The+Nachlaot+Neighborhood


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=__Rationale and Question__=

I chose to write about Nachlaot as both my aunt and her husband, who work as tour guides love to guide in the area. I was lucky to be invited to one of their tours on Succot. While we were hunting for the many hidden Succot, we got to hear about some of the famous people who used to live in these alleys.

Some of the alleys seem taken out of the old European "Shtetle" while others resemble the living quarters in a crowded Jewish quarter in Yemen or Morocco. How did all these different Diasporas choose to link up right here in the city center? Why are some of the houses so old and deserted while others are being renovated? Who put all these tiny little synagogues sprinkled over such a small area? In order to find some of the answers to my many questions I decided to concentrate on one research question:
 * "What is the history of the establishment of the Nachlaot neighborhood in Jerusalem?**

=**__New Jerusalem and the New Neighborhoods__**= =__- In the Nineteenth Century__=



At the beginning of the nineteenth century Jerusalem was an old city, ruined and neglected. Only poor people lived there and they suffered from the filth and from sickness. The living conditions in the old city were terrible, but Jews were afraid to move out. They felt safer inside the walls.

At that time, countries from around the world started buying land in the newer part of the city. The Russians, the Germans and the Italians were all interested in the Holly Land, for different reasons. Some bought the land for religious reasons, others for missionary work, hospitals or for the consulate service.

Finally, Sir Moses Montefori set up Mishkenot Shaananim in 1860 as a place to move to outside the walls, but the people who dared lived there in the daytime went back to the old city to sleep at night. The settling was very slow but it was the beginning of more such neighborhoods that were set up outside the walls. Machaneh Yisrael was the second, then Nachalat Shiva and Beit David. The area that is called Nachlaot was settled when the sixth neighborhood, Even Yisrael was established, pushing Jerusalem's boarder to the west.

The neighborhoods called Nachlaot are actually many different neighborhoods that are built side by side. They were set up for different reasons, they had different codes of behavior and even attracted different types of people. Every few streets resembled a different Diaspora, each ran by a different code and had its own synagogue with its special decor, prayers and atmosphere. Nachlaot, was in fact, a mosaic of many different communities living side by side.

=**__Overcrowding in Nachlaot__**=

At the end of World War One, Nachlaot had about six thousand people living in its small alleys and homes. Then, newer neighborhoods were built in Jerusalem. The homes there were larger, gardens were designed so many families that could afford to, moved to neighborhoods such as Talpiot, Bait Vagan or Kiryat Moshe. These families were once the refugees from the old city's crowding, or from countries where Jews were persecuted. Now they could afford a better standard of living. Those who stayed in Nachlaot couldn't.

During the twenties a new wave of immigrants came to Jerusalem. The Europeans preferred the newer homes surrounded by gardens while immigrants from Arabian countries settled in the neighborhood called generally Nachlaot. The area was populated by Yemenite Jews and the Kurds. Many had taken rent controlled apartments. This caused much neglect and the neighborhood became even worse. As the families grew, people combined two roomed homes with cheap materials. The courtyards were neglected and any open space was used either for hanging laundry or it was left overgrown with weeds.

When the state of Israel was established another wave of refugees settled in Nachlaot. They were Jews who were thrown out of the fallen Jewish Quarter in the Old City. In addition, Jews who emigrated from North African countries settled in Nachlaot as well. As apposed to the growing modern conditions in newer neighborhoods, Nachloat, which wasn't built to hold so many people, was getting poorer. The conditions worsened and it was rapidly developing into a slum.

Nachlaot, situated in the heart of the city, was an overcrowded slum, inviting crime and drug trafficking. It was obviously in desperate need for attention and change.

=**__Nachlaot- Returning to its Original Beauty__**=

By 1967 about sixteen thousand people lived in the small area of the Nachlaot neighborhoods. After the unification of the city newer neighborhoods were established such as Ramot Eshkol, Gilo, Ramot Alon, East Talpiot and others. Many of the younger families chose to move into larger homes that had better modern facilities. Those that stayed in Nachlaot were the elderly and the poor. Many of the homes were left abandoned and were used for drug trafficking. By 1988 the population was down to four thousand five hundred and it seemed that the neighborhood of Nachlaot was dying.

The revival of the area came gradually. The locals were not too excited at first. Many temporary people moved into the deserted homes. Students, artists and misfits were attracted to Nachlaot's beautiful alleys, unusual atmosphere and low rent homes in the city centre. These new neighbors, thought, didn't stay long enough to make any permanent changes. Later, a richer population with more money decided to turn the old homes in Nachlaot into their beautiful dream homes.

In 1991, the neighborhood was chosen to be renovated. The elderly were offered grants and loans so that they could afford to fix leaking roofs and cracked walls. They were able to lay new tiles and to build new modern kitchens and bathrooms. Insulation, security devices and solar heating systems were installed. They could even afford to paint their homes in the colors that have always been dominant in Nachlaot. By the year 2000, four hundred homes had been renovated. Work was started on the public grounds. As Nachlaot is so limited in space, a lovely modern park was set up nearby in the Sakker Park. All this work is done to try to attract a younger and richer crowd to Nachlaot.

Today- 7,000 families call Nachlaot their home. The courtyards are pretty and are decorated with blooming flowers. The quality of living has risen and life is bustling once again in the ancient alleys of Nachlaot.



