Beit Hadfus Street also spelled Beit Hadefus, is an east-west street in the Givat Shaul

Givat Shaul

Givat Shaul is a neighborhood in western Jerusalem named after the Rishon Lezion, Rabbi Yaakov Shaul Elyashar, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, and not, as commonly believed, for the biblical King Saul, whose capital was probably located on the hill Gibeah of Saul near Pisgat Ze'ev, on the way...

 industrial zone in western Jerusalem.

Name

Beit Hadfus Street was constructed in the 1960s and named for the printing houses that established themselves there.

Two of Israel's largest book publishing houses which still maintain their headquarters on the street are Keter Publishing House

Keter Publishing House

Keter Publishing House is one of the largest publishers in Israel. It was formed in 2005 through a merger of Keter Publishing and Steimatzky. Keter has a large book marketing and distribution network, as well print services and book production for the Israeli domestic and export market. Keter is...

, established in 1958, and Feldheim Publishers, which established its Israel branch in the 1960s. Laser Pages Publishing Ltd., located in the Mercaz Sapir complex, publishes scientific journals. Printing establishments include Old City Press, founded in 1969, and Yaakov Feldheim Ltd. A string of printing shops is located at the western end of the street.

Bargain stores

In contrast to Kanfei Nesharim Street, the other main commercial artery in Givat Shaul, which developed into a modern shopping area with many chain stores, restaurants, and stylish office buildings, Beit Hadfus Street has remained largely industrial with discount and outlet stores that attract bargain shoppers. The street has also witnessed a spate of pricing wars among supermarkets geared to Haredi

Haredi Judaism

Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....

 shoppers, notably Rami Levy Shivuk Hashikma and Osher Ad discount supermarket.

Low-cost wedding halls

Low-cost wedding halls servicing the religious population of Jerusalem have also opened in office and industrial buildings on the street. Some of these are subsidized by major charity organizations to keep expenses down for low-income families. The Armonot Wolf (Wolf Palaces) wedding halls are affiliated with the Yad Eliezer charity organization, which subsidizes weddings for orphans through its Adopt-a-Wedding campaign. The Gutnick halls, funded by Australian philanthropist Joseph Gutnick

Joseph Gutnick

Joseph Isaac Gutnick is an Australian businessman and mining industry entrepreneur. He is also an ordained rabbi and is well known for his philanthropy in the Jewish world.-Business holdings:Among Gutnick's business holdings:...

 and managed by Chabad

Chabad

Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...

, provide subsidized weddings for 440 needy couples annually through the Colel Chabad charity fund. The Lechaim halls, located in the same industrial complex as Armonot Wolf, are also cheaper than wedding halls in other parts of the city.

Bakeries

Israel's two largest commercial bakeries are located on Beit Hadfus Street: Angel Bakeries

Angel Bakeries

Angel Bakeries , also known as Angel's Bakery, is the largest commercial bakery in Israel, producing 275,000 loaves of bread and 275,000 rolls daily and controlling 30 percent of the country's bread market...

, founded in 1958 opposite a flour mill, and Berman's Bakery

Berman's Bakery

Berman's Bakery is the oldest commercial bakery in Israel and the second-largest after Angel Bakeries. Founded in 1875 by Kreshe Berman as a cottage industry in Jerusalem's Old City, the family business was the first to open a Jewish store outside the Old City walls and first to build a flour mill...

, established in 1965 down the street. In 1965, Angel Bakeries commissioned a Texas company to construct a 750-foot pipeline to convey flour directly from the flour mill to the silo to the bakery across the street. Today this pipeline brings 120 tons of flour to the bakery daily. The invention, initially opposed by the Jerusalem municipality for being above-ground, won the Kaplan Prize for distinction in productivity and efficiency.

Government and education

Beit Hadfus Street is also home to:

• Israel's State Comptroller and Ombudsman
• Tal Institute
  Tal Institute
  The Tal Institute , founded in 1999, is the main women's division of the Jerusalem College of Technology. It is located in the Givat Shaul neighborhood of Jerusalem. Over 320 students from Israel and around the world study there....
  
  , the women's division of the Jerusalem College of Technology
  Jerusalem College of Technology
  The Jerusalem College of Technology , , is an Orthodox Jewish college. JCT's main campus are situated in the Givat Mordechai neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Other branches are located in the Givat Shaul neighbourhood of Jerusalem and Ramat Gan...
  
  
• Touro College
  Touro College
  Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
  
  in Israel Library