 | Jerusalem Outside the Walls Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 132 |  |
 | |  |  | Outside the Walls: Ein Kerem: Gorny (Moscovia) Monastery | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
As you see, this church has a special roof, a tented/ hipped, typical to Russian churches from the 16th century on. It's very functional for long season snowy regions. (Jerusalem has max 1-2 snowy days a year, in average) It's a Russian Orthodox Church, built at the end of 19th century. First Russians came to Ein-Kerem on 1871. 'Gorny' is the Russian word for 'mountainous', and the name for Ein-Kerem; 'Moscovia' means Moscow in Arabic. The main picture was took not from Ein-Kerem, but from the upper main road to Haddasah hospital, south to the neighbourhood . (personal reminiscence: this was the road to the birth of my older son in 8th July, 2nd Millenium). Directions: Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem
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| | | | Outside the Walls: Chagall Windows, Haddasah Ein-Kerem [I] | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Synagouge's 'Twelve Tribes of Israel' stained glass windows, by Marc Chagall, made Haddasah Ein-Kerem Hospital a touristic attraction. "My modest gift to the Jewish people, who have always dreamt of biblical love, of friendship and peace among all people; to that people who lived here, thousands of years ago, among other Semitic people. My hope is that I hereby extend my hand to seekers of culture, to poets and to artists among the neighboring people." - Marc Chagall, launching his art, 1962. 4 pictures X 3 tribes each = 12 total. Details and closer look - in the next tip. Directions: Heart of Haddasah Ein-Kerem hospital, Jerusalem
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| | | | Outside the Walls: City of David [Hebrew: Ir David] | Tip Rating: | | | | |
David, the king, was lyrical, heroic, the fair-haired boy of early Biblical history. A charismatic, passionate, energetic and virile redhead, David was a child star - he defeated the giant Goliath. He forged a friendship with Saul's son Jonathan that sets a standard for selfnessness. When he was not fighting Philistines, seducing women, expanding and unifying the kingdom, David wrote devotional poems, Psalms, celebrating his love for God. In the highlight of his career, David was the one who conquered what is now known as Jerusalem, what was known as IR DAVID, the city of David, and established it as the capital city - and the emotional epicenter of Jewish life. But he was not pure enough to build the Holy Temple, for, as a warrior, his hands were stained with blood. Directions: Jerusalem
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| | | | Outside the Walls: A Poorhouse Transformed | Tip Rating: | | | | |
. When Mishkenot Sha’ananim, which means “tranquil dwellings" (based on Isaiah 32:18) was built in 1860, the neighborhood was anything but. This long row of housing was the first building outside the protective walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The territory outside the walls was an exposed and dangerous place, and the Jews were not anxious to make the move. But the Jewish Quarter was terribly overcrowded and hygiene was poor. Sir Moses Montefiore, a wealthy British Jew and a “doer,” thought that the time had come for the Jews of Jerusalem to live in healthier surroundings. Montefiore was the executor of the will of a very rich Jew from New Orleans. Judah Touro died in 1854, leaving $50,000 “for the poor Jews of Jerusalem.” The money was used to buy a plot of land from the Sultan. Here Montefiore built a windmill, as a source of income, and an almshouse containing 16 apartments. According to the “Rules and Regulations of Mishkenot,” it was to be named for Touro, and the inhabitants were to recite prayers for their benefactor every day. Touro’s name was engraved on the facade (still visible today in a star-shaped inset at the top of the building). But it was the charismatic Montefiore everyone remembers - not Touro, who never set foot in the Holy Land. Mishkenot was constructed very differently from the homes in the Old City. The rooms all had windows and the roof was flat, at a time when domes were the rule. An iron water pump imported from Montefiore's hometown, Ramsgate, England, created a great sensation, and a huge black iron gate, also from England, was locked at night to keep out marauders. Gradually, new neighborhoods were built outside the city and Mishkenot was shunted to the sidelines. It became a slum. In 1973, the complex was renovated. What began as a poorhouse is now a cultural center and a posh guest-house for visiting artists, writers and musicians, hosting celebrities like Saul Bellow, Simone de Beauvoir, Arthur Rubinstein and Marc Chagall. Leave a Comment Directions: Yemin Moshe neighborhood, directly across from the Old City walls. From the Montefiore Windmill walk down the steps - about 100 of them!
