DOCSLIB.ORG

Travel Safety Brief | Jerusalem

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Travel Safety Brief | Jerusalem Travel Safety Brief | Jerusalem The travel security environment is generally benign, except at times of heightened Israeli- Palestinian or regional tensions, which can fuel incidents such as knife or car-ramming attacks or, more rarely, shootings. Jerusalem has been the most affected city. Most of these attacks target security force personnel (police, border police, Israel Defense Forces), but they can pose incidental risks to bystanders. Other concerns include the risk of petty crime and communal unrest, especially in Jerusalem. The border areas with Egypt, Syria and Lebanon are unstable, with the risk of rocket fire or militant cross-border infiltration. However, the government maintains a robust security infrastructure to mitigate these risks. ADVICE SUMMARY ● Exercise basic security precautions at all times. ● Follow the advice and instructions from the emergency services and civil authorities in the event of rocket fire. Understand the immediate actions to take on hearing air raid warnings, and the location of the nearest air raid shelter. For further information on what to do during a rocket attack, please visit the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command website. ● Avoid all gatherings due to the risk of violence. ● Minimize time spent in the vicinity of likely targets of attacks, such as religious gatherings, public transport, military and government premises and personnel, and poorly secured and densely populated public areas. ● Border crossing opening hours are liable to change during Jewish holidays. Ensure that checkpoints are operational prior to travel and allow additional time for security checks at border crossings during such periods. Further information on land crossing points can be found at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website. ● Remain alert to your surroundings when using public transport; when waiting for transport, stand behind any bollards or cement cubes present and away from individuals with overt displays of religious identity. ● Exercise caution in and around the Old City. Seek the latest security information prior to accessing the site and exercise caution when entering this area through the most high-profile access points such as Herod's, Jaffa, and especially Lions and Damascus gates. On Fridays and on religious holidays, avoid visits to the Old City. ● Travel to locations in East Jerusalem outside of the Old City, Sheikh Jarrah and French Hill neighborhoods should be kept to a minimum. The Jabel Mukaber, Silwan, and Abu Tor neighborhoods, in addition to other locations such as Jewish Revised: January 2020 settlements and areas adjacent to Salah Ed-Din Street should only be accessed after travelers have ensured the situation in the area is calm. ● Exercise caution when transiting through border checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank due to the risk of violence between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters. Treat the security forces with patience and respect. ● Carry your passport at all times for identification checks. SAFETY & SECURITY U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Level Notre Dame International utilizes the U.S Department of State’s classification system as our primary source in identifying international travel risks. Israel, the West Bank and Gaza remain a Travel Advisory Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution); however, specific areas within Israel like the West Bank (Level 3 - Reconsider Travel) and Gaza (Level 4 - Do Not Travel) have increased risk. Crime Petty crime is the main risk for travelers to Jerusalem. ● Most petty thefts occur in crowded tourist locations. ● Crime rates are generally higher in East Jerusalem and the Old City than elsewhere in the city. Trouble Spots ● Criminals regularly exploit the narrow alleys and crowded tourist and shopping areas of the Old City to pickpocket and bag-snatch. ● Pickpockets have also been known to operate in Mahane Yehuda in central Jerusalem. ● Incidents of armed robbery have been reported on the ramparts of Lions' Gate in the Old City. ● Visitors should avoid Sherover/Haas Promenade areas in the Old City and Independence Park after dark due to the increased risk of crime. ● The Old City should be avoided on Fridays around noon prayer and other religious holidays. ● The Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount complex, the Western Wall and the Mount of Olives, can also be flashpoints for spontaneous confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis or Palestinians and the Israeli security forces. Page 2 Protests Protests occur frequently, particularly in Jerusalem's Old City. Most recently, bouts of unrest followed US president Donald Trump's December 2017 announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and setting out plans to move the US embassy there. The controversial subject of Israeli settlement construction continues to fuel communal tensions, particularly in East Jerusalem. Disturbances involving Jewish settlers, Palestinian residents and Israeli security force personnel usually erupt in the eastern part of the city, particularly in the predominantly Palestinian neighborhoods of Sheikh Jarrah, Issawiya, Silwan, Shufat and Beit Hanina. Violent protests can take place ahead of and around Nakba Day (a Palestinian event mourning the creation of the state of Israel) on 15 May, or following sensitive developments such as the construction of new settlements in the West Bank. Although clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli security forces are common during any protests, a serious escalation of violence is unlikely due to the Israeli security forces' effective public order capabilities. Known flashpoints are predominately Palestinian