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On Monday we look at the revival of Jewish life in Jerusalem after the devastation caused by the Crusaders. The tour is called: From the Days of the Ramban to the Old Yishuv. When Rabbi Moshes ben Nachman (the Ramban) arrived in Jerusalem in 1267 he found the city in ruins and just two Jews living there. By 1860 the Jewish population had grown to 8,000. All Jewish life was confined within the single square kilometre inside the walls of the Old City which was overcrowded and horribly unsanitary. In response to Christian missionary activities Jewish hospitals and schools had begun to be set up. The first Jewish housing project had been built. The gates of the city were locked at night.
We will meet just outside the Zion Gate, Monday August 17th, 9.30am. Entrance fee of NIS 7 on this tour.
On Wednesday we tour Ethiopia Street. To some this was a “treife gasse” but to others it was the intellectual heart of Jerusalem in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Here lived Eliezer Ben Yehuda who played a major part in reviving the Hebrew language. Priests, libraries, schools, the Hagana, the Joint and Jerusalem's intelligentsia all found a place in this intriguing neighbourhood and many countries had their embassies here. On this tour you will visit Jerusalem’s Ethiopian church, the home of Eliezer Ben Yehuda and much more.
We will meet at the junction of HaRav Kook Street and Rechov HaNevi'im, Wednesday August 19th, 9.30am.
These are 2-3 hour tours and will cost NIS 60 each plus entrance fees. Please let me know by phone or email if you hope to join one of these tours. Please note that the tour on Monday 24th August has been changed. The tour that day will be Europe Stakes Its Claim: from Christ Church to the Italian Hospital. |
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