Mishkenot Sha’ananim
Encyclopedia
Mishkenot Sha’ananim was the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, on a hill directly across from Mount Zion
. It was the first area of Jewish settlement in Jerusalem outside the Old City walls, also known as the New Yishuv.
. Since it was outside the walls and open to Bedouin
raids, pillage and general banditry rampant in the region at the time, the Jews were reluctant to move in, even though the housing was luxurious compared to the derelict and overcrowded houses in the Old City. As an incentive, people were even paid to live there, and a gate was built around the compound with a heavy door that was locked at night. The name of the neighborhood was taken from Book of Isaiah
32:18: "My people will abide in peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places."
, when the Old City was captured by the Arabs, Mishkenot Sha'ananim became a no man's land
due to its proximity to the armistice line
with Jordan, and many residents left in the wake of sniper attacks by Jordanian Arab Legion
naires. Only the poorest inhabitants remained, turning the complex into a slum.
shortly before his death.
The Jerusalem Center for Ethics was established in Mishkenot Sha’ananim in 1997. The board of directors is headed by Prof. Yitzhak Zamir
, a retired justice of the Israeli Supreme Court.
Mount Zion
Mount Zion is a place name for a site in Jerusalem, the location of which has shifted several times in history. According to the Hebrew Bible's Book of Samuel, it was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion" that was conquered by King David, becoming his palace in the City...
. It was the first area of Jewish settlement in Jerusalem outside the Old City walls, also known as the New Yishuv.
History
Mishkenot Sha'anim was built by Sir Moses Montefiore in 1860 as an almshouse, paid for by the estate of a wealthy Jew from New Orleans, Judah TouroJudah Touro
Judah Touro was an American businessman and philanthropist.-Early life and career:...
. Since it was outside the walls and open to Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
raids, pillage and general banditry rampant in the region at the time, the Jews were reluctant to move in, even though the housing was luxurious compared to the derelict and overcrowded houses in the Old City. As an incentive, people were even paid to live there, and a gate was built around the compound with a heavy door that was locked at night. The name of the neighborhood was taken from Book of Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
32:18: "My people will abide in peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places."
Rules and regulations of Mishkenot
According to the original neighborhood charter, inhabitants had to recite daily prayers for their benefactor, Judah Touro, and the almshouse was called by his name.After 1948
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War1948 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...
, when the Old City was captured by the Arabs, Mishkenot Sha'ananim became a no man's land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
due to its proximity to the armistice line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
with Jordan, and many residents left in the wake of sniper attacks by Jordanian Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
naires. Only the poorest inhabitants remained, turning the complex into a slum.
Restoration after the Six-Day War
In 1973, Mishkenot Sha'ananim was turned into an upscale guesthouse for internationally acclaimed authors, artists and musicians visiting Israel. Apart from guesthouse facilities, it is now a convention center and home of the Jerusalem Music Center. The music center was inaugurated by Pablo CasalsPablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
shortly before his death.
The Jerusalem Center for Ethics was established in Mishkenot Sha’ananim in 1997. The board of directors is headed by Prof. Yitzhak Zamir
Yitzhak Zamir
Yitzhak Zamir is a professor of public law and Dean of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Law, a former Attorney General of Israel, first Dean of the University of Haifa's Law Faculty, and Judge in the Israeli Supreme Court.-Biography:Zamir was born in Warsaw in Poland on April 15,...
, a retired justice of the Israeli Supreme Court.
Photographs
- Jerusalem Photo Archive - Mishkenot Sha’ananim