areas in East Jerusalem (see map above). In the Old City, the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount complex and the Western Wall, as well as the Mount of Olives, can also be flashpoints for spontaneous confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis, or Palestinians and the Israeli security forces. Isolated street demonstrations can also break out on Salah Ed-Din Street and Damascus Gate areas in East Jerusalem. The Abu Tor and Silwan neighborhoods experience frequent communal unrest, often after dark. Page 3 Other rallying points in the city include the Knesset (parliament), the prime minister's official residence Beit Aghion, the Supreme Court building near Rothschild Boulevard, and the ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood in west Jerusalem. The public sector is also occasionally affected by industrial action. Strikes organized by Histadrut (the general labor federation) can affect government offices and public services, and can also disrupt air travel. Terrorism The frequency and severity of militant attacks in Jerusalem decreased following the construction of a security wall separating the city from the West Bank and the enhancement of Israeli surveillance capabilities since 2004. However, developments perceived to be disadvantageous to, or discriminate against, Palestinians continue to motivate militants to carry out attacks in the city. These have increasingly taken the form of unsophisticated attacks carried out by single individuals, either in the form of stabbings or vehicle-ramming incidents, as opposed to bomb or shooting attacks. Several such security incidents have been reported near the Damascus, Herod's, and Lions' gates to the Old City. The prime targets remain Israeli security forces and individuals with overt displays of religious identity. Other likely targets include public venues and infrastructure, particularly the city's transport system; light railway stations, in particular, have been targeted on several occasions. Jewish religious sites can also be targeted, as demonstrated in a November 2014 attack on a synagogue in West Jerusalem in which four people were killed. Contingency Planning & Preparation Your physical and emotional safety is our #1 priority at the Jerusalem Global Gateway. A healthy environment is essential for students to learn and grow in their explorations of the Holy Land. The staff of the JGG are constantly monitoring the security situation on the ground in order to keep you safe. Although attacks on foreigners are rare in the Israel/Palestine context, and crime rates in Jerusalem and Israel/Palestine are lower or similar to major US cities, we, nonetheless, maintain a risk-averse mentality. In that spirit, we ask you to abide by the following policies. Serious and/or repeated violations of this policy will result in a referral to the Office of Community Standards which can result in disciplinary consequences, including dismissal from the program. Please refer any questions to the JGG Student Life staff. ______________________________________________________________________ This plan applies to all Notre Dame Jerusalem Global Gateway Study Abroad Students during the duration of their time in-country. Persons Involved The point person is Sarah Heiman, the Student Life Program Director (SLPD) for the JGG. She works closely with Allison Wattenbarger, the Student Life Program Coordinator (SLPC), to ensure the safety and security of all students. All Notre Dame undergraduate students associated with the program are included in this plan. Page 4 Mobile phone numbers: ● Sarah Heiman: 052 809 0591 ● Allison Wattenbarger: 052 211 0566 First Aid Kit ● Basic first aid supplies are available at JGG in the SLPC’s office. ● JGG Staff carry a fully-stocked first aid kit on all program excursions. “At All Times” Handbag Each person must carry the following with her or him at all times: ● Current passport with current visa. Additional visa/s
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Nnn Guiding Settler Jerusalem Voice and the Transpositions of History in Religious Zionist Pilgrimage
    nnn Guiding Settler Jerusalem Voice and the Transpositions of History in Religious Zionist Pilgrimage Alejandro I. Paz n ABSTRACT: This article examines how Elad, a religious Zionist settler group, attempts to reanimate biblical tales by transposing biblical text as part of tours for Jewish visitors to the City of David archaeological site in East Jerusalem. Since the early 1990s, Elad has created controversy by settling in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, provoking criticism from Israeli archaeologists and peace activists. In an effort to avoid ‘politics’ during tours, the group emphasizes a now globalized historicist reading of the Bible, an interpretation popularized by archaeology over the last century and a half. The article considers how transposition from this historicist reading into the here and now is a rhetorical device used to create a biblical realism that does not yet exist in the contested landscape. However, rather than producing an erasure of the Palestinian presence, and in contradiction to the professed desire to refrain from politics, I show that the very communicative situation and multiple framings for producing this biblical realism inevitably remind visitors of the contemporary context. n KEYWORDS: Bible, Elad, pilgrimage, politics, realism, settlers, Jerusalem In December 1998, a Religious Zionist rabbi, Yehuda Maly, gave a tour to a group of guides associated with an East Jerusalem non-profit settler organization, Elad (an abbreviation forel ir david, ‘toward the City of David’).1 Elad is active in a Palestinian neighborhood called Silwan, which it wants to populate with Jewish residents. Rabbi Maly is not only an instructor but also a senior member of Elad as well as a resident in one of the settlement houses.
