September 4, 2026
Hello, everyone,
This week, we held a busy City Council meeting (September 1, 2026). Almost every question, motion, or request I raise comes directly from you—from all neighborhoods and sectors. This is my duty and my public mission: to hold the administration accountable, demand good governance, and protect the public interest—even in the face of attempts to make it difficult to obtain information.
Summary of topics in this newsletter (clicking on a topic will take you to it):
- The Fight for Trees in Public Spaces: Restoring the Procedure
- Supervision of private mikvaot: Health and safety above all
- Exposé: Outrageous property tax disparities among private kindergartens
- Recreational Sports: Development Plans—But the Budget Is Still “On Paper”
- Red Alert: Development Funds Are Depleted
🌳 1. The Battle Over Trees in Public Spaces: Reinstating the Procedure
I submitted a motion demanding that the council resume operating in accordance with the clear procedure established during the previous term: The requirement to publish a notice on the council’s website and to post a sign on the tree designated for felling or relocation, accompanied by a photo, justification, and an agronomic opinion.
🌿 The purpose of the procedure is to raise public awareness and allow the public to comment on requests to cut down trees in public spaces and, if necessary, file an objection with the forestry officer. It’s worth noting that many trees have been spared as a result of this process.
🔴It has been over half a year since the council stopped implementing this procedure! The result is disheartening: residents are unaware of the process, cannot file objections with the forestry officer—and trees are being cut down. Just last month, the council submitted requests to cut down 15 trees (7 and 8 trees), without the “Guardians of the Trees” group or I being able to obtain information about their exact locations.
📍 What happened at the meeting?
Members of the “Guardians of the Trees” group attended the meeting and demonstrated once again the power of civic engagement. Unfortunately, the council chairman chose to attack me and claimed that the entire proposal was “lies,” but during half an hour of speeches about how much he cares for the trees in the community, he failed to refute any of the factual claims I presented. The debate was heated and intense.
I hope that, as a result of public pressure, the council head will instruct the professional staff to immediately resume following the procedure. I will continue to monitor the situation closely.
⚖️ 2. Oversight of Private Mikvaot: Health and Safety Above All
There is a large segment of the community that relies on mikvah services, and it is our duty to ensure that these services are provided safely and in accordance with the law.
🚨 Licensing for public mikvaot is required to ensure that the facility meets mandatory health, safety, sanitation, and accessibility requirements, thereby protecting the public who use the service. In addition, licensing enables ongoing supervision and enforcement, establishes a uniform standard of service quality, and boosts public confidence that the mikveh is operated properly and responsibly.
Following your inquiries, I submitted an inquiry regarding two privately owned mikvaot that are open to the public without a business license—one of which even continued to operate despite having previously been declared a dangerous structure and having its entrance sealed off! This poses a real danger to human life.
Following the inquiry submitted in early July (and the response received this week), the council initiated enforcement proceedings and demanded that they obtain the necessary licenses. At the meeting, the council chairman confirmed that the facilities are currently in the process of making adjustments and changes to meet safety, sanitation, and accessibility requirements.
🔍 3. Revealed: Outrageous Property Tax Disparities Among Private Kindergartens
The council chairman’s response to my inquiry revealed an unbelievable disparity:
- A private kindergarten run by the “Shuvu” nonprofit (associated with ultra-Orthodox education and operating under an anthroposophical approach) pays property tax of only 14.9 NIS per square meter per year.
- Other private kindergartens in the community (most of them in the general sector) pay approximately 260 NIS per square meter per year!
It is unclear to me how the right to reduced property tax enjoyed by the MALT Association (which is a nonprofit organization) was also extended to someone who may simply be renting the building from it? This is a benefit worth tens of thousands of shekels a year at the expense of the public coffers, and it creates severe discrimination that ultimately falls on the parents’ pockets.
🚩I hope that the relevant professionals—the treasurer, legal counsel, and collection manager at the council—will thoroughly investigate what I have revealed in this inquiry; they have the tools and the authority to do so.
🎾 4. Community Sports: Development Plans—But the Budget Is Still “on Paper”
A decade has passed since the last sports program was formulated in the town (2016), and the shortage of sports fields and their poor maintenance are keenly felt.
The Council approved a special budget of 970,000 NIS for:
- The construction of a footvolley complex in the Halomot neighborhood and at Moshava Park.
- Upgrading the tennis court in Givat Eden and sports facilities in Gibor and Halomot.
- Bringing gyms and sports fields up to licensing standards.
🚩 At the meeting, I requested that the renovation also include the petanque courts on Nili Boulevard (Aharon Grove), which are enjoyed by the community’s senior residents. The condition of the courts is deplorable.
🎾In addition, an agreement was approved for the construction of four padel courts in Moshava Park by the “Tennis as a Way of Life” nonprofit (a 10-year operating agreement with an option to extend for 5 years, and payment of usage fees to the council starting in the third year). The complex will be operated on a fee-based basis, with a discount for Zichron Ya’akov residents.
⚠️ The fine print: The budget has been approved in principle only—its implementation is contingent on funds being allocated to the development funds and on approval from the Ministry of the Interior!
🚨 5. Red Flag: The Development Funds Are Empty
This is the second meeting in which the council head has admitted that there is no money in the development funds. At the previous meeting, they were forced to close existing capital budget lines to finance 1.5 million NIS for summer renovations at educational institutions, and thus the new sports projects are also awaiting future funding.
✅ I commend the council treasurer for his professional stance in refusing to allow unsecured expenditures. At the same time, this is a glaring warning sign for all of us: the pace of commitments and planning does not match actual development revenues and betterment levies. We cannot spend millions on building plans without knowing where the funds for their construction will come from.
👀 I will continue to monitor the situation and, as always, reach out to the Ministry of the Interior to prevent us from falling into a deficit.