or up to 80% of the cost of utilizing such hubs – to pave the way. Moreover, it offers 30 hours of professional business mentoring, including navigation through relevant local rules and legal requirements. The initiative is backed (and financed) by the Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the Jerusalem Affairs Ministry, to encourage olim and returning Israelis to open businesses in the city. According to MATI, some 600 new olim benefited from their assistance in 2015 – an increase of more than 20% compared to 2014 – in launching projects and businesses here. More than NIS 4 million in funds were provided for their development. Growing but serene The High Holy Days were some of the quietest on the Temple Mount in recent years. Whether this is due to collective restrictions, such as limiting the number of visitors allowed, or thanks to diminishing tensions between Israeli authorities and the Wakf Muslim religious trust, the facts on the ground are clear: this usually tense period passed without any significant trouble. This period was distinguished by the record number of Jewish visitors to the Mount – and not only Temple Mount activists. A total of 2,500 to 3,000 Jewish visitors ascended during the High Holy Days, with 832 visitors during the 10 days from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur – twice as many as the same period in 2015; and 1,611 during Succot, as compared to 950 last year. Nevertheless, 14 Jews were removed from the compound during Succot for praying and prostrating themselves on the ground – strictly forbidden according to the status quo at the site. As noted by MK and Temple Mount activist Yehudah Glick, for the first time in many years, on Succot, Israel Police permitted three groups of Jewish visitors to be in the compound at the same time. Temple Mount activists say the police have also signaled greater support by increasing the number of personnel at the Mughrabi Gate to expedite security checks for Jewish visitors. They further report having been able to conduct a Succot ritual involving a blessing. Concerto for a movie The popular series of concerts and films at the Jerusalem Cinematheque is starting its new season on November 12, with a special program marking the 80th birthday of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The event will feature the film The Orchestra of the Exiled by Josh Aaronson, on IPO founder and violinist Bronislav Huberman. Former first violinist of the IPO Menachem Breuer will appear as a special guest, with the keynotes presented by musicologist Dr. Michael Wolpe. This will be the 24th year of the popular series of weekly encounters around a film and a lecture on music and musicians at the cinematheque, presented each Saturday at 11 a.m. O come all ye... Imagine thousands of Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land and culminating their visit in Jerusalem. Emotion and religious fervor aside, there are practical considerations to be addressed. The Saxum Project that will be inaugurated this week invites Christian tourists and pilgrims from around the world to come for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the Holy Land. The project is housed in an innovative complex built in Abu Ghosh to enrich the faith of the many Christian pilgrims visiting Israel every year, allowing them to connect with the Israeli aspects of their history. In collaboration with entities such as Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, the Tourism Ministry and Yad Ben-Zvi, the project will kick off with a series of “Holy Land Dialogues” from November 7 to 11 at the YMCA, with more than 430 guests from some 30 countries expected to take part. The main event, scheduled for November 10, will include an inter-religion peace and understanding panel with Gideon Sa'ar, former internal affairs minister, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and current and former ministers from Spain and Poland. The event will be attended by Saxum Foundation president Alfonso Alegiani, and additional events will include lectures about intersections between religions groups, visits to Nazareth and the Galilee, and a Thanksgiving mass presided over by the apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the apostolic nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, against the backdrop of Abu Ghosh's pastoral scenery. Holy cartoons “Hop, Skip and Jump” is the title of a highly interesting gathering in the city this week. Festival AniNation, an encounter between academics, technology, business and young animators, was set to take place at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. A particularly exciting element was the promising encounter between young, local animators and representatives of the world's largest and most important animation firms. As part of the framework of the Hop, Skip and Jump project, students and young creators in animation art have been invited to submit their works to be chosen for further development. The festival is more than an occasion to show and screen works; it is an opportunity to do “business” with representatives from abroad – like the Canadian Media Foundation, which supports the project through a grant of $300m. The event was conceived and presented by the Jerusalem Development Authority, which is endeavoring to expand the capital's capacity to offer solutions and support to local students in the film industry, including animation art. Final screening? Following a period of calm, the legendary Smadar movie theater is again facing threat of closure. This time, the reason is the urgent need to conduct significant renovations in the old building, estimated to cost up to NIS 3 million. The owners refuse to finance the renovations, arguing that there are quite a few investors ready to take the property over – but not as a movie theater – and cover the expenses of the renovations. The Lev movie theater group, of which Smadar is part, has announced that it cannot cover that sum for renovations. The municipality has tried to find a solution, but cannot help financially, as the property is private. Deputy Mayor Ofer Berkowitz told In Jerusalem that he hasn't given up trying to find a solution, and is checking with private foundations. Officially, the Smadar is scheduled to close down by December 31.
Muslims read the Koran on the Temple Mount(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)