    [Show full text]
  • Occupied Palestinian Territory (Opt): Flash Update #1 Escalation in East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and Israel As of 17:00, 11 May 2021
    Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt): Flash Update #1 Escalation in East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and Israel as of 17:00, 11 May 2021 • Tension in East Jerusalem has been escalating in recent weeks, centring on the Sheikh Jarrah and the Old City areas. Between 7 and 10 May alone, 1,000 Palestinians were injured by Israeli security forces, 735 of these due to rubber bullets. • Since the 18:00 on the evening of 10 May, over 250 rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel spreading unrest in Gaza and into Israel. Up to 17:00 on 11 May, 28 Palestinians, including 10 children are reported killed in Gaza and 154 injured in Israeli airstrikes. Two women have been killed in Israel as a result of the rockets fired from Gaza, with dozens more reported injured. • The humanitarian community, including UN agencies and the NGO partners, is continuing to deliver assistance to those in need, with the protection of civilians of paramount importance. The current escalation risks worsening an already poor humanitarian situation, especially in Gaza, where the struggling health sector is further burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of immediate concern is the shutdown of Gaza’s sole power plant by the end of this week due to lack of fuel, with negative consequences for the provision of vital services. SITUATION OVERVIEW Unrest in East Jerusalem has been on the rise since the beginning of Ramadan on 13 April, after the Israeli authorities installed metal barriers outside the Damascus Gate, blocking access to a public area for Palestinians.
    [Show full text]
  • Legal and Administrative Matters Law from 1970
    Systematic dispossession of Palestinian neighborhoods in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan For many years, there has been an organized governmental effort to take properties in East Jerusalem from Palestinians and transfer them to settlers. In the past it was mainly through the Absentee Properties Law, but today the efforts are done mainly by the use of the Legal and Administrative Matters Law from 1970. Till recently this effort was disastrous for individual families who lost their homes, but now the aim is entire neighborhoods (in Batan al-Hawa and Sheikh Jarrah). Since the horrifying expulsion of the Mughrabi neighborhood from the Old City in 1967 there was no such move in Jerusalem. In recent years there has been an increase in the threat of expulsion hovering over the communities of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan in East Jerusalem. A wave of eviction lawsuits is being conducted before the courts, with well-organized and well-funded settler groups equipped with direct or indirect assistance from government agencies and the Israeli General Custodian. • Sheikh Jarrah - Umm Haroun (west of Nablus Road) - approximately 45 Palestinian families under threat of evacuation; At least nine of them are in the process of eviction in the courts and at least five others received warning letters in preparation for an evacuation claim. Two families have already been evacuated and replaced by settlers. See map • Sheikh Jarrah - Kerem Alja'oni (east of Nablus Road) – c. 30 Palestinian families under threat of evacuation, at least 11 of which are in the process of eviction in the courts, and 9 families have been evicted and replaced by settlers.
    [Show full text]
  • JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR 10 Days and 9 Nights in Israel
    JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR 10 Days and 9 Nights in Israel Day 1: FRIDAY Arrive at Ben Gurion airport, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Overnight Tel Aviv Day 2: SATURDAY Free day to explore Tel Aviv. Overnight Tel Aviv Day 3: SUNDAY Drive north to Caesarea, once the Roman capital of the region. See the excavations of the crusaders' city, the aqueducts, and the amphitheatre, which has been restored as a concert venue. Proceed to Haifa for a panoramic view from Mt. Carmel. Drive to Acre. Walk along the old harbor and local market. Continue to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh Hanikra. Descend by cable into the limestone grottos. Overnight at a Kibbutz Guesthouse Day 4: MONDAY Drive to Safed, center of the Kaballah movement. Visit the Joseph Caro and the Ari synagogues, the most important synagogues in the city. Stroll around the artists’ quarter. Enjoy a Jeep tour to the foots of the Golan. Continue to the Golan Heights. Stop at Gadot overlook (Mitzpe Gadot), the memorial site for the fallen of the Golan, located over former Syrian bunkers and see the monument built on-site in honor of the Alexandrian brigade. Proceed for a magnificent observation point over the city of Kuneitra, and the Syrian territory. Visit the Banias Springs. Next, visit Tel-Hai. See the “roaring lion” monument and learn about the heroic battle of Josef Trumpeldor and his comrades in 1920. Meet with a Kibbutz member and learn about their unique lifestyle. Overnight at a Kibbutz Guesthouse Day 5: TUESDAY Drive to Tiberias to visit Rambam’s grave.
