My Rehovot ( ISSN 1817-101X )

History factoid: Rehovot a century ago, 1909

2009-11-28T11:25:00.001+02:00

Rehovot was founded on March 6, 1890 (in the Hebrew year 5650 or tara"n), by a group of Jews from Warsaw belonging to the Menuha v'Nahala (Rest and Settlement) association. Initially the residents engaged in viticulture, and from1904, they raised citrus groves. As a result, Rehovot soon became economically self-sufficient, and absorbed many immigrant agricultural laborers. When Yemenite Jews first started making their way to Israel, Rehovot (besides Jerusalem) was one of the places they settled: the Sha`arayim (Twin Gates) quarter of Rehovot still has a large Yemenite population.

In 1934, Chaim Weizmann founded the Daniel Sieff research institute, which later became the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The grounds of the Weizmann Institute also include Weizmann's house. Rehovot has about 100,000 inhabitants today.

Source & Picture of Rehovot 1909 @zionism-israel.com

Malul Elected Rehovot Mayor

2009-11-26T14:59:00.000+02:00

Rachamim Malul has been elected Mayor of Rehovot. According to the final vote tally, Malul got 14,698 of the total votes, whole his opponent Uzi Salant got 13,855 votes.

A third candidate, Ami Feinstein, received only 7,348 votes.

By IsraelNN.com 07:46 25 Nov 2009

Tomorrow Rehovot mayor elections, 24 November 2009

2009-11-25T13:03:00.000+02:00

Democracy, Rehovot style

By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz.com

A former CEO of a kupot holim health maintenance organization, a rich businessman who returned last year from Australia, and a former Knesset member who was dismissed from Shas for supporting Aryeh Deri. All are contending for the mayoralty of Rehovot, and using well-designed Web sites, image consultants, and private detectives in their quest.

This is the third time in a year that the residents of Rehovot have been asked to go to the polls - on December 1. The move comes after the mayor who was elected a year ago in a runoff, Yehoshua Forer, was convicted in court of breach of trust, a crime that involves moral turpitude. Advertisement

Those competing for the slot are the former MK, Rahamim Maloul, an ultra-Orthodox member of Shas who was acting mayor in the past few months and denies that he has Forer's support; the former CEO of the Meuhedet HMO, Uzi Salant; and the businessman, Ami Feinstein.

A great deal of bad blood has been drawn in the city of 110,000 in the past few days. It seems everyone is busy attacking everyone else, everyone is making promises, and behind the scenes, the private eyes employed by Feinstein are looking for smoking guns in the municipality and in the HMO that Salant directed.

All the candidates claim the surveys are predicting a large or a slight victory for them, depending whom you ask. Salant and Feinstein have no problem expressing their fears about Rehovot becoming ultra-Orthodox - something they believe will happen if Maloul wins the race.

The two do not suffice with attacking their common rival. Salant boasts about his past as the HMO's director and says he is responsible for its success, and about his military past as an artillery commander with the rank of colonel.

Feinstein claims that Salant completed his army service with the rank of second lieutenant and rose in the ranks only during his service in the reserves.

On the other hand, Salant's aides are wondering about the circumstances in which Feinstein ended his term as chairman of the Israel Volleyball Association amid suspicions of financial irregularities. They say that people with vested interests are helping him to run for mayor "because they want to unfreeze land and improve its status."

Fear and loathing

It is natural for a closeted skeleton to be actively exposed in election campaigns of this kind. Feinstein, who served as deputy mayor several years ago, is a fifth generation Rehovot native and the scion of a family of orchard owners who were among its founders. He shoots from the hip and accuses the municipality of being "a mafia that collects protection money from the residents."

He sent private investigators to follow senior officials in order to prove that Maloul is using the municipal mechanism to help in his election next week.

A few days ago, Feinstein complained to police about Salant's "doings" in the HMO he directed. "I complained only now because two days before that I got the relevant material," he explained about the problematic timing.

He also started taking legal action against Likud, which is now supporting Maloul - who left Shas to join its ranks. Feinstein claims that he has been a Likud member for longer and that if the governing party wants to intervene in the municipal field, it should support him.

