Beit HaKerem, Jerusalem
Beit HaKerem (Hebrew: בית הכרם, House of the Olive Grove) is a mostly secular, upscale and 'green' neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem, Israel.[1] It is located between Kiryat Moshe to the northwest and Bayit VeGan to the south. Beit HaKerem has a population of 15,000.[2]
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[edit] History
[edit] Ancient times
Remnants from the First Temple, Second Temple, Byzantine and Mamluk periods were discovered in a dig on HaSatat Street in 2006.[3] It is "named after Biblical city near Jerusalem"[4] (Jeremiah 6:1; Nehemiah 3:14)
[edit] Education
The neighborhood has 25 kindergartens, four elementary schools and three high schools considered among the most prestigious in Jerusalem.[5] David Yellin College of Education, established in 1913, is located in Beit HaKerem.[6]
[edit] Parks and monuments
Gan Ha'esrim park in Beit Hakerem (Park of the Twenty) commemorates 20 residents who died in Israel's War of Independence. Denmark Square (Kikar Denya) honors the Danish people for rescuing 80 percent of its Jewish population during the Holocaust. The monument in the square is shaped like a boat, recalling the boats on which Jews were smuggled to Sweden.[7]
[edit] Demographics
Housing prices have escalated as Beit HaKerem has maintained its desirability amongst people who want to live in a non-Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem.[8]
[edit] Transportation
The Jerusalem Light Rail, which began service in late 2011, passes through Beit HaKerem and has several stops there, providing quick and convenient transportation to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station as well as to downtown Jerusalem.
[edit] Notable residents
- Alice Shalvi[9]
- Nir Barkat
- Yehoram Gaon (born 1939), singer, actor, director, producer, and TV and radio host
- Reuven Rivlin
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beit HaKerem |
[edit] References
- ^ Riding Out the Storm
- ^ Jerusalem neighborhoods
- ^ Israel Antiquities Authority - Articles
- ^ Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.233 , ISBN 965-220-186-3 (English)
- ^ The Way They Were, In Jerusalem, Jerusalem Post
- ^ David Yellin College of Education
- ^ Parshat Va-eira 5764 - Aloh Na'aleh - OU.ORG
- ^ Beit Hakerem - The last secular holdout in Jerusalem - Haaretz - Israel News
- ^ An interview with Alice Shalvi