    [Show full text]
  • Jerusalem Internship Summer 2018 Jun 4 – July 28 (Fly to Israel: June 3, Fly Back Home: July 29)
    Jerusalem Internship Summer 2018 Jun 4 – July 28 (Fly to Israel: June 3, fly back home: July 29) Hosted by: Ohr Somayach Organized by: jInternship Rabbi Binyomin Weiner – Program Director Rabbi Moshe Lazerus – Yeshiva supervisor Rabbi Yaakov Lubow – Administrator Rabbi Shlomie Klein – Student Coordiator Mrs. Bashi Rosen – Internship Coordinator 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 3 2. Your Professional Internship 3 3. Travel Information 4 4. The Learning Program 4 4.1 Touring Israel 4 4.2 Jewish Learning 4 4.3 General Daily Schedule during Learning Program 5 4.4 A message from the Supervisor, Rabbi Moshe Lazerus 6 4.5 Who’s Who at Ohr Somayach 6 4.5 The Calendar 7 5. The Campus 7 6. Ohr Somayach Dormitory Rules & Info 8 7. Trips (Tiyulim) 9 8. Security 9 9. Shabbat 10 10. Health Insurance 10 11. Cell Phones 10 12. Passport 10 13. Packing List 11 14. Important Contact Information 12 Ohr Somayach/jInternship Staff 12 Doctors and Medical Services 12 HOSPITALS AND EMERGENCY SERVICES 13 15. INSURANCE COVERAGE 13 2 Student Guidebook 1. Introduction Congratulations on being selected to take part in Olami / Onward Israel Jerusalem Internship Summer ’18 Session in Jerusalem! The program is hosted by Ohr Somayach and administered by jInternship. The official organizer is Onward Israel. This unique and innovative program is a hybrid of Jewish learning and professional development. It mimics the Jewish ideal of placing importance on both Torah learning and using Jewish values to succeed in the marketplace. In the program’s two month format, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about Judaism from some of the world’s top Jewish educators at Ohr Somayach as well as to work alongside successful professionals in your industry of interest.
    [Show full text]
  • November 2014 Al-Malih Shaqed Kh
    Salem Zabubah Ram-Onn Rummanah The West Bank Ta'nak Ga-Taybah Um al-Fahm Jalameh / Mqeibleh G Silat 'Arabunah Settlements and the Separation Barrier al-Harithiya al-Jalameh 'Anin a-Sa'aidah Bet She'an 'Arrana G 66 Deir Ghazala Faqqu'a Kh. Suruj 6 kh. Abu 'Anqar G Um a-Rihan al-Yamun ! Dahiyat Sabah Hinnanit al-Kheir Kh. 'Abdallah Dhaher Shahak I.Z Kfar Dan Mashru' Beit Qad Barghasha al-Yunis G November 2014 al-Malih Shaqed Kh. a-Sheikh al-'Araqah Barta'ah Sa'eed Tura / Dhaher al-Jamilat Um Qabub Turah al-Malih Beit Qad a-Sharqiyah Rehan al-Gharbiyah al-Hashimiyah Turah Arab al-Hamdun Kh. al-Muntar a-Sharqiyah Jenin a-Sharqiyah Nazlat a-Tarem Jalbun Kh. al-Muntar Kh. Mas'ud a-Sheikh Jenin R.C. A'ba al-Gharbiyah Um Dar Zeid Kafr Qud 'Wadi a-Dabi Deir Abu Da'if al-Khuljan Birqin Lebanon Dhaher G G Zabdah לבנון al-'Abed Zabdah/ QeiqisU Ya'bad G Akkabah Barta'ah/ Arab a-Suweitat The Rihan Kufeirit רמת Golan n 60 הגולן Heights Hadera Qaffin Kh. Sab'ein Um a-Tut n Imreihah Ya'bad/ a-Shuhada a a G e Mevo Dotan (Ganzour) n Maoz Zvi ! Jalqamus a Baka al-Gharbiyah r Hermesh Bir al-Basha al-Mutilla r e Mevo Dotan al-Mughayir e t GNazlat 'Isa Tannin i a-Nazlah G d Baqah al-Hafira e The a-Sharqiya Baka al-Gharbiyah/ a-Sharqiyah M n a-Nazlah Araba Nazlat ‘Isa Nazlat Qabatiya הגדה Westהמערבית e al-Wusta Kh.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Israeli Land Reform August 2009
    Adalah’s Newsletter, Volume 63, August 2009 The New Israeli Land Reform August 2009 Background On 3 August 2009, the Knesset (Israeli parliament) passed the Israel Land Administration (ILA) Law (hereinafter the “Land Reform Law”), with 61 Members of Knesset (MKs) voting in favor of the law and 45 MKs voting against it. The new land reform law is wide ranging in scope: it institutes broad land privatization; permits land exchanges between the State and the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet Le-Israel) (hereinafter - the “JNF”), the land of which is exclusively reserved for the Jewish people; allows lands to be allocated in accordance with "admissions committee" mechanisms and only to candidates approved by Zionist institutions working solely on behalf of the Jewish people; and grants decisive weight to JNF representatives in a new Land Authority Council, which