12 MONTH CERTIFICATE two men and three women, and they have been there every day for over five years. And people give to them. "I don't come often," says Dan- ny, who traveled from Ashkelon with his young daughter, "so whenever I come I give charity." "Look, it's a mitzvah," says a tourist couple from South Africa. "These are poor people," says David Newman, from Psagot, near Jerusalem. "Well, yes, they are [always] the same people, but they're poor ... Well, yes, maybe they're not so poor either, but nevertheless ..." Menahem Talmor, from Tel Aviv, found himself being chased by one of the men. "I gave to one of them, so this one said, 'What about me?' This whole thing is very unpleasant and annoying." One of the solicitors, who iden- tified himself as Dovid, is asked where the contributions go. "For charity," he says. What organization? "No orga- nization." A guard stationed nearby, who preferred not to give his name, says the group has been there since he began working at the site five years ago. "One of them drives here in a Volvo. I don't know where he parks it," he says. "For them its a profession. They are here every day, from morning to dark. The other day when there was the heavy rain, they were here with umbrellas." The beggars work persistent- ly. One of the women actively so- licits Jewish passers-by, both tourist and Israeli. After each do- nation, she deftly places most of the contribution in her large bag, leaving only a few coins in the plastic cup. The gentile tourists are more responsive to the soliciting of an American man dressed up as King David, who plays a harp and sings songs in very imper- fect Hebrew. Meanwhile Dovid and his col- league are joined by a third man. They are talking quietly among themselves. "We have another hour until dark," Dovid says to the new- comer. "Are you interested in working or not?" 5.75% "Let's divide up the money now," the newcomer says. "No, not here where everyone can see us. Let's do it somewhere else." Jerusalem district police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby acknowledges that effective steps are not being taken against the beggars. But he places the blame squarely with the Ministry of Re- ligious Affairs, which is respon- sible for the Western Wall plaza. "They hire inspectors who are responsible for removing these people from the premises. If they would be doing their job, we wouldn't be receiving complaints about harassment," Mr. Ben- Ruby says. Mr. Weiner, the Holy Sites di- rector, says the ministry hires guards who are responsible for maintaining order, including dealing with beggars. But, he says, since the guards have lit- tle authority, the beggars aren't afraid of them. And that's where the police are needed. The beggars are persistent. In the past, Mr. Weiner re- calls, the police would occasion- ally charge a beggar with harassment and bring him to court, but the judge would dis- miss the case and ask the police if they didn't have better things to do with their time. Mr. Weiner says the Religious Affairs Ministry takes the issue very seriously and points out that he has just submitted a plan to the ministry's director-gener- al dealing with an array of prob- lems related to the holy sites, including a legal approach on the issue of beggars. Starting in February 1997, a new contractor supplies guards at the Wall; and with the changeover, Mr. Weiner says there will be a crackdown. For people who want to give in a reliable way, he adds, there are charity boxes located at the entrances to the Western Wall plaza. 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