=**__Nachlaot's One Hundred Synagogues__**= There are many kinds of synagogues; big or small; fancy or plain; famous or unpopular. Some are started by new groups and communities; others are neglected looking for the tenth man to complete the "minyan".

In Nachlaot, where the community is changing, so are the synagogues. The original founders have moved away. Their children cannot always afford to live in this prime area. The new population has different needs, they may pray a different variation based on their origin, and they may have more money that matches a more modern taste.

While the need to maintain and preserve the old architecture of the synagogues is clear, there is a need to change, fix them up and change them for the needs of the current population of Nachlaot. Before the old structures are torn down, there is a need to document the buildings, the ritual objects and the stories they tell about the people who used them. The most interesting synagogues will be chosen for restoration, each will represent one "eda"- one community from the many that founded the Nachlaot area. There were Yemenites, Amedia Kurdish, Zacho Kurdish, Jerusalem Sephardi, Greek, and Galician Jews. Together these buildings will capture the character of the New Jerusalem in the late 19th century.

One of the most exciting features are the dedication inscriptions of the ceremonial objects. These inscriptions tie the residents to the historical events of the country. For example, the dedication on the Parochet (Torah curtain) of the Neveh Shalom Synagogue reads: "[In memory of...who] was killed when he went to rescue the Jews in Gush Etzion [the Hebron mountains] in 1948." Sometimes the inscriptions reflect the connection between the communities in Israel and communities in the Diaspora, such as the dedication on a Torah pointer: "A present to Jerusalem from your friend the Rabbi Ezra Danguri, Hacham Bashi [Chief Rabbi] of Iraq." One of Nachlaot’s oldest synagogues is one of its best-known and one of its most active – the Ades Synagogue. It is known as a center for Mizrachi Chazanut. Ades is one of only two synagogues in Jerusalem that maintain the ancient tradition of bakashot, a set cycle of kabbalistic poetry sung in the wee hours of Shabbat morning during the winter months.

Ades was built 105 years ago by a community of Jews from Aleppo, Syria. Much of the Jewish community fled Syria as a result of blood libels and economic downfall when to the Ottoman Empire fell. At the time, it was one of the fanciest and richest synagogues in Jerusalem, although today it seems small when compared with more modern ones. Since it was well constructed, the synagogue still shows scars from World War I and the War of Independence.

“It was carried from Haleb by donkey and camel,” explains Abdan, using the Arabic name for Aleppo. The gigantic ark (Aron Kodesh) is made of walnut and covered with beautiful geometric designs.

Each synagogue has its own décor, own founders and own tradition. A hundred of synagogues make hundreds of stories. They describe the Diasporas, the people, the contributors and the atmosphere of the original settlers of Nachlaot.

=**__Conclusion__**=

In this paper I learned to research the history of the neighborhood of Nachlaot. I found a lot of material that was geared for people taking walking tours through its alleys and streets. The material was too historical, detailed and not all of it was relevant.

As I worked, I learned that Nachlaot had developed in stages. First, it was considered a new neighborhood which offered shelter for Jews fleeing the overcrowding in the old city. As newer immigrants arrived in Israel Nachlaot swelled into a crowded, neglected slum. So, people chose to move away, leaving the elderly and the poor behind. Each time there was a new wave of immigration the cycle repeated itself, with the poor choosing to live in Nachlaot, while the others chose better options wherever they could afford to buy.

Not until the late nineties did the municipality decide to renovate the area. This caused new problems. How do they plan to build newer structures without damaging the old historic monuments such as synagogues? How do you bring in a better population to live and enrich the neighborhood?

The tension between the old and the new, the antique and modern, the rich and poor is the beauty of Nachlaot today. Maybe these opposites are what makes Nachlaot so interesting.

= = =__To live in a Jewish Country - Creative Piece__=

To live in a Jewish country Means to be free To live in a Jewish country doesn’t come one two, three.

It means to be every day in fear It means to be in dread when you hear It means to mourn every loss It means to join hands with force.

It means to be part of every joy It means to be glad for every girl and boy It means to build to think and plan It means to dream a future for this land.

It means to be a bit better It means to be perfect to the letter It means to be above the world’s opinion It means to believe our own religion.

It means that normalcy will have to wait It means belief will set us strait It means together we stick strong It means that for Redemption we sttil hope and long.

=**__Bibliography__**=

Ben- Arieh, Y. Jerusalem in the 19th Century – Emergence of the new City. Jerusalem: Yad Ben- Zvi, 1986.

Fiske, Gavriel. "Glorious Aleppo", August 2006. __The Jewish Press__, December 20, 2006. < http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/19248/Glorious_Aleppo.html >

"Lev Ha-'Ir: Jerusalem's Synagogues in the Heart of the City." __Newsletter of the Center for Jewish Art__ 18/Dec/2006 .

Meiron, Eyal. __Jerusalem__ __- A Walk Through Time__. Jerusalem: Yad Ben- Zvi, 2000.

__Ynet__, December 14. < http://www.ynetnews.com./articles/0,7340,L-3300957,00.html >

__Original pictures photoed by: Tamar Bruck__

[|for more pictures of Nachla'ot click here]

[|The Jerusalem website]