The court ruled that the Likud must support neither candidate. Maloul is furious and plans to petition the High Court of Justice.

Feinstein is a man of the times: Tomorrow he will hold a bar mitzvah party for his son, Oz, in a local reception hall that he owns. He promises that it will be attended by VIPs so that the family celebration will give his campaign a pre-election boost. He says that Minister Silvan Shalom will attend, and perhaps also Shalom's wife, Judy.

A year ago, Feinstein returned from a six-year stint in Australia where he says he had successful business ventures in construction, art and the food industry. When his children came on a visit to Israel and decided they wanted to remain here, he and his wife Nirit packed their bags and came back.

"I shut some of the businesses there and others are still ongoing," he explained. An Israeli friend, Nir Peled, who has lived in Sydney for many years, is taking care of his business interests. What kind of business? Feinstein does not want to say. "I'll show you my declaration of assets," he says, but it is not handy.

Uzi Salant dresses in a fancy suit and tie, surrounded by dozens of activists and two public relations consultants. The situation in Rehovot reminds him of the Second Lebanon War, he says.

"Just like there, here there are no work plans, no objectives have been defined and what comes out is half tea and half coffee. Rehovot is deteriorating. The city is filthy. At every meeting with residents they ask when the city will be clean. I plan to do for Rehovot what I did for the Meuhedet HMO, which has taken first place in the health system," he says.

Half a year ago, when he replaced Forer as mayor, Maloul announced that his black skullcap meant nothing other than that he had faith - certainly not that he intended to turn Rehovot into an ultra-Orthodox city.

Feinstein was not convinced. "He is an Aryeh Deri man. When Deri goes back into politics ... Rehovot will be his outpost thanks to Maloul. Right now Deri is setting up sleeper cells all over the country

Rehovot to elect new mayor today to replace ousted Shuki Forer

2009-11-24T13:10:00.001+02:00

By Noah Kosharek, Haaretz.com

The residents of Rehovot will head to the polls today to elect a new mayor to replace ousted mayor Shuki Forer. Forer left office as mayor of the 110,000-resident city after being convicted in a plea agreement of breach of trust. He claimed that he should not be disqualified from staying on as mayor, but the district court rejected Forer's appeal, ruling that his crime involved moral turpitude and required that he step down. A further appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected two months ago.

The three current mayoral candidates are Rahamim Maloul, who has been acting mayor for the past several months and is a Likud city council member formerly affiliated with Shas; Ami Feinstein, a businessman and former deputy mayor who recently returned to Israel after living in Australia; and councilman Uzi Salant, a former director general of the Meuhedet health maintenance organization who lost to Forer in the mayoral elections held last year. Advertisement

The first two candidates both claimed to be endorsed by the Likud party, but a court ruled that in fact neither is. Salant has the support of Kadima.

Last year's election was decided in two rounds after none of the candidates earned the required 40 percent of the vote in the first round. In the event that none of the three candidates in today's election clears the 40 percent threshold, a second round will again be necessary.

Rehovot 3D virtual tour now!

2009-11-20T12:35:00.000+02:00

So clear, so simple! Make Rehovot 3d virtual tour now, thanks to this YouTube video.

Maloul: secular population of Rehovot need not worry; the city will stay open on Shabbat

2009-11-19T14:55:00.001+02:00

Rehovot to vote for new mayor

By Edna Shemesh, JPost.com

Rehovot residents will go to the polls for the third time in a year on Tuesday to vote in a new mayor.

Only last November, Shuky Forer was voted in for a third term after a second round of voting despite an ongoing investigation against him for supplying municipal work without tender to a contractor who had contributed money to one of Forer's previous election campaigns. That investigation culminated in an indictment shortly before the election and on December 31, 2008, Forer pleaded guilty in a plea bargain to breach of trust.

He was forced to to leave office at the end of March this year after the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court ruled that his crimes constituted moral turpitude, and he was replaced by Rahamim Maloul (Shas).

The rejection of his appeal to the High Court of Justice in September 2009 to drop "moral turpitude" paved the way for Tuesday's re-run.

Competing against Maloul for the job are Uzi Salant, running as an independent, but with the backing of Kadima, and Ami Feinstein, (Independent).

