1. www.jpost.com|INJERUSALEM25
Rivlin embraces
man’s best friend
• By KEREN PREISKEL
T
he President’s Resi-
dence gracefully opens
its doors to myriad vis-
itors. However, on Monday
President Reuven Rivlin host-
ed a different breed entirely:
four-legged guests at the first
Dog Adoption Day to take
place there.
The adoption day was the
brainchild of animal charity
Tnu Lehayot Lehiyot (Let the
Animals Live) in coordination
with Noah, the umbrella for
Israeli animal organizations.
Other dog charities, such as
Jerusalem Loves Animals and
Rishon Loves Animals, also
participated, with approxi-
mately 40 dogs gracing (and
sometimes desecrating) the
grassy area of the official resi-
dence. The event, which was
open to members of the public
whohadregisteredinadvance,
was also attended by veteran
animal lover Orna Banai, of
the famous showbiz clan, and
former Channel 10 news pro-
ducer Miki Haimovich, both
of whom lent their support
and spoke at the event.
Prior to the official part of
the event, human and canine
guests mingled and took part
inthesumptuousveganbuffet
that consisted of crudités,
dips, cakes and fruit. Sam, the
dog that I was looking after,
proved to be particularly fond
of the cucumbers, carrots and
bread sticks. Appropriate
canine-themed songs, such as
“Who Let the Dogs Out” and
well-known Israeli hit “Po
Kavur Hakelev” (The Dog Is
Buried Here) played in the
background.
Orna Banai and the indefati-
gable Etti Altman of Tnu Leha-
yotLehiyotopenedthespeech-
es, saying that holding such an
event at the President’s Resi-
dence had been a long-stand-
ing dream of hers, one that
began to seem possible with
the appointment of Rivlin, a
vegetarian and animal lover.
Altman thanked the president
for hosting such a special event
“on behalf of the thousands of
dogs who still need homes,”
and expressed the hope that
everyone would leave with a
new friend.
Rivlin then took to the podi-
um amidst much applause,
dedicating the event to the
memory of his dog, Stefan,
whom he described as being
the most special of all the dogs
that he had ever owned, who
was truly a member of the
family and who grew along-
side their children.
The president acknowl-
edged that it isn’t easy to take
care of dogs. It is necessary to
vaccinate them, feed them
and take them for at least two
walks a day (and at the same
time, he reminded people to
keep Israel tidy by cleaning up
after their dogs). Yet he
emphasized that it is easier to
take care of a dog than to live
without one, and that there is
something refreshing about a
dog – which is free of political
manipulations, revengeful-
ness and duplicity.
Rivlin encouraged the pub-
lictoadoptdogsandtodiscov-
er about themselves a deep
love, also citing the known
benefits for children’s emo-
tional development, combat-
ing feelings of loneliness, high
blood pressure and even aid-
ing people with Alzheimer’s.
Several puppies were adopt-
ed at the event, including two
siblings adopted by neighbor-
ing families in Modi’in. While
unfortunately not all of the
pooches found new homes, it
successfully focused
much-needed awareness on
the plight of the many dogs in
shelters who desperately need
homes, and gave a presiden-
tial seal of approval to them
being man’s best friends! •
For further details about
adopting dogs in Israel, check out
the Facebook pages of:
Tnu Lehayot Lehiyot https://
www.facebook.com/LetLive.
Israel/?fref=ts
Jerusalem Loves Animals
https://www.facebook.com/
jerusalemlovesanimals/
Rishon Loves Animals https://
www.facebook.com/rishon.
loves.animals/?fref=ts
THE ECONOMY PETS
Like roses among the thorns
The no-win situation of city
center restaurants and bars,
which is compounded by
municipal directives
• By PEGGY CIDOR
E
very morning, Raphael Kohn starts his day by
washing away urine and other excrement from
the narrow alley that leads to his restaurant in
NahalatShiva.Kohnhurriestodoitveryearly,because
he knows that if a municipality inspectors “catches”
him cleaning, he will get a ticket (about NIS 400) for
interveninginsomethingoutsidehisauthority.
And, surprisingly enough, that doesn’t mean that
the cleaning job will get done anyway.
A quick glance around the location of Kohn’s place
– Hungarian restaurant IgenMigen Bistro Halavi –
and other bars along the neighborhood’s narrow
alleys reveal a shameful level of neglect, lack of min-
imal investment and… an easily identified fetidness.
