Rehov Applebaum

The City of Jerusalem has been running a "survey" of sorts. The survey was regarding which person should be memorialized by having their name turned into the name of a street.

With 2,222 questionnaires having been distributed among Jerusalem residents, we have a winner, and one by a large majority.

The results of the poll indicate that people wish to memorialize Dr. David Applebaum, hy"d, the emergency room doctor killed in a terrorist attack when having coffee with his daughter who was about to get married, by naming a street after him.

Dr. Applebaum beat out Teddy Kollek and Rehavam "Gandhi" Zeevi. Applebaum won with 87% of the votes.

The truth is that both Kollek and Gandhi are deserving of having streets named after them as well. Kollek, despite all his faults, built the beautiful modern city of Jerusalem. Gandhi is an Israeli hero, a war hero and a man and politician of tremendous caliber.

The system of having residents participate in such decisions is great. And, the results of such surveys should be honored. However, a way must be found to name future streets, or other ways to memorialize them, after these other great builders of the State as well.

Perhaps the poll should not have included names of people that should by their very nature be honored. Just like there is a law that any city naming streets after people must have streets named after certain people, like Herzl, Jabotinsky and others, certain people should automatically be given such honor, with or without being added to the law, and not be honored only via a survey.