Salant, a former general manager of Kupat-Holim Meuchedet, dragged Forer to a second round of voting last time around and the latest poll - albeit commissioned by Salant - shows him taking 41.7% of the vote. Feinstein is forecast to come in second with 29.9% ahead of Maloul on 28.2%. Turnout for the poll is forecast at 58.6%.

Feinstein, who returned to Rehovot after six years in Australia, will be making his third attempt to be elected as Rehovot's Mayor, after defeats in 1993 and in 1998.

"I am a pragmatic person and an experienced manager, and I came back home because I want to serve the residents of Rehovot," Feinstein told Metro.

Despite being behind in the polls, Feinstein has already achieved one campaign victory. When informed that soldiers from Rehovot would not be able to vote as the IDF does not provide ballot boxes and voting stations for local elections, Feinstein petitioned to the High Court of Justice and won: All the Rehovot soldiers will get a one-day furlough and will be allowed to exercise their right to vote.

Acting Mayor Maloul had been ahead of Feinstein in the polls, but has found himself under attack of late from both the secular and religious camps.

Some 25 percent of Rehovot's population is religious with haredim accounting for around 10 percent.

On campaign billboards, Maloul's black kippa seems to be carefully hidden, which, according to skeptics, has only enhanced the fear that he merely presents himself as a pluralist whereas he might "shut down the city during Shabbat."

In an interview Maloul gave to one of the local newspapers recently, he announced that the secular population of Rehovot need not worry and that the city will stay open on Shabbat. This was met by outraged reactions from the haredi community who put up 'pashkevilim' against him. This has left Maloul very cautious during his interviews to the local media, doing his best to appear pluralistic, as he truly believes he is.

Feinstein is counting on his business record and connections to propel him to success. "I brought the train to Rehovot thanks to my connections in the government, I helped open the city on Friday nights and I contributed to the foundation of 'Park Hamada,' the hi-tech park," says Feinstein.

But despite the promises of all the candidates, not all the residents of Rehovot are convinced.

"Rehovot has been in a wretched condition for years," says Tali Nachmias, 46, a sales manager in a printing business. "The municipality doesn't care about us at all. They have a zillion workers and they keep wasting the tax-payers' money."

On election-day, if none of the candidates gets 40 percent of the votes, the residents of Rehovot will have to go out again, for round four.

Rehovot Mall ranked as Israel's 9th leading shopping mall

2009-11-18T13:49:00.000+02:00

Malcha ranked as Israel's leading shopping mall: The Jerusalem mall displaced Ramat Aviv as number one in "Globes" top ten malls.

By Ilanit Hayut, 17 Nov 09 18:36

Jerusalem's Malcha mall is Israel's new leading shopping mall according to "Globes" 2009 shopping mall top ten. Malcha, owned by Azrieli Group, displaced the Ramat Aviv Mall, which slipped down to third place. The Ramat Aviv Mall was recently sold by Africa-Israel Investments Ltd. (TASE:AFIL; Pink Sheets:AFIVY) to Ofer Brothers unit Melisron Ltd. (TASE: MLSR), which also owns the Kyrion Mall in Haifa Bay, which moved up to second spot in this year's rankings from fourth in 2008.

The Azrieli shopping mall in Tel Aviv stayed in fourth place, while Herzliya's Seven Stars Mall, owned by Israel Land Development Company (TASE: ILDC) moved up from seventh place to fifth place. Unchanged in sixth place is Azrieli Group's Ayalon Mall in Ramat Gan, the country's first-ever mall opened in 1985. In seventh place, down from fifth, is Eilat's Mul Hayam Mall, followed by Petah Tikvah's Hagadol Mall in eighth, the Rehovot Mall in ninth, up from twelfth. Rishon Lezion's Hazahav Mall and Haifa's Grand Canyon Mall tied for tenth place...

Read full article at Globes

Rehovot to loose about 1500 jobs

2009-11-15T13:27:00.000+02:00

Applied Materials announced it would cut 1,300 to 1,500 jobs over the next 18 months, including about 50 in the headquarters of its Israeli branch in Rehovot, which has 900 employees. Those to be fired will be informed next week. The company will fire 10%-12% of its workforce globally, and the move is expected to save $450 million a year. The company makes equipment for the semiconductor industry.

