Weekly Update 19

January 3, 2025

Hello, everyone.

The first topic is short, so there is no summary.

Topic 2 – There is a summary

Topic 3 at the end is brief and has no summary

Regarding the first topic—a tremendous achievement for our party!

In Newsletter 6, sent to you on 9/20/2024, I wrote: “Today’s update will focus on a central area located in the heart of the moshava—an important area that has partly been transformed into a community and educational center. However, I have a well-founded concern that if we do not address this issue today, it may in the future turn into a real estate nightmare of high-density construction that will clog and block the pedestrian mall and the heart of the moshava. In a process that may have already begun, a valuable public space will be turned into a neighborhood that will benefit developers while we, the residents, lose out. I am referring to the site of what was once the old Ya’avetz School, located at 100 Ha-Meyasdim Street.”

For those who don’t remember or weren’t subscribed to my newsletters at the time, I’m attaching it as a file so you can see that even then, we committed as a party:

“Our party is determined to promote a plan that will preserve the existing agreement with the Israel Land Authority and ensure the continuation and expansion of public activities in this area. The party leader Dr. Avigayil Dolev is an architect who seeks to put her expertise to work for the benefit of the residents. This applies to this complex as well. What will convince the council head to preserve public activities? Only exposing the truth (which is what this newsletter does) and pressure from the residents.”

At one of the council meetings, in response to a question from Ilan Amrani of our party, who asked about the plans for this complex, the council head replied that it is a complex slated for demolition.

Many of you rallied to the cause, which, thanks to you, entered the public discourse, and it seems it worked. In a post uploaded today by Councilwoman No. 2 on Abutbul’s list, in response to my post on the youth in Zichron Yaakov, she suddenly mentions the plans to establish the youth center at 100 HaMeisadim and that she has already met with architects at the site. In other words, to continue implementing the plan devised during the previous term by Council Head Ziv Deshe, the outgoing community center director, and the resigning youth center director. The implementation of the previous term’s plans was delayed due to the presence of students from the Nili School on the premises.

Of course, this is just a post that doesn’t bind her or Abutbul. But I want to see this as a promising sign that HaMeisadim 100 will indeed remain a complex entirely for the public’s benefit. And I hope that the Senior Citizens Center and the Artists’ Center will also be established there. We’ll keep an eye on it.

Summary of the second issue—continued review of the construction of the event hall in the courtyard adjacent to the Ohel Yaakov Synagogue, in the center of the moshava. This is an issue I reported to you in the previous newsletter.

A thorough review of the documents and site plans revealed surprising findings that were not presented to the council members during the meeting in which they voted in favor of the plan. I’ll remind you that I voted against it because I didn’t receive answers to the questions I raised. Now I understand why—because the answers show that construction on the site is apparently not possible.

Here is what the review revealed and the steps I have already taken regarding this matter:

• The council head is promoting a construction plan that will damage a national site. And he is doing so without first consulting the Council for the Preservation of Sites and obtaining its opinion. I have contacted the Council for the Preservation of Sites.
• The mayor is submitting a plan to the District Planning and Building Committee to build a conference hall, even though according to the plans applicable to the area—which I will detail above—including part of the courtyard designated as public open space, no structure may be built there. At most, the area adjacent to the synagogue may be developed.
• The council head is submitting a plan to the District Planning and Construction Committee to build a conference hall on land that may not even be owned by the council, as indicated by the block and parcel maps. I contacted the District Committee regarding this matter—the committee chair and its legal advisor.
• The council head is apparently seeking to act in violation of the Public Land Law and allow a private association to operate on public land without an allocation process or a tender, and to construct a building on public land. This is evident from the response he sent me. I have contacted the supervisor of the authority at the Ministry of the Interior regarding this matter.
• The council head and the professionals who act as gatekeepers are not presenting all the required data to the elected officials who make the decisions and are apparently hindering them in their duties (information I compiled myself after the plenary session). I also contacted the Haifa District Director at the Ministry of the Interior regarding this matter.
• The council head did not inform the plenary members that he had previously submitted a similar plan about eight years ago, which the district did not support.

Expanding on the second issue: the council head’s intention to build an events hall (for gatherings) on the grounds of the Ohel Yaakov synagogue, in the heart of the historic part of Zichron Yaakov. I received many responses from you, so it is important to me to continue providing updates on this matter.

The day after the newsletter was published, I received a response from the mayor. Kudos to him for responding within a reasonable time this time; it is a great pity that all the members of the Allocation Committee—who are all council employees (treasurer, legal advisor, engineer, and others)—ignored my emails for three weeks. The council head’s response only raised additional serious issues. I decided to delve deeper into the matter and examine the original and historical plans for the area. I was astonished by what I discovered.

