Among life’s strange anomalies that, despite increasingly looking like a concrete jungle, Jerusalem has more cultural, social, and diplomatic events than ever.
One of the most popular venues is the Orient Hotel, despite all the light rail construction going on in Emek Refaim, and the gradual disappearance of restaurant and coffee shop patrons, who are opting for Aza Road.
Emek Refaim is not the only place in which commercial enterprises are closing down or reducing hours: Video Pub on Horkanos Street is bidding farewell at the end of this month. A favorite meet-and-eat venue for the LGBTQ community, it has been a particularly important haven for religiously observant gays. The Video Pub was established by three partners, Avi Goldberger, Roi Bar-Tur, and Hagai Sternhaus, over 14 years ago. Earlier this month, in a Facebook post, they announced the impending closure without giving any reason.
Judging by the turnout at Jerusalem’s annual March for Pride and Tolerance early this month, the LGBTQ community is far from small, though admittedly participants in the march also came from other parts of the country and even from abroad to join the Pride events in Tel Aviv, reputed to be the gay capital of the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Open House, which celebrates diversity, equality, and inclusiveness for the LGBTQ community, is continuing with cultural and social activities and conducts advocacy campaigns to get parents to accept and support their LGBTQ offspring. There are also educational workshops and youth clubs.
A boost for domestic tourism
■ THE ORIENT recently held the Urban Renewal conference on June 21 and 22, hosted by the Netanya-headquartered Israel Building Center, which is headed by Eran Rolls. It was definitely a boost for domestic tourism.
Another popular venue for conferences is the Ramada Hotel near the city entrance, which is not quite as easy to get to as in past years, but still accessible. Coming up at the Ramada is the Shaalim educational nucleus of Torah study centers, which promote the concept of a Torah scroll in one hand and an assault rifle in the other. The conference will be opened by Rabbi Rachamim Nissimi, the chair of the Shaalim network, and the closing address will be delivered by Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Safed and a member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate. He is the son of former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and the father of Amichai Eliyahu, the heritage minister.
The keynote speaker will be Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is head of the Religious Zionist Party, which, according to various surveys, will either not cross the Knesset threshold or barely succeed in crossing the threshold. The theme of the conference is “The Mosaic of Courage,” in which some speakers will talk about specific fallen soldiers. At least one such speaker is a bereaved father.
Radio Reshet Bet early morning anchor Arieh Golan, following a conversation with a relative of one of the soldiers who fell in battle last week, commented on how sad it was to learn about the actions in both military and civilian life of these fine, brave young men only after their deaths.
Fear and uncertainty
■ DESPITE CLAIMS by Mayor Moshe Lion that the municipality is doing much to improve living conditions for the Arab population of east Jerusalem, the residents of Silwan, who are largely Palestinians, live in fear and uncertainty. The reason is the ongoing eviction of families from their homes and the demolition of homes, which the municipality says were built illegally. Palestinians applying to build any kind of structure, be it residential or commercial, seldom, if ever, get permission.
But in the course of just under 60 years, populations grow. Children get married and have children of their own, and naturally want to have a proper home in which to raise them. When they go through the proper channels in the hope of getting building permits, which are not forthcoming, they have no recourse other than to build illegally.
The municipality is not their only nemesis. So are organizations such as Ateret Cohanim, which, in line with a law that enables the reclamation of property that once belonged to Jews, are acquiring the old title deeds of properties in the Silwan area, and are ousting families, including young children and elderly people who have lived there all their lives. These displaced people often have nowhere else to go.
Lion is known for his desire to plant flowers and trees in as many places as possible. This apparently includes Silwan, where on June 15, Jerusalem Municipality employees, accompanied by police, began destroying crops and buildings, and removing equipment with the use of heavy machinery. They also built a fence. The particular plot of land belongs to the Greek Patriarchate, which was quick to file an urgent legal appeal to the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court to stop the work that had been going on for days and for the municipality to pay compensation for all damage caused.
Only a few days earlier, Greek Patriarch Theophilos III, during a visit to the US, had met with President Donald Trump to seek his aid in stopping attacks against Christians and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
The court case was heard on June 18. The Patriarchate was represented by Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina. The municipality argued that, according to a municipal bylaw, it was authorized to take control of neglected land, to carry out landscaping work, and to remove any obstacles.
Aristarchos argued that the municipality had failed to notify the Patriarchate, nor did it attempt to engage with it. But the municipality contended that it does not recognize the Patriarchate’s ownership of the land.
Aristarchos was amazed. “Everyone knows it’s Greek land,” he said. “In the 1970s, we carried out archaeological excavations on the site in full coordination with the municipality.”
The difference was that in the 1970s, Teddy Kollek was mayor of Jerusalem, and City Hall worked very differently in comparison to what it does today.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jerusalem Post or its affiliates.
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