When the Jerusalem light rail initially became operational in December 2011, the population of the city was 796,197. It is now just under a million.
Even with additional public transportation, the light rail and the buses tend to be overcrowded at certain times, especially when shopping carts, suitcases, carriages, wheelchairs, bicycles, and scooters are brought on board. Now, for three to four months, most light rail services will be suspended while additional infrastructure is put in place.
According to reports, plans are being implemented without consulting business owners, whose income will be negatively impacted. A business delegation went to City Hall last week to air concerns of its members, who still have to pay city rates and taxes.
The delegation was informed that the municipality is trying to ease the burden by providing free shuttle services in certain areas, plus alternative bus services, and will encourage more people to use bicycles. The municipality will also permit coffee shops, restaurants, and bars to set up tables, chairs, and sunshades on the sidewalk and will organize street entertainment.
Sounds like fun for the summer, but what are the side effects?
Deputy Mayor Ariel Baziz, who holds the city’s business portfolio, wants to compensate the business community as much as possible by keeping the inner city bustling – especially along Jaffa Road. But as things stood even before this week’s temporary stoppage of the light rail, the number of empty stores with For Sale and For Rent signs continued to increase, particularly on King George and Hillel streets.
Traffic-wise, the light rail routes have already been illegally infiltrated by motorcyclists, bike riders, and scooter riders who ignore traffic lights or pedestrians who happen to be there. This will be exacerbated as they gain free rein over the light rail route; and once service resumes, it will be difficult to get back to normal. As it is, there is no traffic police to crack down.
So why should we delude ourselves into believing that things will improve once the work on the light rail is completed? Yes, the sidewalks may be better paved afterwards, as has been the case in Givat Shaul and on Jaffa Road, but what about the extra cars that will be on the roads?
The multistory towers that are gradually filling the city’s landscape all have ample underground parking, but what happens when 100 people or more who live or work in them want to drive their cars? They can’t always be assured of a seat on the bus or train. It’s also an Israeli quirk that when a new road or roundabout is built, more people go out to buy cars.
On top of all this, in a burst of optimism, permission has been given to property developers to build large hotels in quiet residential neighborhoods, without informing or consulting with residents who purchased their properties because of their quiet location. Now, with an anticipated surge in tourism, the streets will be packed 24/7 with tour buses and taxis. If the tourists fail to arrive because of the high cost of air travel, suspension of airline services, or ongoing hostilities on the ground, hotel rooms can easily be converted to studio apartments.
As Jerusalem loses its unique character and charm, there will be fewer reasons for tourists to visit.
On top of all this, there is a move afoot to increase city rates and taxes, especially arnona, which logically should be decreased, taking into account the thousands of additional apartments from which the municipality’s annual revenues will increase.
17th Plenary of the World Jewish Congress
■ THERE WAS no dress code for the opening gala this week of the 17th Plenary of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem. Women’s attire ranged from shorts to evening gowns, but most women attendees chose smart pantsuits. Footwear ranged from sporty sandals to classic stiletto-heeled shoes. Men were more conservative; most wore business suits and ties.
WJC President Ronald Lauder, who was reelected, commented that he had calculated that representatives of Jewish organizations who came to Jerusalem from 70 countries accounted for more than 99% of the Jewish world. No wonder. Jerusalem is referred to not only as the capital of Israel but the capital of the Jewish people.
In fact, Sylvan Adams, the president of the Israel branch of the WJC, made a point of saying that Israel belongs not only to Jews who live in Israel but to each and every Jew.
Although he was not wearing a kippah at the event, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who was the keynote speaker, is as pro-Israel and pro-Jerusalem as they come, and has his own special Jerusalem kippah with the word “Jerusalem,” an outline of the Old City skyline, and his name, courtesy of Marsha Motzen of Englewood, New Jersey, who was so moved by footage of Huckabee at the Western Wall, that she decided to crochet a personalized kippah for him. It was presented to the ambassador by hi-tech consultant and blogger Hillel Fuld.
At the WJC gala, the ambassador quipped that when President Donald Trump couldn’t send a Maccabee to Israel, he sent a Huckabee. He also assured his listeners that, contrary to messages on social media, there will be no divorce between the United States and Israel “because neither of us can afford the alimony.” In other words, each needs the other.
As for Huckabee on a personal level, he recalled that on the many occasions on which he had led groups of Christians to Israel, he returned to America after a week or two. That was not the case after he arrived here as ambassador. He didn’t go home because he is home, he said.