would replace the Israel Land Administration (ILA). The land privatization aspects of the new law also affect extremely prejudicially properties confiscated by the state from Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel; Palestinian refugee property classified as “absentee” property; and properties in the occupied Golan Heights and in East Jerusalem. Land Privatization Policy The law stipulates that 800,000 dunams of land currently under state-control will be privatized, enabling private individuals to acquire ownership rights in them. The reform will lead to the transfer of ownership in leased properties and land governed by outline plans enabling the issuance of building permits throughout the State of Israel in the urban, rural and agricultural sectors. Change in the organizational structure of the Israel Lands Administration The reform further stipulates a broad organizational re-structuring of the ILA.
    [Show full text]
  • Jerusalem: City of Dreams, City of Sorrows
    1 JERUSALEM: CITY OF DREAMS, CITY OF SORROWS More than ever before, urban historians tell us that global cities tend to look very much alike. For U.S. students. the“ look alike” perspective makes it more difficult to empathize with and to understand cultures and societies other than their own. The admittedly superficial similarities of global cities with U.S. ones leads to misunderstandings and confusion. The multiplicity of cybercafés, high-rise buildings, bars and discothèques, international hotels, restaurants, and boutique retailers in shopping malls and multiplex cinemas gives these global cities the appearances of familiarity. The ubiquity of schools, university campuses, signs, streetlights, and urban transportation systems can only add to an outsider’s “cultural and social blindness.” Prevailing U.S. learning goals that underscore American values of individualism, self-confidence, and material comfort are, more often than not, obstacles for any quick study or understanding of world cultures and societies by visiting U.S. student and faculty.1 Therefore, international educators need to look for and find ways in which their students are able to look beyond the veneer of the modern global city through careful program planning and learning strategies that seek to affect the students in their “reading and learning” about these fertile centers of liberal learning. As the students become acquainted with the streets, neighborhoods, and urban centers of their global city, their understanding of its ways and habits is embellished and enriched by the walls, neighborhoods, institutions, and archaeological sites that might otherwise cause them their “cultural and social blindness.” Jerusalem is more than an intriguing global historical city.
    [Show full text]
  • An Examination of Israeli Municipal Policy in East Jerusalem Ardi Imseis
    American University International Law Review Volume 15 | Issue 5 Article 2 2000 Facts on the Ground: An Examination of Israeli Municipal Policy in East Jerusalem Ardi Imseis Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/auilr Part of the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Imseis, Ardi. "Facts on the Ground: An Examination of Israeli Municipal Policy in East Jerusalem." American University International Law Review 15, no. 5 (2000): 1039-1069. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Washington College of Law Journals & Law Reviews at Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in American University International Law Review by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FACTS ON THE GROUND: AN EXAMINATION OF ISRAELI MUNICIPAL POLICY IN EAST JERUSALEM ARDI IMSEIS* INTRODUCTION ............................................. 1040 I. BACKGROUND ........................................... 1043 A. ISRAELI LAW, INTERNATIONAL LAW AND EAST JERUSALEM SINCE 1967 ................................. 1043 B. ISRAELI MUNICIPAL POLICY IN EAST JERUSALEM ......... 1047 II. FACTS ON THE GROUND: ISRAELI MUNICIPAL ACTIVITY IN EAST JERUSALEM ........................ 1049 A. EXPROPRIATION OF PALESTINIAN LAND .................. 1050 B. THE IMPOSITION OF JEWISH SETTLEMENTS ............... 1052 C. ZONING PALESTINIAN LANDS AS "GREEN AREAS".....