Ido Solomon, Haaretz.com

Rehovot's Kaplan hospital doctors witnessed medical miracle

2009-11-09T13:39:00.001+02:00

by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich

A 71-year-old woman who went into clinical death after nearly drowning off an Ashdod beach three weeks ago has fully recovered, thanks to intensive treatment at Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot.

Her doctors called it a "medical miracle" that she regained conscoiiusness and showed dramatic improvement.

The fact that she received 40 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the beach and that her body temperature from the cold water slowed her heartbeat helped her survive.

Dr. Steven Melnick, head of the hospital's internal medicine C department, said hospital staffers "never give up" on such patients.

Read full article at JPost.com

Tractor Kills Man in Rehovot; Police Say Not Terror

2009-07-26T14:37:00.001+03:00

After investigating the circumstances of a death Wednesday caused by the shovel of a tractor on Tzvi Ehrlich street in Rehovot, police have determined that it was an accident and not an act of terrorism, according to police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld.

The victim was a 50-year-old worker, who was declared dead by a Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) doctor on the scene.

by IsraelNN.com

Rehovot man suspected of bludgeoning wife to death

2009-07-11T14:41:00.000+03:00

Elderly man admits to killing wife with hammer after heated argument over paying caregiver

by Eli Senyor 10.07.09, 08:35 / Israel News

A 76-year-old Rehovot resident is suspected of bludgeoning his wife to death with a hammer while she was sleeping overnight Wednesday.

The man phoned his son a few hours after the act and admitted to killing his wife. The son called Magev David Adom emergency services, who pronounced the 70-year-old woman's death.

Police suspect that a long-running financial dispute between the husband and wife led to the murder.

An initial investigation revealed that the couple had a heated argument Tuesday night after the husband asked his wife for money so he could pay their Filipino caregiver. The wife refused, and the man left the apartment. He returned at around midnight and then murdered his wife in her sleep. The couple's bed was soaked in blood when police arrived at the scene.

MDA paramedic Lion Melamded said the woman was found lying lifeless on the bed, while the husband was in another room.

"From what we could determine the woman sustained a blow to the head from a blunt object, apparently while she was lying in bed," said the paramedic.

Meir Hindi, a neighbor, said the suspect was ill. "I never imagined anything like this could happen to them. I met them at synagogue recently, we spoke and everything seemed fine. I'm in shock," he said.

Chief Superintendent Ofer Dagan, head of Rehovot Police, said the suspect has no prior record of violence.

Rehovot teen suffers burns from YouTube-inspired smoke bomb

2009-05-10T01:09:00.001+03:00

By Judy Siegel Itzkovich

A 16-year-old boy with lots of curiosity suffered second-degree burns on his face after trying to build a smoke bomb based on tips from a YouTube video. The teen, a high school physics student, was treated on Sunday night at Rehovot's Kaplan Medical Center.

The boy bought fertilizer at an agriculture supply store. He added sugar and stuffed the mixture into toilet-paper rolls. When he attempted to light one with a match from 20 centimeters away, there was a powerful explosion - after which he has no recollection of what happened.

The boy told doctors that some of the videos suggested adding baking soda to control the smoke. But he didn't because it would have reduced the effect.

Dr. Uri Shulman, a plastic surgeon at Kaplan, said the boy suffered second-degree burns on his cheek, lips and around his eyes, as well as on two fingers and the palm of a hand.

The boy's mother said she had suggested he refrain from conducting physics experiments until he enrolled at a university, but he couldn't resist.

"We are aware of the fact that it could have ended much worse," she said.

Source: jpost.com

Man seriously hurt after shot at close range in Rehovot market

2009-05-06T14:51:00.001+03:00

By Yuval Goren, Haaretz Correspondent

A 30-year-old Rehovot resident was found in the central city's retail market Tuesday morning after being shot in the head at close range.

Police are calling the shooting, which was reported at around 7:15 A.M. to Magen David Adom emergency services, an attempted murder.

