This week in Jerusalem 476991

Smadar – the next round

Like a good suspense movie, the fate of the Smadar movie theater continues to change, and it is not shutting down tomorrow as announced. At the very last moment, a temporary solution was found, and the verdict – if nothing essential changes – is postponed until May.

Against all odds, the owners and the operators of the theater from the Lev chain have finally agreed to meet midway between their respective positions. The matchmaker in this case was deputy mayor Ofer Berkowitz, who holds the culture portfolio in the city council, who found a way to reach a compromise.

A short recapitulation of the saga: the owners, Sarah and Dror Harish, bought the estate before the municipality designated it for cultural and entertainment purposes, thus preventing them from eventually turning it into highly profitable real estate – perhaps a tower for luxurious apartments. Since then, their only income from the site was the rent paid by the operators of the Lev chain. When the time came for needed repairs to the building, the Harishes refused to pay for it, leaving it totally to the Lev operators, who said it was beyond their capacity.

Berkowitz, who pledged to do everything he could to save this highly appreciated theater, managed to finally bring the two parties together, and the result is at least encouraging: the owners have agreed not to raise the rent until May, the municipality will issue a permit for the business until then, and in the meantime the parties will try to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, residents continue to purchase a NIS 300 subscription, and an initiative for cultural and educational programs for seniors in the Smadar compound will be organized by the municipality, adding to the operating funds.

Arabic numbers

For the first time, the 30th edition of the annual Jerusalem Almanac produced by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research is being published in Arabic. The almanac’s statistics are based on the Institute’s teamwork led by Dr. Maya Choshen, with data from the municipality and from the Central Bureau of Statistics. The yearbook gives a wide range of figures on practically every aspect of the city, and is the best tool for learning about the state of affairs of the city’s residents. All the figures are available on the institute’s website: www.jerusaleminstitute.org.

Like room service

Disabled children encounter a broad range of difficulties in their daily lives – finding accessible locations and more – and are sometimes excluded from activities, such as plays at the theater or holiday parties with friends.

With this in mind, the Psik theater company has been addressing this challenge and coming forth with creative solutions.

Some of the actors in the group are themselves disabled, and therefore are well acquainted with the scope of the problem. They offer through example a message of strength and hope to the children.

The troupe’s message is highly educational. The disabled actors perform for disabled children, but also for youth without special needs, and hold a frank discussion with them on these matters after the play, aiming to reduce, as much as possible, prejudices against – and a lack of understanding for – children with special needs.

The Psik theater company also targets senior audiences, bringing its performances to homes for seniors and community centers. The performances have been running through the entire month and are planned to continue into next year, with altogether no fewer than 250 shows – and all at a special low cost of NIS 10 per ticket.

Details can be obtained at the neighborhood community centers and at schools for disabled children.

Pilgrims’ way

In the framework of the yearlong festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, the ancient path of the pilgrims – dating back more than 2,000 years – has been revealed and opened to the public.

The path runs from the City of David site, located opposite the Dung Gate to the Old City, and traces the route trodden by pilgrims to the city two millennia ago from the Shiloah Spring to the Temple Mount.

The ceremony unveiling the point where the path starts took place this week in the presence of Sports and Culture Minister Miri Regev, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Shlomo Amar and Mayor Nir Barkat. One of the participants at the ceremony was Dr. Yitzhak Yifat, one of the three paratroopers appearing in the iconic photo taken by David Rubinger at the liberation of the Kotel in June 1967.

Remembering Teddy Kollek

Beit Avi Chai will hold a celebration commemorating 10 years since the death of legendary Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, also marking the start of the month of Tevet.

Kollek was mayor when the city was reunified in 1967 after 19 years of division – an event that is celebrated in this jubilee year all year long. Kollek was a member of the Labor Party, but throughout his 28 years at the head of the city he maintained an independent political position, and frequently launched protest actions to obtain more funds from the government for the needs of the city.

Kollek was behind some of the most important decisions taken for the development of Jerusalem – the Cinematheque, the Jerusalem Theater, the Khan Theater, the creation of the Jerusalem Foundation and the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (today the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research). Kollek was also the driving force behind the decision to build a new home for the city’s town hall, although he never served there, as he lost the elections of 1993, a year before his successor, Ehud Olmert, inaugurated Safra Square.

The program is scheduled for Tuesday, January 3 at 8 p.m., free of charge at Beit Avi Chai (44 King George Avenue).

Jerusalem in the Sky

The National Library is presenting three events linked to the history of the city. The first is dedicated to how pilgrims and dreamers of Jerusalem in the past – Jews, Christians and Muslims – imagined the Holy City.

Antique maps, rare manuscripts, and other objects from the library’s collection will give the public a glimpse of how people imagined a city they yearned for, yet never saw. The exhibition will run until March 31, 9 a.m. to noon; entrance is free.

Another event will mark the 120th anniversary of Uri Zvi Greenberg’s birth, and will honor his monumental book of poems, Rehovot Hanahar, which was published 65 years ago. Some of the poems from the collection will be read by Shlomo Tzuker and the evening will be presented by Prof. Ariel Hirshfeld with the participation of some of the best contemporary poets of Israel: Prof. Haviva Pedaya, Haim Gouri, Benny Shvili and others.

The evening will take place on Thursday, January 5, at 8 p.m. at the National Library, on the Givat Ram campus, with no charge.

The third event is also dedicated to a famous scholar – Between Biography and Historiography: Writing the Life of Gershom Scholem. It will take place Thursday, January 5, at 2 p.m. at the library, also with no entrance fee.

Café Itamar – the end

After more than 10 years as one of the most cherished spots for coffee, lunches and get-togethers in a bucolic and familial atmosphere, Café Itamar is closing.

Despite a long legal fight, a court ruling left the owners no choice other than to shut down.

Café Itamar was born out of a family initiative to perpetuate the memory of Itamar, the brother of one of the owners, after he was murdered in a terrorist attack near Moshav Ora, where the café is located. Distinctively situated in a plant nursery, the café was a verdant dining spot in a rustic environment and warm ambiance, but despite much effort expended by the Doron family – the owners – the law could not allow the enterprise to continue. The café is located on a plot that can be used only for agriculture and therefore was in violation of the law.

Many businesses, typically coffee shops and restaurants, are launched without a permanent license, but rather a temporary permit during the first year with a possibility to renew when all operational aspects are duly verified and approved.

An “adieu” party is planned for tomorrow evening (Saturday December 31) as well as a sale of all the plants in the nursery at a 50% discount.

Peggy Cidor’s round-up of city affairs.