One of the largest of these initiatives is active in the capital’s haredi stronghold Mea She’arim. This year, the need has reached an unprecedented level, with provision of hundreds of tons of meat,
By PEGGY CIDORFormer head of Meretz at city council Pepe Alalua’s decision to run for mayor has ignited a lot of turmoil in the party’s local branch(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Satmar assistance Every year hundreds of welfare associations collect food and or money to help underprivileged families cope with Passover expenses. One of the largest of these initiatives is active in the capital’s haredi stronghold Mea She’arim. This year, the need has reached an unprecedented level, with provision of hundreds of tons of meat, matzot, vegetables and more.While the collection and preparation of the food baskets start right after Purim, the peak of the event occurs in the last week before the holiday, when designated streets are blocked for traffic as the big event takes place: distribution of food, sometimes accompanied with a small sum of money to address the needs of these families.This remarkable charity event is not reserved exclusively to religious or haredi families and is open to all; most of the recipients are sent there through the welfare administration of the municipality.Most of the money to fund this activity comes from the Satmar Hassidic sect, most of whom live in the US. “Oneg Shabbat” – the name of the organization that helps underprivileged Israelis, whether they are Zionist, religious, haredim or secular – has sent some $4 million this year.Non-kosher cleaning Cleaning a car outside a private area with a hose, causing dirty water to flow into public spaces is illegal and residents are warned not to do so. Unfortunately, this was apparently unknown to several Bayit Vagan residents, who, the day before Passover, were slapped with NIS 450 fines for washing cars in an unlawful manner.They expressed anger at local council community workers.Lion roars Two days before the Passover holiday (and about a month after he answered In Jerusalem’s questions for mayoral candidates) Deputy Mayor Moshe Lion officially launched his candidacy. In a festive event held in one of the banquet halls in the city, Lion and his guests and followers raised a toast for the holiday and for his success in the coming elections.Officially, Lion is still the favorite candidate of the haredi sector in the city, a position that bolsters his chances to be elected, but recently, voices in that sector challenged his status. If the element that opposes him as the haredi candidate prevails, Lion will have to work hard to amass alternative support from religious and traditional residents in the city, and his chances to win the mayor’s seat will drop considerably.Meretz mess The decision of former head of Meretz at the city council, Pepe Alalu, to run for mayor, has caused turmoil in the small local branch. City councilwoman Laura Wharton, who courageously headed opposition at the council single-handedly, opposes Alalu’s comeback. In response, Alalu dramatically quit the party’s branch in the city and announced his decision to run as an independent.Wharton termed Alalu’s move is a “big mistake,” to which he responded, “They are afraid of me.”Meanwhile, Meretz has a new recruit that differs from the usual image of politicians. Eyal Luria, a 22-year-old law student at the Hebrew University has decided that involvement in public activities and through politics is the right thing for him now, and is not even discouraged by the fact that if he is elected to the council, he will have to get a second job, since council members are not salaried.Not in my name While forecasts predict that Shas may not cross the national electoral threshold, it seems that locally the party has already reached its end. Considering that Shas was in fact “born” at the Jerusalem city council in 1983, before becoming a national party, what could be more symbolic than the grandson of the late rabbi Ovadia Yosef entering the political arena in a national religious list? Yonatan Yosef, aged 33, will be placed in a high position in the new list that city council member Arieh King (United Jerusalem) is forming. The next step will apparently, be to join forces with the official representatives of Bayit Yehudi, which currently holds two council seats.April fools Einav Bar-Cohen (Hitorerut) announced on Facebook that she had decided to quit political life. Mayoral candidate Yossi Havilio revealed his plans, if elected, to move the municipality to Modi’in from its more expensive Safra Square location.Later, both acknowledged that these were “April Fools” pranks.The municipality will remain in Safra Square and Bar-Cohen is continuing her efforts to become the next deputy mayor under Ofer Berkovitch (Hitorerut). Havilio explained that his prank was his way to illustrate a real problem that he plans to address if elected: the growing number of official institutions that, in violation of the law, move from Jerusalem to other locations.Mimouna and the Tower of David Sealing the Passover holiday for North African Jewish communities, the Mimouna has become an Israeli event shared by all. A celebration of spring and friendship, it is an opportunity to celebrate with good food, good company and a lot of music.Jerusalem is hosting the Mimouna at one of its historical centers: the Tower of David museum and compound. A special production by Yair Kochav, the founder and former artistic director of the Tahrir Bar at Mahaneh Yehuda and an accomplished musician and cantor, will take place on Sunday, April 8 at 8 p.m. The evening will include a piyut ensemble, Jewish Moroccan and North African band and singers, traditional food and screening of a film about one of the leading poets and cantors of Morocco. Tickets (NIS 50) are available at www.tod.org.il or *2884
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