IT LOOKS as if Aza Road is increasingly taking over from Emek Refaim as a street for coffee shops and restaurants.
But surprisingly, the building of the First National Bank, which no longer operates in that part of town, has not been snapped up by anyone looking to open a large, elegant eatery. In addition to copious floor space, there is a large long ramp leading to the entrance, which makes the premises accessible to people in wheelchairs. Perhaps the asking price is too high. The “For sale” sign has been on the building for several months.
Meanwhile, some commercial enterprises on Emek Refaim have been vacated in advance of suffering loss of income during the period in which infrastructure for the light rail gets underway. The problem is that shopkeepers are not being apprised as to when that will be and are living in limbo.
The same goes for vendors in the Mahaneh Yehuda market, where there has been considerable progress with regard to the light rail, and also the construction of high-rise buildings, but there is little or no advance information.
Money invested in the gentrification of the market may go down the drain if insufficient notice is given before work on the light rail begins in earnest. Someone should make it clear to Mayor Moshe Lion that this is not the way to run a city.
For that matter, neither is building multi-story apartments on streets that are almost falling apart. How is it that streets in upmarket neighborhoods are a patchwork of potholes and uneven, cracked surfaces? One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist or an AI developer to know that construction is from the bottom up and not from the top down.
Jerusalem visited by a bunch of Americans
■ THE AMERICANS have come to town. A group of federal judges this week visited with President Isaac Herzog and other Israeli dignitaries; and on the same day, a group of evangelists who are key members of President Donald Trump’s advisory team participated in a panel discussion of US-Israel relations, sharing insights on pressing political issues.
Heather Johnston, Lance Wallnau, Luke Moon, Mario Bramnick, Ralph Reed, and Tony Perkins gave Israelis a better understanding of what the Trump administration is all about. They spoke at the Friends of Zion Museum, which in recent months has become a hot spot for Trump supporters.
New head of JISS
■ BRIG.-GEN. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser has been appointed head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. He succeeds Prof. Efraim Inbar, who founded JISS in 2017 and led the institute for seven years. Prior to joining JISS, Kuperwasser was senior project manager of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. He formerly served as head of the IDF’s research division, and director general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry.
A donation to Gazelle Valley
■ THE MANDEL Foundation, named in memory of Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel, has donated tens of millions of dollars to projects in Jerusalem and in other parts of the country. Among the Jerusalem beneficiaries of the foundation’s largesse are the Israel Museum, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and the Israel Antiquities Authority. In addition, the foundation has donated $40 million in wartime grants since Oct. 7, 2023.
The latest donation is not for the construction, expansion, or improvement of an institution but for the widening and upgrading of a valley.
Gazelle Valley is one of the largest natural urban valleys in Israel, and Mayor Lion is excited that plans to broaden and upgrade it are now possible, thanks to a $15m. gift from the Mandel Foundation. It is anticipated that work on the project will take two years, but judging from how plans for other projects in the capital have stretched out to way beyond the originally stated time frame, it could be a lot longer.
Mandel Foundation President Prof. Jehuda Reinharz said the foundation is happy to help Israel’s capital and residents in the spheres of education, culture, and leisure time activities.
The project will be developed in cooperation with the Jerusalem Foundation, whose president, Arik Grebelsky, believes that the Gazelle Valley will become one of the most meaningful and popular parks in the country.
The Jerusalem Marathon is coming
■ THE ANNUAL Jerusalem Marathon is less than a month away, scheduled for Friday, April 4. The annual marathon has become a very popular event, with more runners participating each year. This year will be special, as so many soldiers who have fought in Gaza and Lebanon during the past year and a quarter will be participating.
The Thank Israeli Soldiers (TIS) organization, founded by Pamela and Aba Claman, who in 2022 were awarded the Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize, is inviting the public to support the runners this year as a sign of appreciation for their service, by running with them and in return getting a 10% discount on the entry fee, and a Dri-Fit T-shirt.
In addition, TIS will fully sponsor any reservist who wants to run under the TIS banner. Reservists who want to run will be registered for free and can sign up at thankisraelisoldiers.org/marathon.
It means a lot to those soldiers who were engaged in combat and who lost many of their comrades to know that the public is with them. In many cases, sports is part of their post-trauma therapy in that it makes them focus on something other than the horrors they have experienced.
People who are unable to run but want to express appreciation to the soldiers can sponsor a soldier or donate to the mental health and educational programs that TIS provides for soldiers who are serving and those who have been discharged.
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