    [Show full text]
  • Boundaries, Barriers, Walls
    1 Boundaries, Barriers, Walls Jerusalem’s unique landscape generates a vibrant interplay between natural and built features where continuity and segmentation align with the complexity and volubility that have characterized most of the city’s history. The softness of its hilly contours and the harmony of the gentle colors stand in contrast with its boundar- ies, which serve to define, separate, and segregate buildings, quarters, people, and nations. The Ottoman city walls (seefigure )2 separate the old from the new; the Barrier Wall (see figure 3), Israelis from Palestinians.1 The former serves as a visual reminder of the past, the latter as a concrete expression of the current political conflict. This chapter seeks to examine and better understand the physical realities of the present: how they reflect the past, and how the ancient material remains stimulate memory, conscious knowledge, and unconscious perception. The his- tory of Jerusalem, as it unfolds in its physical forms and multiple temporalities, brings to the surface periods of flourish and decline, of creation and destruction. TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHY The topographical features of Jerusalem’s Old City have remained relatively con- stant since antiquity (see figure ).4 Other than the Central Valley (from the time of the first-century historian Josephus also known as the Tyropoeon Valley), which has been largely leveled and developed, most of the city’s elevations, protrusions, and declivities have maintained their approximate proportions from the time the city was first settled. In contrast, the urban fabric and its boundaries have shifted constantly, adjusting to ever-changing demographic, socioeconomic, and political conditions.2 15 Figure 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Retail Prices in a City*
    Retail Prices in a City Alon Eizenberg Saul Lach The Hebrew University and CEPR The Hebrew University and CEPR Merav Yiftach Israel Central Bureau of Statistics July 2017 Abstract We study grocery price differentials across neighborhoods in a large metropolitan area (the city of Jerusalem, Israel). Prices in commercial areas are persistently lower than in residential neighborhoods. We also observe substantial price variation within residential neighborhoods: retailers that operate in peripheral, non-a­ uent neighborhoods charge some of the highest prices in the city. Using CPI data on prices and neighborhood-level credit card data on expenditure patterns, we estimate a model in which households choose where to shop and how many units of a composite good to purchase. The data and the estimates are consistent with very strong spatial segmentation. Combined with a pricing equation, the demand estimates are used to simulate interventions aimed at reducing the cost of grocery shopping. We calculate the impact on the prices charged in each neighborhood and on the expected price paid by its residents - a weighted average of the prices paid at each destination, with the weights being the probabilities of shopping at each destination. Focusing on prices alone provides an incomplete picture and may even be misleading because shopping patterns change considerably. Specifically, we find that interventions that make the commercial areas more attractive and accessible yield only minor price reductions, yet expected prices decrease in a pronounced fashion. The benefits are particularly strong for residents of the peripheral, non-a­ uent neighborhoods. We thank Eyal Meharian and Irit Mishali for their invaluable help with collecting the price data and with the provision of the geographic (distance) data.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel: Off the Beaten Track by Carol Goodman Kaufman
    Page 16฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀Berkshire฀Jewish฀Voice฀฀฀•฀ jewishberkshires.org March 11-April 11, 2013 Traveling with Jewish Taste© Israel: Off the Beaten Track By Carol Goodman Kaufman In October, Joel and I traveled to Israel to celebrate The Center’s facil- Hadassah’s centennial anniversary. After the excitement ity and its location are and hoopla of the three-day convention, we remained in truly emblematic of the country to visit family. While we didn’t get a chance both its history and to see everybody, we did manage to catch up with some its mission, which cousins while at the same time getting an “off-the-beaten- is “to assist the city path” look at Israel. residents, of various I hadn’t been to Motza Illit in many years, but it looks identities, in becoming exactly the way I remembered it: lush, green, and quiet active and responsible – an idyllic retreat from the hustle and bustle of Jerusa- partners in the devel- lem. But, life wasn’t always so peaceful. During the riots opment of their com- of 1929, Arabs attacked Jews throughout the country, munities.” The JICC including the tiny village of Motza. develops programs and Many residents died, prompting its leaders to consider relocating. In 1934, twenty partnerships that pro- Jewish families established Motza Illit (meaning “Upper Motza”) higher up on the mote dialogue among same hill. the various constituen- This village of fewer than a thousand residents, just west of the Jerusalem city cies, such as cultural limits, no longer functions as a moshav (a cooperative agricultural community), but competence training is now more of a bedroom community.
    [Show full text]