“Since this municipality has apparently decided to
destroy the city center, there is not much choice left
for me here,” sighs Kohn. With more than 20 years’
experience in the food and bar industry, in seven
countries around the world, “I really wanted to con-
tribute to Jerusalem.”
The story behind Kohn’s despair can be attributed
to cleaning issues, but that is only a tiny aspect of
the problem. Out of a genuine concern to revitalize
the city center, abandoned over the years by resi-
dents, visitors and customers for several reasons,
the various authorities in charge have invested
huge amounts of effort and funding. Yet Kohn is
right on one crucial point: customers are still run-
ning away.
An enormous number of events, mostly outdoors,
havebeeninitiatedoratleastfinancedbythemunic-
ipality, through its various administrations – from
the arts and culture department, to the authority for
small and medium businesses, to the city’s youth
authority, to the Ariel Company (a subsidiary com-
pany for local cultural events), as well as the Jerusa-
lem Development Authority through one of its main
branches, Eden. The prevailing idea is that if the city
center hosts an ongoing series of events – all free – it
will attract enough visitors and local residents to
come to the area, and boost the businesses’ gloomy
economic situation.
“That was the rationale behind all these events,”
says Zaphira Stern, an area resident and a member
of the city’s arts and culture committee, “but it
just doesn’t work out. It has not solved the prob-
lem of city center businesses; most of the money is
invested in these events, while businesses are clos-
ing one after another for lack of customers and
support.”
Kohn says he feels awful, adding that almost all his
ideas and suggestions to make the neighborhood
more appealing to customers have fallen on deaf
ears.
“My customers, and those of neighboring restau-
rants and bars, are not the teenagers who come to
listen to the full-volume music [often played at the
municipal events] and dance in the streets. These
guys will, at the most, buy a soda and eat a falafel or
slice of pizza, and at the end of the evening will come
to urinate or worse in Nahalat Shiva’s alleys.
“They are not the customers we expect, but they
chase away the few adults, tourists or locals, who
would like to sit in a clean restaurant and have a good
meal. I am totally desperate and I believe there is no
future for me here.”
Two additional owners of a restaurant and a bar in
the surrounding area say more or less the same –
although they refused to be identified, conscious of
the need to maintain a good relationship with the
authorities. One of them explained that it seemed
too many hands deal with the city-center situation,
and as a result there is no real planning, nor is there
one central authority leading the operations on the
ground.
“Every other day, someone new comes up with an
idea that doesn’t take into consideration what has
been already done, or is planned. We feel sometimes
as if we are in the eye of a whirlwind of events that all
end up with zero results.”
Aquickglanceattheprogramsandcostsforcity-cen-
ter events for the year 2016 provides a clear picture:
Money is not the problem, more how it is used. No less
than NIS 7 million has been approved and spent on
various outdoor events in Jerusalem – including in
NahalatShiva(NIS900,000forstreetactors);AzaRoad,
the Clal Building and Mahaneh Yehuda (NIS 150,000);
theGermanColony’sEmekRefaimStreetandtheBaka
neighborhood; the city center, including nightlife
events (NIS 600,000); winter events (NIS 500,000); and
the Formula One race (NIS 500,000). This does not
includesomeofthestandardOldCityhappeningsthat
occur throughout the year.
“It is a lot of money,” says Stern.
“Averysmallpartofthiswouldhavesavedmanybusi-
nesses from total failure, and probably prevented some
closures, but it seems that there is no single accepted
authority that would see the whole picture and decide
howandwhereallthismoneyshouldbespent.”
As for the special grant for businesses that have
been harmed by the security situation, most of the
owners complain that the bureaucracy is so heavy
that many have simply given up on it.
“My business is new,” explains Kohn, “so how can
I give any details on the drop in income as compared
to last year?”
This is only one example of the particular problem
linked to this special fund.
According to some eatery owners, the friendlier
business atmosphere in Tel Aviv highlights why it is
so difficult for Jerusalem concerns – some of which
have closed, left the capital and moved to Tel Aviv.
“We need help to get ourselves off the ground, like
discounts on taxes, loans with better conditions and
support.
“The Jerusalem Municipality doesn’t provide any
of these – only a lot of noisy music events that cause
my customers to cancel their reservations and to run
away,” concludes Kohn. •
Raphael Kohn (right) washes the street outside his
Nahalat Shiva restaurant this past week, together
with a 90-year-old shoemaker who has had a store
in the area for 35 years. (Courtesy)
President Reuven Rivlin and
his wife, Nechama, spend
quality time with a puppy.
(Yoav Ben-Dov and Khai Heller)