Police forces and by medical personnel rushed to the scene after the report and found the victim unconscious.

Magen David Adom paramedics administered preliminary medical treatment and evacuated the man to the local Kaplan hospital. The wound left the victim seriously wounded.

A preliminary investigation conducted by Rehovot police found that the shooting had been criminally motivated, resulting from a dispute over the payment of protection money in the market.

Rehovot police officers, headed by deputy Central District commander Yossi Bachar, swept the area in search of the suspect, who had fled the scene.

Haaretz.com 09:45 24/03/2009

Car bomb wounds Rehovot man in alleged underworld attack

2009-05-06T01:05:00.001+03:00

By Yaakov Lappin

A powerful blast shook Rehovot in the early hours of Tuesday morning, when a bomb planted on a van exploded, seriously wounding its 25-year-old driver.

The scene of the powerful blast that shook Rehovot on Tuesday.
Photo: YAAKOV LAPPIN

SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World Police have described the attack as a criminal assassination attempt.

Tamir Amira, the wounded driver, was rushed to Rehovot's Kaplan hospital in serious condition, suffering from wounds to his limbs. His van was demolished in the explosion.

Police suspect that a large bomb was planted underneath the vehicle and may have been set off via remote control.

The police's Central District Central Unit, headed by Asst.-Cmdr. Avi Noiman, has been tasked with leading the investigation.

According to Central District Police chief Cmdr. Nissim Moor, Amira had a previous criminal record. "We are attempting to catch the culprits," he added.

A criminal feud centering on Rehovot's wholesale market, involving market stall owners and based on a dispute over protection money and the placement of security guards, appears to form the background of the bombing.

Amira sold potatoes at the market, and according to locals who live nearby, he and his older brother may be linked to the March 24 slaying of a man there.

In that attack, a 30-year-old man was shot in the head at close range in broad daylight. He died of his wounds in the hospital.

One local resident, who asked not to be named, said he believed the bombing was a revenge attack for that killing.

"Why don't the authorities tackle crime like [former New York mayor Rudolph] Giuliani did?" the man asked.

"It's gotten to be like Chicago here," a woman added.

Source: JPost.com

Self publishing system introduced by MyRehovot

2009-05-04T11:29:00.002+03:00

Announcement

This is to inform our readers that MyRehovot introduced self publishing system for its' all three language editions,i.e. My Rehovot in English, Hebrew, and Russian.

MyRehovot is well recognized and gest immediate indexing at a variety of search engines, implying that city news that you submit/publish with us deserves immediate and wide attention by all those interested in all kind of the information on rehovot.

The only requirement is your personal responsibility. We will monitor/screen our web sites, so, any defamatory, unjustified materials and all kind of advertisements/spam posts are removed immediately.

All submissions are by email, no registration required. Upon submission, you will get an email confirmation. In case our confirmation of your submission is bounched, your article will be removed as well. This is a measure for us to remove submission from faked emails.

How to structure your email.

1. Provide brief and informative SUBJECT field

In fact, the Subject of your email will appear as your article Title, so, please be careful in making it informative, consise and interesting.

2. Your email text to become your article text

To minimize any formating problems, please do not apply any style to your text. Another words use plain text when preparing your email.

Please separate paragraphs with an empty line

3. At the bottom of your text please provide your full name

Hey, we want at MyRehovot a responsible (yet unlimited and unrestricted) community talk. The basis for such talk is our and your openness. Therefore, why hide your name from others?

This requirement means that we will remove materials with no signature.

We will also appreciate (although do not require) providing your email address below your name, so, you could be reached by readers. Please remember that we anyway will have your email address on file because we'll keep the copies of original emails sent by you to MyRehovot.

4. Where to send materials

Here are email addresses to use. We surely deserve to change email address(s) for submission when/if we find the system is abused.

Please use the following emails

for MyRehovot English Edition:
submit-eng at myrehovot.info

for MyRehovot Hebrewon:
submit-heb at myrehovot.info

for MyRehovot Russian:
submit-ru at myrehovot.info

Springtime gaming in Rehovot

2009-05-03T09:59:00.003+03:00

Source: Springtime gaming in Israel. Itamar Weisberg, Hamis'hakia, Ed Healy

Rehovot, Israel: As April blew into Israel, pronouncing the end for the rain and the beginning of spring’s hot, dry spells, it also marked the beginning of convention season. Passover holiday means that kids get a three week break from school and working adults enjoy a few days of rest and recreation. What better time, then, to play games with like-minded people?

