This past week in a local Bet Shemesh newspaper there was something that struck me as very odd. This paper has always been very odd, which is why I don't read it any longer, but this was brought to my attention so I took a look. And, the truth is, this particular item is odd not because of the newspaper but on its own, assuming the paper got the report right.

The paper reported on a meeting between representatives of the residents of RBS C (a.k.a. "Gimmel") and representatives of the various relevant government and local authorities offices to discuss a variety of complaints and problems with the development of the neighborhood.

Most of it is the standard issues that come up when living in what is basically a construction zone.

While people should get the services they pay city taxes for and should be able to live with basic services as provided by the city (in any city), these residents suffer from a combination of living in Bet Shemesh whose provision of services are not all that notable on the best of days, along with living in a neighborhood that is still under development, along with living in a neighborhood that might be very nice but was initially designed poorly (as many of their complaints are about too-narrow streets, lack of paths between streets.forcing them to walk long distances to get between streets, lack of ramps adjacent to neighborhood stairs for strollers, and the like), along with the pressure placed on the municipality, which they gave in to, to populate the neighborhood before it was ready so the residents would not need to continue renting elsewhere until it would actually be ready.

So, yes, the residents have a right to complain about the lack of services, and they deserve to have their problems resolved, but they also need to have realistic expectations, considering the history and context, and know with whom they are dealing.

All that being said, the particular point that struck me as odd was the following:


To be brief, Moshe Montag, the city councilman tasked with the office of engineering of the city and responsible for the construction and development of RBS C (along with the rest of Bet Shemesh), as well as being a resident of the neighborhood, spoke at this meeting.

Montag said that he is not responding to the complaints as a representative of the city, but is adding his voice to the complaints as a resident of the neighborhood. Montag went on to say that the situation is intolerable and all these problems should have been resolved a long time ago.

So Montag is complaining about the fact that he himself did not do the work necessary to resolve the problems long ago and he has left an intolerable situation for residents? Who is he complaining to about himself? After he expressed his complaints, did he then put on his other hat and write down his complaints and take notes as to what he needs to do to resolve his own complaints?

This makes no sense. It is like one big joke and perhaps some form of virtual reality..