Nostalgia Sunday – Save the Stadium
Filed under: Business, design, Environment, General, History and Culture, Life, Nostalgia Sunday, Politics, Social Justice
“Ramat Gan” means “Garden Height” and, true to the city’s name, its citizens will brook no nonsense when it comes to their green spaces. They pay one the country’s highest municipal taxes and will stand on principle when it comes to preserving a patch of grass – particularly if it is surrounded by stadium seating with bunch of guys on it, running up and down after a ball. But more about that in a moment.
The visionary behind Ramat Gan was its first mayor, Avraham Krinitzi, who contracted Moshe Kavshani, a graduate of the Mikve Yisrael agricultural school, to plan the city’s parks and gardens. Kavshani, according to the Wikipedia (Hebrew) entry about public park Gan Shaul, “as evinced by the municipal records from the late 1930s, was a gardener of great soul, who was very aware of the importance of the connection between people and their environment. Every time a new public park was inaugurated, Kavshani would invite pupils from the local schools to the ceremony, during which he would ‘hand over’ [the garden] to their care. In this way, he created an emotional tie between the children of Ramat Gan and their city’s parks.”
Kavshani designed Gan Shaul to sprawl 25 square kilometers over the city’s hillsides. Popularly known as “Gan Ha-Kofim” or “The Monkey Park”, Gan Shaul was inaugurated in March 1938 at a ceremony presided over by Mandatory Palestine Southern District Commissioner REH Crosbie. The park got its nickname from the cages of monkeys, peacocks, turtles, rabbits and other animals put on display. In 1974, the animals were transferred to more humane surroundings at the newly established Ramat Gan Safari. Gan Shaul didn’t fare as well: its area, already cut to 16 sq km was reduced to a mere 12 sq km and an 11 meter tall water tower was erected on its highest point.
But the real blow came in 2007, when the Ramat Gan municipality announced its intention to construct a public parking lot on the Gan Shaul site. That’s when the neighborhood rallied to save its Monkey Park in a well-publicized battle that garnered popular support from members of the city council, the local Green Party, the Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel (SPNI), the Israel Union for Environmental Defense (Adam Teva v’Din) and the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS). The municipality caved in 2008, scrapped the parking plan, transferred the NIS 8 million in funding to education and social welfare and invested NIS 300,000 in new playground equipment and greenery. What an amazing city! The Wikipedia entry also notes that closed circuit TV cameras were also installed around the water tower site to stave off vandalism.
Given this proud history, it’s no wonder that Ramat Gan’s citizenry are once again up in arms over the latest plan – this time opposing the Hapoel organization’s plan to sell off the Machtesh Stadium. Although a complete eyesore on the outside, on the inside this unusual field –- built into a steep hillside– is lush and green (and flat). It’s also the historic home of soccer team Hapoel Ramat Gan (now used to train the junior leagues) and you do not mess with their fans. On Thursday, Y-net reported that the police was investigating the possibility of an improper sale of the land to real estate developer Eurocom and the neighbors are planning a public protest this coming Tuesday, June 1. Although motivated less by love of football and more by not wanting a high-rise in their neighborhood (there really is NO parking in Ramat Gan), you’ve got to admire their spirit. Moshe Kavshani would have.
Click here for more about the demonstration. You can also join the Ramat Gan Facebook fan page here.
Foto Friday – Biking to the Extreme
Filed under: A New Reality, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture, Sports
Israel is a natural location for extreme sports. Some would even venture that just living in Israel is an extreme sport, given our highway conditions and of course that pesky security situation.
Even the Israel Postal Company has gotten into the act, with a series of stamps celebrating windsurfing, and — of course — the ever-popular all-terrain biking.
Yes, there are bikers all over Israel’s terrain, particularly on the weekends. when they come out in droves. It makes sense. The sport combines the positive effects of outdoor exercise with the even more popular crazy Israeli driver syndrome. There are extreme bikers in the Jerusalem Hills…
In Tel Aviv…
Very extreme biking in Haifa…
The popularity of ultra-sports is constantly growing (for proof, check out ISRAEL21c’s video about Parkour in Tel Aviv) and there are events scheduled for every weekend in the coming months. Shvoong is central repository for all sports-related information but unfortunately, the site is only in Hebrew, as is ProSport, which runs some of the country’s most fun and creative events. For English, try the Israel Cycling Federation, Cyclenix – MTB Israel, Ayalot, the Israeli Club for Runners and Triathletes or Sarma, the Israel Extreme Sports and Rescue Association.
