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The Jewish Quarter
When Jerusalem was established as the eternal capital of the Jewish people 3000 years ago,
there was no Jewish Quarter. This was simply because the whole city was Jewish, and so it
remained for a very long time. Even after exile by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, or conquest by
the Greeks circa 330 BCE, or under Roman rule from 63 BCE, there is no mention of a "Jewish
Quarter."
After the city and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, and then razed
to the ground to make place for a Roman pagan city in 135 CE, the Jews were prohibited from
entering the city. When Moslem rule reached the area in the 7th century, the Jews were allowed
to settle north of the Temple Mount. It was here that the Crusaders invaded Jerusalem in 1099
CE, so when the Moslems regained control of the city almost a century later, they allowed the
Jews to resettle in part of the area of the present day Jewish Quarter...
The Cardo
Derived from the Latin word "cardi", meaning heart or artery, the main street of most Roman
cities was known as the Cardo Maximus: the main artery. Jerusalem, having being rebuilt almost
from scratch by King Herod during the Roman period , was no different. One wide main street cut
through the city on a North - South axis.
The width of the road served two major purposes: It
enabled the street to serve as an area of upscale trade without hindering traffic passing
through; and it enabled the Romans to swiftly dispatch large forces to all parts of the city in
times of rebellion and unrest. Despite the changes made over time by the Crusaders and the
Moslems, the original route of the Jerusalem Cardo is still quite clear. Part of the rebuilding of
the Jewish quarter after the Old City was liberated in 1967, has been to re-establish the Cardo
as an upscale trade area.
Batei Machaseh
In the southern corner of the Quarter is a group of buildings dating to 1860-1890, Batei
Machaseh. These were built as a solution to the accommodation problems in the Old City. The
homes, built from donation money collected in Europe, were initially intended to be given away
for three year periods as a "shelter for the needy".
During Israel's War of Independence, in
1948, they also housed the Jewish Quarter Fighters' head quarters and wireless communication
station. About half the civilian population of the Quarter took shelter here during the war. It was
at Batei Machaseh that the Jewish Quarter Fighters surrendered to the enemy.
Rothschild House
Directly opposite Batei Machaseh stands a very large and beautiful building, decorated with
an arched facade.This building, part of the Batei Machaseh complex, was donated by Baron
Wilhelm Karl de Rothschild of Frankfurt, a devout Jew. Under British mandate rule, the building
was appropriated by them.
War Memorial
Hidden in a quiet corner, just off Batei Machaseh, is a small memorial from the War of
Independence. It was here that the Old City's Jewish inhabitants, trapped within the walls by the
Arab siege, buried their fallen soldiers. They remained buried here throughout the 19 years of
Jordanian occupation of the Old City. Only after the Six Day War were their Earthly remains
exhumed and brought to eternal rest in the cemetery on the Mount of Olives. May They Rest In
Peace Forever More.
The Churvah Synagogue
Here once stood one of the most beautiful Synagogues ever seen in Jerusalem. Built around
1860, it was used by one of the Ashkenazi communities in Jerusalem. A square building, it was
known by its four large arches, supporting the dome of the building. 24 Meters from the floor to
the top, the dome could be seen from almost anywhere in the city, and from the windows at the
base of the dome one had a clear view of the Western Wall and of the Temple Mount.
On the last day of fighting in the Old City, in 1948, the synagogue was conquered by the Arab Legion
and blown to smithereens. After the reconstruction of the Jewish Quarter in the 70s, it was decided
to temporarily rebuild one of the four arches that had supported the dome, till a final plan would
be formulated. As you all should know: There is nothing more permanent than that which is
temporary; and so it remains...
The Western Wall
When Herod renovated the Second Temple, he expanded the platform on which the Temple
stood. To support the arches and vaults beneath the platform, he built four containing walls.
The Western Wall is one of these walls.
The Western Wall
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Having partially survived the Roman destruction of
70ce, it became accessible to the Jewish inhabitants of the city when they were settled nearby
by the Moslems, in the 13th century. Since the Rabbinical prohibition of Jewish ascent to the
Temple Mount, this wall is the closest we can come to the sit of the Temple, and to the Holy of
Holies: the holiest site in the world to Judaism. Over the last 7 centuries, this wall has come to fill
the void that was once filled by the Temple, and many Jews sentimentally refer to the Wall as
the holiest place...
 Rehavia
 Yemin Moshe
Mea Shearim
Mount Scopus
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