views essay Multilayered Jerusalem Brace yourself for “ascending” into the Israeli capital. T here’s a reason that Metro Detroit Jews who visit Israel on an orga- nized mission typically say the Shehecheyanu from Mount Scopus as they “ascend” into Jerusalem, a hilltop metropolis like no other. It’s Israel’s holiest city and the ancestral homeland for the Jewish people. Jerusalem, the City of David, has stood through the ages as the soul of our peoplehood. The Shehecheyanu is the blessing to fete very special moments — for example, exuding our love for Eretz Yisrael, the biblical land of our forebears. That land encompasses the Robert Sklar Contributing Editor State of Israel and the West Bank, biblically composed of Judea and Samaria. Jerusalem — Israel’s animated, his- toric, united capital. It’s Israel’s most populous, poorest, most eclectic city. In Jerusalem, we’re most likely to discover who we are, and who we could be as Jews. It’s there you feel closest to God, whatever your level of Torah obser- vance. Nonetheless, Jerusalem, a city of 865,000 people, including nearly 300,000 Arabs, remains a cauldron of contention amid the bustle, splendor and religious ruins. Palestinians imagine the Arab- dominated eastern sector of Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state. As such, they rail about new Jewish housing encroaching in east Jerusalem. They also complain about the inadequacy of services such as schools, parks, sewage infrastructure and trash pickup. Most Jews live in west Jerusalem. Whichever part of the city they live, Jews complain about the burdensome cost of housing and household staples as well as about traffic congestion and neighbor- hood cleanliness — and the ever-present threat of terrorist attacks. FORGING AHEAD Still, Jerusalem is mov- ing in the right direc- tion, touts Mayor Nir Barkat, who, in sharing a litany of reasons why, Nir Barkat ignored lingering social and political unrest. The city was reunited in 1967 by Israel’s triumph against amass- ing Arab forces from Syria, Jordan and Egypt. The 50th anniversary of the city’s reunification, marked each year on Jerusalem Day (this year May 24), provides a fitting backdrop for Barkat to regale world Jewry. “Jerusalem is a flourishing, thriving city — in the fields of education, high tech and culture, in business and all areas of life,” Barkat suggested proudly in a Jerusalem Day statement. MAKING THE CASE In staking his claim, Barkat cites increased Jewish student enrollment, an increase in high-tech jobs well above the national average, additional housing (without distinguishing between west and east Jerusalem) and widespread upgrading of playgrounds. He notes continued aliyah to the city — upwards of 19,000 since 2011. And he rattles off plans to extend light rail, improve traffic flow, unveil new job centers, extend bicycle and walking paths and open the country’s largest aquarium at the Biblical Zoo. In the works is a gadget lab (a collaborative initiative of Intel, startups and developers) as well as citywide sports facility, community center, youth movement and preschool day care improvements. For the 20th Maccabiah Games this July, the city will open the Kraft Family Sports Campus, a $6 million facility donated by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Notably, the number of students study- ing at higher education institutions in Jerusalem has grown to a record 36,200; about half study at Hebrew University. GOOD TIDINGS Barkat points to the latest Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) report that lauds the relative satisfaction of Jews (93 percent) and Arabs (89 percent) living in Jerusalem. Given the vocal outcry among both resident groups, those percentages shouldn’t diminish longstanding munici- pal needs. Content frayed when CBS asked respondents how satisfied they were with their economic status; the per- centages dropped to 68 percent for Jews and 43 percent for Arabs — rates reflec- tive of the general population. It’s no surprise that 78 percent of the tourists who arrived in Israel last year visited Jerusalem, which is meaningful to Jews, Christians and Muslims as evi- denced by such holy sites as the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Al Aqsa Mosque. Culturally speaking, Barkat had much to spotlight, beginning with Israel Museum and Yad Vashem, world-class gems that draw almost 2 million visitors a year combined. The Kirsh Family Jerusalem Arts Campus for the performing arts, slated to open next year downtown, will supple- ment the array of existing art schools, theater groups and festivals that help enrich the city’s cultural character. THE HAREDI FACTOR Barkat’s rosy statement doesn’t delve into Jerusalem being home to most of Israel’s haredi ( fervently religious) Jews, who largely don’t seek the kinds of educa- tional or job opportunities afforded other Jews. As a result, because of a now-stabi- lized fertility rate of about 7 children per woman, haredi Jews disproportionately benefit from monthly government allow- ances of $42 to $52 per child. What’s more, hundreds of thousands of haredi men get government support of $120 to $215 a month to study in yeshi- vot. Almost half don’t work (a percentage that’s declining). Israel’s population is 8.68 million, 10 times what it was in 1948 at Israel’s founding. Of the 6.48 million Jews (74 percent of the population), 9 percent identify as haredi, according to the CBS. That underscores the urgency to inte- grate the haredi community into Israeli society to the extent possible before wel- fare demands steepen. Moshe Friedman, CEO of Kamatech, an Israeli nonprofit that moves haredim into high-tech careers, told JTA his group has trained or found jobs for 7,000 haredim the past five years — and Moshe Friedman he can’t keep pace with interest. “I see a really good trend who want to be part of society, part of the economy,” he told JTA. “I under- stand from this new [Central Bureau of Statistics] report the importance of the work we are doing to help the haredim integrate into society — so I think it will be OK.” That’s good news. Still lurking are such pressing matters as: Palestinian pressure to divide the City of David; the city’s relatively high cost of living plus a shortage of affordable hous- ing; and Islamist terrorists eyeing our Jerusalem as an international platform to murder Jews in a quest to destroy the Jewish state. • guest column continued from page 5 Emily had been vaccinated for men- ingitis, but had never been vaccinated against meningitis B — a separate but equally dangerous strain of meningitis not covered by the common, required vaccine. At the time of her death, it was not even available in the United States. Meningitis B took her life on Feb. 2, 2013. There are five strains of bacterial meningitis — serogroups A, C, W and Y covered under the commonly rec- ommended vaccine, and serogroup B, covered under a separate vaccine. Meningitis B is easily spread among 8 June 15 • 2017 jn people who live in close quarters like dorms, so college students are at par- ticular risk. According to the Center for Disease control, meningitis B accounts for approximately 50 percent of all men- ingitis cases in persons 17 to 23 years of age in the U.S. I recently stood with Wayne County Health Department officials and others in health departments across the state to bring more awareness to the dangers of meningitis B. Talk to your family physician and make sure your children are vaccinated and protected from meningitis B when they graduate. They will be more sus- ceptible and vulnerable to the deadly disease when they move into their dorm on campus. Graduating from high school is a time for celebration and looking ahead to the future. Our young people are at a time in their lives when there are countless opportunities within their reach. By getting students vaccinated when they graduate, parents are ensuring a health- ier future for incoming freshmen. At the Emily Stillman Foundation, I strive to preserve Emily’s legacy through education and advocacy on meningitis B. We want to ensure that no other par- ent and family is forced to experience what ours has endured. Meningitis B is a preventable disease and, by raising awareness of it through better parent and student education, we are work- ing to prevent the kind of tragedy that’s changed our family forever. • Alicia Stillman is the mother of Emily Stillman and the director of the Emily Stillman Foundation. The Foundation was created in 2014 to preserve the memory of Emily and raise awareness of meningi- tis B. They are also advocates of organ donation. For more information about the Emily Stillman Foundation, visit www.foreveremily.org.