And consider signing up for a charity hike or bike trip: Tsad Kadima’s Hike for Hope, Hazon’s Jerusalem To Eilat Ride 2010; ALYN Hospital’s 11th International Charity Bike Ride. All worthy causes and good fun.
Foto Friday – Sukkot in Jerusalem
Filed under: Art, coexistence, Foto Friday, General, Holidays, Religion, Travel
The awe-ful part of the Days of Awe are behind us and now it’s time to party! Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, is the holiday when Jerusalem gets itself all decked out…
© RomKri
…and small wooden sukkot, or tabernacles, spring up overnight…
© monti_clif
…dotting the urban landscape.
© Pes & Lev
The Municipality of Jerusalem gets into the act too, with a large public sukka – the perfect opener to this month’s Autumn Nights Festival…
© RomKri
…as well as the annual Jerusalem March, attended by walkers from all over the country…
© monti_clif
…and from all over the world!
© monti_clif
Another event taking place at this time: the International Christian Embassy’s Feast of Tabernacles festival, this year celebrating its 30th anniversary. The festivities begin today with a worship concert at Ein Gedi, continue with a week of prayer and Bible teachings, and conclude with the Jerusalem March on October 6th.
Below is a montage of photos from last year’s Feast of Tabernacles. The photos above are courtesy of the wonderful Jerusalem Shots website – always worth a visit. And here’s wishing a Chag Sameach (happy holiday) to us all!
Feast of Tabernacles 2008 Photo Montage from ICEJ on Vimeo.
Foto Friday – Running Around the Holyland
Filed under: Foto Friday, General, Pop Culture, Sports, Travel
The sixth annual Pope John Paul II Pilgrimage Peace Marathon took place on Thursday. Although not truly a marathon — it is best described as a non-competitive 10k walk-run from Manger Square in Bethlehem to Notre Dame outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls — it is nonetheless a unique and truly moving event.
Italian and Palestinian participants did the first 2k within the Palestinian Authority, then met up with their Israeli counterparts — myself included — at the Rachel Crossing checkpoint, and ran the remaining distance together. The photo is of the festive ceremony at Notre Dame where everyone got a medal…
…including my pal Yaron Rochin, of Jerusalem’s Beit HaLohem, who organized the Israeli group.
Yaron is quite a story in an of himself. An IDF veteran with legs wounded by shrapnel, he is nonetheless a fixture at all Israeli running events where he always picks up the rear — which is where you can find me — with his infectious energy.
Yaron led the Papal Peace Pilgrimage pack with cries of “Yalla, hevre!” and the next day, did the Tel Aviv Marathon — a true 42.2k — in a hand-powered bicycle.
More about this unique event can be found in a previous post and on this YouTube video, courtesy of Italian news service Rome Reports:
As for the Tel Aviv Marathon, the energy and spirit among participants was great and, hopefully, the city’s residents won’t be too hateful and the event will be allowed to continue and grow. Here’s the starting line. I’m the one in the orange shirt.
Yaron crossing the finish line.
And the winner, Daniel Kones of Kenya, who finished in 2:38:06.
More information about running in Israel, as well as registration for events, can be found at Shvoong. The site is, unfortunately, only in Hebrew. Another event organizer is ProSport – and they do have an English site. On-on and happy trails!
Foto Friday – Holyland Hashers run Tel Aviv
Filed under: Foto Friday, General, Pop Culture, Sports, Travel
My running club, the Holyland Hash House Harriers, held a traditional Red Dress Run in Tel Aviv this weekend in celebration of our 777th run. The Hash, for the uninitiated (and yes, there is an initiation!), is an international running and beer-drinking dis-organization that specializes in fun runs. And here’s your proof:
Here we are, doing a bit of cult-to-cult dancing with some Hare Krishnas.
Ynet did a really nice video of the run, noting that, as Israelis tend to take their sports very seriously, they seemed mighty perplexed by the stampede of “Ameri-kookim” tearing down Rothschild Boulevard.
But that was nothing compared to the week before, when the Holyland Hash House Harriers met up with 40 Royal Navy sailors and flummoxed Haifa.
We are now getting set for the Tel Aviv Marathon, 10k and 5k runs on April 24th. (Despite all outward appearances, the group includes some very serious athletes). So be on the lookout! Come run with us! Or at least have a camera ready.
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