Material facts that were not disclosed to us at the council meeting—facts that could influence the plan and perhaps lead to its rejection. I am cautious in saying “perhaps lead to its rejection” because the Holyland project was also supposed to be rejected, yet it was built anyway.

What emerged from the investigations conducted:

I am attaching relevant data from Plan Sh/12c, which defines the site of the Ohel Yaakov Synagogue, including both the building area and the adjacent synagogue courtyard

From the map and the relevant section of Plan Sh/12c, it is clear

that there are only two such areas: marked in brown with a black grid and a brown border, and they are designated as national sites.

1. The Ohel Yaakov Synagogue includes part of the courtyard (subject to Plan S/233)
2. The Binyamin Pool (subject to Plan Sh/297)

I continued my investigation, and below are additional details, including the location of Block 11301, Plot 38, of the synagogue (I used GovMap) and adjacent to it runs the property line of the Savings and Loan Association on the adjacent Plot 105, so it is necessary to verify the clear boundaries of the plots in relation to the area and courtyard of the synagogue and the Savings and Loan Association.

In summary, here are the findings of my investigation and the steps I have already taken regarding this matter:

• The council head is promoting a construction plan that will harm a national site. He is doing so without first consulting and obtaining the opinion of the Council for the Preservation of Sites. I have contacted the Council for the Preservation of Sites.
• The mayor is submitting a plan to the District Planning and Construction Committee to build a conference hall, even though according to the applicable zoning plans—which I presented in detail, including a portion of the courtyard designated as public open space—no structure may be built there; at most, the area adjacent to the synagogue may be developed.
• The council head is submitting a plan to the District Planning and Construction Committee to build a conference hall on land that may not even be owned by the council. I have contacted the District Committee regarding this matter—specifically, the committee chair and its legal advisor.
• The council head is apparently seeking to act in violation of the Public Land Law and allow a private association to operate on public land without an allocation process or a tender, and to construct a building on public land. This is evident from the response he sent me. I have contacted the supervisor of the authority at the Ministry of the Interior regarding this matter.
• The council head and the professionals serving as gatekeepers are not presenting all the required data to the elected officials who make the decisions (as I have verified and compiled, and the data is being forwarded to you) and are apparently hindering them in their duties. I have also contacted the Haifa District Director at the Ministry of the Interior regarding this matter.
• The council head did not inform the plenary members that he had previously submitted a similar plan about 8 years ago and that the district did not support it.

It is important for me to note that even within our party there are those who support the construction of the hall—Dr. Avigail Dolev submitted a request to amend the minutes of the council meeting held on 12/3/24, during which this issue was discussed, so that her position would be clear. In addition, she approached me and asked that I convey her words here:

“The Great Synagogue in Zichron Yaakov is a national treasure and one of the most important buildings for preservation in Israel. The synagogue has even been declared a national site. 

Due to the building’s planning sensitivity, any addition adjacent to the structure must be considered and advanced with great caution. At the same time, alongside this planning sensitivity, there is a need to provide a gathering area for light refreshments and for guests, for synagogue attendees holding events such as a Shabbat Chatan and Bar Mitzvah. Consequently, a balance must be struck between the needs of the synagogue’s worshippers and the building’s historical and architectural value. Therefore, during the meeting, Avigail requested that the minutes regarding Section 19 of Plan 353-1353770—The Great Synagogue—be clarified.

Avigayil requested that a condition for advancing the plan be that it be brought before the Council’s Preservation Committee prior to the discussion in the District Committee, and that the Preservation Committee’s guidelines be incorporated into the plan’s guidelines. 

Avigayil notes that the trees in the courtyard area must be treated with great sensitivity, so a tree survey must be conducted, and the windows facing the courtyard that are designated for preservation must also be treated with sensitivity. All of these will be part of the plan’s guidelines and will first be brought before the Council’s Preservation Committee.”

I would like to note that Avigayil checked with the District Planning and Construction Committee and saw that the plan is still there, and once again we find that Abutbul did not approach the Council’s Preservation Committee. In other words, he violated what was stated at the meeting and is proceeding with the plan without the involvement of the local preservation committee. And even if he had submitted the plan prior to the hearing, he should have requested the district to halt the hearing on it.

So what is the point of having a council preservation committee if the council head, who is well-versed in planning and building law and who heads the preservation committee, can bypass it and submit plans himself regarding buildings designated for preservation?

Last week I wrote here about the reduction in the youth coordinator’s position and the neglect of young people in the community. The post was shared on Facebook yesterday and has already drawn responses. I’d appreciate it if you’d visit and comment—here too, only pressure will lead to the implementation of plans that benefit the community’s youth.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/695289533861821/permalink/9228352107222145/?rdid=dVnT5mNTiHNCXKzf&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fp%2F1MNkzUXLy8%2F#

Yours,

Limor Zar Gutman