Mishkenot Sha'ananim
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Mishkenot Sha’ananim (Hebrew: משכנות שאננים) (lit. "Tranquil Abode") was the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, on a hill directly across from Mount Zion.
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[edit] History
Financed by Sir Moses Montefiore, the building was dedicated in 1861 and providing housing for 20 families. 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. [1]
The name of the neighborhood is taken from Isaiah 32:18: "My people will abide in 'mishkenot sha'ananim' (peaceful habitation), in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places."
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, 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 Legionnaires. Only the poorest inhabitants remained, turning the complex into a slum.
After the reunification of Jerusalem following the 1967 Six-Day War, 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.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.jafi.org.il/education/noar/sites/yeminmosh.htm More information about Yemin Moshe
- ^ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/geo/mishkenot.html Mishkenot Sha’ananim (Jewish Virtual Library)
[edit] Photographs
- Jerusalem Photo Archive - Mishkenot Sha’ananim
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