Israel's largest roleplaying convention, Bigor, celebrated its 9th annual event in early April (3rd to 5th), its second year in a Tel Aviv high school. Because of the holiday, each group session was given a class room of all its own. Games ranged in theme and subject matter, and while Dungeons & Dragons dominated sessions based on published rules systems, most sessions were more free-form, as is the norm in the Israeli RP community.

In addition to tabletop role playing, one could find an arena where mighty warriors clashed wielding rubber weapons, activities for young kids, a dissection of the newly-translated Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition Player's Handbook, and a big sleepover party. From talking to the event’s manager, Maya Esh'har, it’s clear the attendees were both well-behaved and enjoyed themselves.

The following week (April 11th to 13th) was Olamot 2009. Literally meaning “worlds”, this is a mid- holiday annual festival for sci-fi and fantasy fans, with this year's theme being “The End of the World.” Unlike Bigor, it was mostly comprised of panels, lectures and movie screenings, but game selling stands were there in force and games were seen being played on the sidelines. Luckily, the world did not end as the third day closed with a musical based on the show Angel.

To listen to Episode 56 of Hamis'hakia, the Hebrew gaming podcast, for more information about Bigor and Olamot (audio is in Hebrew)> please follow this link.

The National Monopoly Championship was held as April came to an end (30th). Not only did I learn that there was, in fact, such a thing as tournament Monopoly, but also that the game played is a speedy variant of the original rules, which also allows for more strategic thinking. The championship winner won a paid trip to the World Championship, which will take place in Las Vegas on October 20th to 22nd.

Source: examiner.com

Cinema ticket sales up 30% in Rehovot

2009-04-22T02:48:00.001+03:00

Cinema ticket sales up 30%

Gali Berger, Calcalist Published: 04.08.09, 14:00 / Israel Money, Ynet

Data relate to months of January, February compared to same period last year. 'When there are economic problems and pressure mounts, people look for ways to emerge from this circle. A couple can spend an entire evening for NIS 100,' says owner of Cinema City compound

In recent years, the prevailing trend in Israeli shopping malls is to evacuate the cinemas in favor of fashion stores. But the recession, it seems, is causing more and more people to visit the cinemas, which provide a cheap way to pass one's time and escape from reality.

"January and February saw a 30% rise in the sales of cinema tickets in Cinema City and in the Park and Raanan cinemas in Raanana," said Yaakov Cohen, co-chairman of the New Lineo Cinemas company, which owns the Cinema City compound.

"There are two reasons for this. The first is that many good films arrived, and the second is that when there are psychological and economic problems and the pressure mounts, people are looking for ways to emerge from this circle. A couple can spend an entire evening for NIS 100 (about $24.3).

The fact that recent years saw an investment in improved cinema compounds which strengthen the viewing experience also contributed to the rise. Some 240,000 tickets have been sold in the past two months in the Cinemall shopping center, which includes 23 modern cinemas.

"This figure cannot be compared to last year, as the cinemas have yet to open, but the sales are beyond expectations," said CEO Benny Halif.

Moshe Rosenblum, chairman of the Israel Mall Association, said that Petah Tikva's Avnat Mall and the Rehovot Mall have seen a 38% rise in cinema ticket sales.

Ramat Gan's Ayalon Mall, where the Theater Israel company operates the Yes Planet cinema, reported of a 47% rise in January and a 29% rise in February. Ofer Shechter, CEO of the Promall management company reported of a 25% rise in January and February in the sales of the 12 cinemas in the Yachin Center compound in Netanya.

The highest rise was recorded by Herzliya Shivat Hakochavim mall. "The shutdown of the cinemas at the Arena Mall, and the fact that people have had enough of Cinema City, brings many people back to the neighborhood cinemas," explained CEO Ziv Shchori.

