Baka (officially Geulim), is a neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. The neighborhood is bounded by Talpiot

Talpiot

Talpiot , is a neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem, Israel, established in 1922 by Zionist pioneers.-Etymology:The name Talpiot derives from a verse in Song of Songs 4:4 – "Thy neck is like the tower of David, built with turrets." According to rabbinic sources, Talpiot refers to the Temple...

 to the south, Mekor Chaim

Mekor Chaim

Mekor Chaim is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem, Israel. It was named for Haim Cohen, a wealthy Jewish businessmen who donated large sums of money toward the purchase of land in Jerusalem before World War I.-History:The funds donated to Hovevei Zion by Haim Cohen were transferred to the...

 to the west, the Greek Colony

Greek Colony, Jerusalem

The Greek Colony is a neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel, bordering the German Colony and Katamon.-History:The lands of the Greek Colony were purchased by wealthy members of the Greek Orthodox community in the early 20th century...

 and German Colony to the northwest, and Abu Tor

Abu Tor

Abu Tor is a mixed Jewish and Arab neighborhood in central Jerusalem, Israel, south of the Old City. Abu Tor is bounded by the Valley of Hinnom on the north, Hebron Road and the old Jerusalem Railway Station to the west, and the Sherover Promenade, Armon HaNetziv and Peace Forest to the south...

 to the east.

History

Baka (lit. "valley") was established in the 1920s by wealthy Muslim and Christians families who built mansions there. The neighborhood had an agricultural character until the 1950s.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War

1948 Arab-Israeli War

The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...

, the neighborhood was left on the Israeli (western) side of the dividing line between West Jerusalem

West Jerusalem

West Jerusalem refers to:*The section of Jerusalem captured by Israel following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.*The western neighborhoods of Jerusalem today.-Division in 1948:...

 and East Jerusalem

East Jerusalem

East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...

. Its population changed, as with many neighborhoods on both sides of the dividing line. The neighborhood became a central location because of the Jerusalem Railway Station

Jerusalem Railway Station

The Jerusalem Railway Station is a former railway station located in the area between Hebron Road and Bethlehem Road, near the German Colony of Jerusalem, Israel. It was part of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998...

 located at its edge. The station linked Jerusalem from the 19th century until service ended in 1998. Many streets in Baka are named for the Twelve Tribes: Judah, Issachar, Zevulun, Reuven, Shimon, Gad, Ephraim, Menashe, Benjamin, Dan, Asher and Naphtali.

Demography

Demographically, the neighborhood contains a mix of religious and secular Jews. It is popular among English and French-speaking olim.

Schools and public institutions

The four main schools are Oranim, Efrata, Geulim A, and Pelekh

Pelekh

Pelekh |Spindle]]) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. Named after the Bible together with the nearby kibbutz Kishor, whose name is the corresponding word of the same sentence.The village was...

. Ulpan Etzion, Israel's first Hebrew-language school, was established in Baka in 1949. The ulpan

Ulpan

An ulpan is an institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew. Ulpan is a Hebrew word meaning basically studio or teaching, instruction....

, directed by Mordechai Kamerat, was used as a model for Hebrew language education across the country. In 2008, the school vacated its college-style dormitories, communal rooms and gardens after the lease expired with the Carmelite Church that owned the property.