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| | | | Outside the Walls: Israel Museum - Tower of Books. | Tip Rating: | | | | |
If you have been to the City Library in Prague, you know what is about: Tower of Books. This 17- foot-long cylinder, made of some 8,000 books, is the work of Czech artist, Matej Kren. For each exhibit, named Idiom, the artist works in the language of the country, using Hebrew books for the Jerusalem structure. By closing the top and bottom with two mirrors, the artist creates an illusion of endless inner space. The display will continue until March, 2006. Though constructed in the Youth Wing of the Israel Museum, the tower fascinates both young and old. Directions: Jerusalem
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| | | | Outside the Walls: The Giant's Finger | Tip Rating: | | | | |
In downtown Jerusalem, in an area known as the Russian Compound, just off Jaffa Road, are the headquarters of the Israel Police. Directly in front of the police station is a huge 36-foot long white marble column half-embedded in the ground, surrounded by a fence. At first glance, it looks like a cement sewer pipe. Actually, it dates from the late Second Temple period. Archeologists believe there was an ancient quarry on the spot, and this particular column, possibly being prepared for Herod?s temple, was cracked during the quarrying process. It was discovered in 1871. But this is no ordinary hunk of stone. To kids growing up in Jerusalem in the early days of the state (my husband was one of them) it was known as "the finger of Og King of Bashan" ? a biblical giant. According to Deuteronomy 3:11, this Og was a rather large fellow. He slept in an iron bed 15-feet long. He fought the Israelites, but suffered the fate of another biblical giant, whose name is perhaps better known ? Goliath. In Jerusalem, the Bible just seems to surface wherever you go? Leave a Comment Directions: Jerusalem
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| | | | Outside the Walls: Another Moses | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Jerusalem is full of streets named after characters from the Bible. But the Moses for whom the neighborhood of Yemin Moshe is named is not the biblical one. Moses Montefiore was a wealthy, well-connected 19th century English Jew who spent the greater part of his long life – he lived to 101 - trying to help Jews in distress. The Jews of Jerusalem were poor, subsisting mainly on charity. The Jewish quarter of the Old City was bursting at the seams. Sanitation was non-existent and epidemics spread rapidly. The Holy Land was no picnic in those days. And yet it had its allure: A steady stream of pilgrims and visitors made the journey, undeterred by all the hardships. One of them was Moses Montefiore, who made the trip seven times. The first time around, he came with his wife, Lady Judith. In 1827, they traveled in their own horse-drawn carriage through France and Italy, and then sailed via Malta to Alexandria. From Cairo, they continued to Jerusalem, where they spent three days. Montefiore’s last visit was in 1875, as a 91-year old widower. On his fourth trip to the Holy Land, Montefiore stopped off in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. There he met with the Sultan and received permission to purchase a piece of land outside the Old City walls. In 1857, he sent over an expert from London to build a European-style windmill on this property – a famous landmark that is still standing today. The idea was to provide the Jews with a source of livelihood and bring down the price of flour, but it was soon made obsolete by steam-powered mills. In 1948, this windmill served as an observation point for Jewish troops during the siege of Jerusalem. Today it houses a small museum of Montefiore memorabilia. Outside, in a small glassed-in room, you can see the carriage Montefiore used on his travels throughout the Ottoman Empire. Leave a Comment Directions: Montefiore Windmill, Yemin Moshe, opposite Liberty Bell Park, Jerusalem
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| | | | Outside the Walls: What the Eye Spies at the “Y” | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The first thing you see as you approach the Jerusalem YMCA – apart from the stunning architecture, of course - is a trilingual sign in English, Hebrew and Arabic proclaiming “Here is a place whose atmosphere is peace, where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten, and international unity be fostered and developed.” So said Lord Plumer, the British High Commissioner for Palestine, at the cornerstone-laying ceremony in 1928. The array of programs offered by the “Imka,” as it is called locally, would seem to bear that out. The Y runs a Jewish and Arab pre-school (separate classes, but joint activities), and a language school where you can study English, Hebrew and Arabic. It also houses the Great Shape Studio and Mind-Body Center to help you relax (yoga classes, etc.) and stay physically fit (exercise machines, basketball and squash courts, swimming pool, sauna). The library and reading room is stocked with books in English, French and German, as well as newspapers in different languages (open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). It has a very charming restaurant (not kosher, so I can’t comment on the food) which also has outside tables on a patio surrounded by greenery. Altogether it is a very pretty place, with atmosphere to match. First look down: Embedded in the floor of the entrance hall is a mosaic replica of the famous 6th century Madaba map, with its schematic representation of Byzantine Jerusalem. Then look up: Above you is a 17th century wooden ceiling from Damascus, reassembled here. Like many YMCAs around the world, the Jerusalem Y used to be a cheap sleep. Nowadays, it operates a hotel on the premises, the Three Arches. It has 56 rooms that look quite nice (in the brochure, at least), with prices that don’t sound so cheap to me –$85 for a double room, $70 for a single. Once you’re there, take the elevator up to the bell tower for NIS5 (less than a dollar) for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Leave a Comment Address: 26 King David Street, JerusalemPhone: 02-5692692Directions: Jerusalem
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on February 21, 2007
on February 7, 2005