Two drivers held in hit-and-run crashes near Rehovot

2009-04-19T02:36:00.000+03:00

Two drivers, one of whom was driving without a license, were arrested yesterday on suspicion of involvement in two separate hit-and-run accidents.

One of the suspects is a 19-year-old Ramle resident who pulled over near the spot in Rehovot where he is accused of having hit and killed a 50-year-old man.

Police found him crying in a construction site on the side of the road.

He said the victim had run into the road and he was unable to brake in time, adding that he fled the scene of the accident because he had panicked.

Police are checking whether the victim, whose identity is unknown, was homeless. He apparently did not cross the street at a crosswalk.

The second driver, a 27-year-old man from Kiryat Bialik who does not have a driver's license, was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run accident at a major intersection that killed a 49-year-old woman from Kiryat Motzkin on Saturday.

The Haifa Magistrate's Court extended his remand by five days yesterday.

The woman, Emma Ladvitz, was jaywalking when she was hit by a car.

The car took off immediately after impact, witnesses said.

They told police the vehicle was a Mercedes.

The suspect, who said he needs friends to drive him around because he has an eye problem, said the car was his, but that he was not driving it at the time of the accident.

He told police he did not know who was driving at the time.

Yuval Goren and Fadi Eyadat. Two drivers held in hit-and-run crashes. Haartez.com (19 April 2009)

3 men escape with contents of safe in Rehovot robbery

2009-04-17T02:40:00.000+03:00

Three men made away with the contents of a safe after robbing a Rehovot couple on Friday.

The robbers entered a home in the city, tied up the husband and demanded the code for the safe before stealing the valuables inside.

The wife was hospitalized at the city's Kaplan Medical Center with light-to-moderate wounds.

Source: jpost.com

A Rehovot resident arrested on suspicions of neglecting his blind brother

2009-04-16T02:30:00.000+03:00

A Rehovot resident was arrested yesterday on suspicions of neglecting his blind, handicapped brother, police said. Police were called after passersby heard calls for help from a storeroom, where they found a blind, incapacitated 60-year-old man with a catheter lying on the floor. "He was in very bad condition, couldn't communicate with us at all," a police officer said. "There was nothing there but a bottle of water." One of the man's brothers was arrested. He told interrogators he took his brother to the shed "to get some air" several days ago.

Yuval Goren. haaretz.com News in Brief (16 April 2009)

Yad2 used to sell stollen goods

2009-04-14T02:34:00.001+03:00

A resident of Mazkeret Batya discovered that his bicycle, stolen a week earlier, was being offered for sale on the internet at a quarter its original price.

Last Tuesday the man discovered that two bicycles had been stolen from his home - one of which carried a price tag of NIS 12,000.

Two day later, one of his friends told him that Yad2, an internet site specializing in second-hand items from private sellers, had his bicycle on sale for only NIS 3,500

The man called the Rehovot police and with their help he contacted the person selling the bicycle, arranging a place to meet in central Rehovot.

At the exchange, the man gave the "seller" the money, at which time the police appeared and made an arrest.

The suspect, a 17-year old from Rehovot, was taken for questioning, and claimed he had bought the bicycle a year earlier, which was refuted.

Yad2 is one of the most popular in Israel for buying and selling used items. However, police suspect that some of the items on it are stolen, and are offered by thieves at low prices.

Yuval Goren. Thief nabbed selling stolen bike on Web. Haaretz.com (14 April 2009)

Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court judge told Shuki Forer to free Mayor Office

2009-04-05T02:44:00.001+03:00

By illegally hiring a contractor for a public works project, the mayor of Rehovot committed crimes of moral turpitude and must resign, a Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court judge ruled yesterday. Yehoshua "Shuky" Forer was convicted in January of breach of trust, for awarding a contract without a tender in exchange for campaign donations from the contractor. The conviction was reached in a plea bargain. Forer had maintained that he could remain in office, but as a result of yesterday's ruling he was formally replaced as mayor by his deputy. Forer's lawyer said he will appeal the ruling.

