Weekly Update 63

November 28, 2025

Hello, everyone.

• There is no summary for the first topic because it’s important to me that you read it in full and participate!!
• Second topic: Data I obtained from the Central Bureau of Statistics shows that between January and June 2025, a record 178 building permits were issued!!! Add to that the fact I’ve mentioned before—that the council hasn’t filed a single official objection to the building plans—and you’ll see that the town is facing unchecked construction.
• Third issue: Why are there still no orange trash bins? The brown bins were removed overnight, and we were promised that after the holidays there would be orange bins—of which there is still no sign. This is a combination of overly centralized and flawed management and a step backward in environmental quality.
• Fourth issue: Let’s welcome the incoming director of the Tourism Department

I have attached the agenda for this week’s meeting to the newsletter as a file. Once again, I have submitted two inquiries to the council chair. Perhaps this time, thanks to your presence at the meeting, I will receive genuine answers.

First topic: My new initiative—residents attending council meetings

Council meetings are held regularly on the first Tuesday of every month, for a total of 12 meetings a year. The meeting begins at 6:00 PM and usually lasts until 8:00 PM.

Council meetings are open to the public—there are seats waiting for you, the residents, to come and listen. The public cannot speak during the meeting. However, your presence is very important. It shows council members that residents care, are involved, and are paying attention. It’s also interesting to sit in on the meeting, listen, get to know the council members, and learn about the issues being discussed. You certainly won’t be bored.

Additionally—in my opinion—your presence will encourage council members to participate, ask questions, and treat one another with respect. I am referring primarily to the mayor’s behavior toward me, which is offensive and disrespectful.

That is why I am asking you to take part in the initiative I launched, which is now being implemented with the help of a dear volunteer: A resident who attends is an engaged resident.

All you need to do is scan the barcode or click the link—fill out a short registration form indicating which meetings you’d like to attend. Even if you come to just one meeting a year—that’s fine. Mark it on your calendar—and come. In any case, we’ll make sure to remind you a week in advance and send you the meeting agenda (which I include in this newsletter every month anyway).

Thousands of residents voted for the opposition—thousands of residents who voted for good governance and the promotion of residents’ interests, not those of special interest groups. You have a lot of power—come to the meetings!! I need your involvement.

Here’s the link—just click and fill out the form: https://forms.gle/U8ERKf8a97R7PQ5H9

And here is the QR code—just scan it and fill out the form:

Second issue – Alarming construction pace in Zichron Yaakov: What led to the issuance of 178 building permits between January and June 2025!!!

After several years in which the pace of construction in Zichron Yaakov slowed down, particularly between 2022 and 2024, and the town’s growth rate was aligned with the overall capacity of its infrastructure, we are now seeing an unclear and alarming upward trend between January and June 2025 in the number of building permits issued for residential units.

 Between 2016 and 2021, important projects were carried out, such as the Wine Park (approx. 224 units, of which approx. 160 were under the “Price for the Resident” program)  and very important TAMA 38 projects, but these projects were completed long ago, and now we are seeing a dramatic increase in the figures as shown in the 2025 data.

Add to this alarming figure the fact that the council did not submit a single written objection to the construction plans. This fact was revealed only following an inquiry I submitted to the council head, which I wrote about in one of the previous newsletters.

As we demanded and noted, when there is a lack of transparency and the exclusion of opposition representatives from the planning committee, this is the result.

I reiterate and emphasize: if the council had acted in accordance with the rules of proper administration and allowed council members to review documents as required by law, it would have been possible to ask questions and examine many issues with department heads. Therefore, I rely on official state data.

In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about another mega-project called “Hatzarot HaMoshava,” or perhaps it should be called “Troubles in the Moshava” because it is set to bring residential buildings into the heart of the pedestrian mall in exchange for minimal compensation for us residents (low financial compensation + 170 parking spaces, when there are already about 70 there today).

I posted about it on the Open Forum—please visit and comment. I’ll say it again: without resident involvement, nothing will change, and we’re likely to see more and more construction and a decline in our quality of life.  

 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17gJSV3Yn6/
 

Third issue: Why are there still no orange bins—or how the council’s operations are once again lacking effective management

The council head announced a few months ago that after the holidays we would switch to collecting packaging in orange bins and orange bags—so he said… and nothing is happening.

It is important to understand that starting in early 2025, the council administration decided to discontinue the wet waste separation process (brown bins), and thus, unilaterally and without public notice, the wet waste collection system was canceled in July within a matter of days, and since then, nothing has happened. And if anything did happen, the council members received no update. For example, when the orange bins will be placed. From the information I’ve received, it seems that perhaps in early December they will begin placing orange bins and distributing bags to every household.

Let’s hope so… The council head and two paid deputies are failing to prepare in a timely manner for a critically important environmental project that requires public cooperation. And Zichron is regressing when it comes to environmental quality.

Fourth Topic – New Head of the Council’s Tourism Department

Congratulations to the new head of the Tourism Department who has taken up her post—Zichron is a tourist town with a wonderful history, and we all wish her wholehearted success in promoting and developing tourism.