Tomer Zarchin. News in Brief. haartez.com (2 April 2009)

Hareidi Mayor Takes Over in Rehovot

2009-04-01T02:26:00.001+03:00

by Hillel Fendel, IsraelNN.com

Yet another city in Israel has a hareidi-religious mayor, following a court decision to force Rehovot Mayor Shuki Forer to step down from office and make way for his successor.

The successor will be Deputy Mayor Rachamim Maloul, a Knesset Member from 1999-2003 on behalf of the Sephardic-hareidi Shas party. Maloul, a longtime resident and city council member of Rehovot, served on the municipal council on behalf of the Likud.

Maloul has also served in the past as the appointed mayor of the Bedouin town of Kseifeh, between Be’er Sheva and Arad in the northern Negev.

His tenure as Mayor will be a brief one, until municipal elections can be held, but the Interior Minister is authorized to extend his term in office for up to a year and a half. It is expected that because elections were held just five months ago, incoming Interior Minister Eli Yishai, head of the Shas Party, will authorize the extension in the coming days – even though Maloul has left Shas.

Mayor Forer was convicted in the past of breach of trust, and a Petach Tikvah Magistrates Court ruled that such a crime is accompanied by disrepute and ignominy, preventing Forer from serving in capacities such as mayor for the coming years.

Man lightly injured in Rehovot attack

2009-01-13T00:21:00.000+02:00

Young Jenin resident arrested in central Israeli city after threatening to harm residents with axe; tells investigators he sought to avenge his friend's death in Gaza bombing

By Eli Senyor

One man was lightly injured in a terror attack in the central Israeli city of Rehovot on Friday afternoon. A Jenin resident armed with an axe arrived at the city's main city and threatened to harm passersby. He was arrested by policemen passing by before managing to hurt additional people.

Foiled Attack

Police kill Palestinian attempting to torch gas station / Efrat Weiss

Police receive reports of man trying to set gas station on fire. Upon arriving at scene suspect starts running towards them holding up unidentified object in his hand; officers open fire and kill him

An initial investigation revealed that the man, in his 20s, arrived at the city's Herzl Street with an axe in his hand. He began shouting, "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) and threatened to beat the residents.

Officers traveling in a police patrol car spotted the man and managed to gain control over him.

The man was taken in for questioning at the police station and was to be handed over to the Shin Bet later on. He told his investigators that he had arrived in the city in order to avenge the death of his friend, apparently in an Israeli strike in Gaza.

The police are attempting to find out how the man managed to reach Rehovot from Jenin.

Source: Eli Senyor. YNet.com (01.09.09) [FullText]

Israel issues first solar licenses based on technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot

2009-01-10T00:43:00.002+02:00

Ehud Zion Waldoks, JPost.com

"The first licenses to build photovoltaic (PV) and thermal solar-energy plants have been granted, the Public Utility Authority announced Wednesday.

The Arava Power Company received the first PV license in Israeli history on Tuesday, allowing it to build a 4.9 megawatt solar plant at Kibbutz Ketura in the Eilot region of the Arava desert. The first solar thermal plant of 100 kilowatts will be built by Edig Solar.

The licenses must be approved by National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.

"This is an historic day for renewable energy in Israel," Arava Power Company president Yosef Abramowitz said in a statement. "For the first time, a large solar project is being launched that will be connected to the national grid, with many more megawatts on the way in the coming years. The Public Utility Authority is making a reality Ben-Eliezer's dramatic decision to produce thousands of megawatts of electricity from renewable sources by 2020."

The Arava Power Company also praised the Public Utility Authority for its diligent work in creating the license.

According to the authority, the licenses will be granted for 18 months, at the end of which the plants are expected to have been built, connected to the grid and financially viable.

Arava said it would begin building the power plant at a cost of NIS 120 million as soon as the new feed-in tariffs for medium-sized plants were approved.

Abramowitz has said that a rate of NIS 1.80 per kilowatt hour would make the project viable economically. The plant would cover about 80 dunams, the authority said.

Arava recently worked out an agreement with 15 kibbutzim in the Negev and Arava to use their land for solar fields.

Edig Solar uses technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The plant is expected to become operational in March..."

Source: Ehud Zion Waldoks. Israel issues first solar licenses. JPost.com (8 Jan 2008) [FullText]