Tag Archive for Jerusalem

| May 20, 2012
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Secular residents win one in the big battle for Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s mayor scraps plan to build Ultra-Orthodox preschools in Kiryat Hayovel in south-west Jerusalem – and opts to build a secular yeshiva instead. 

Jerusalem’s secular residents have won an important victory in an ongoing battle against ultra-Orthodox groups over the fate of an open field in Kiryat Hayovel. Mayor Nir Barkat announced last week that the contested tract of land in the southwestern neighborhood of the capital would be used for a yeshiva – a secular yeshiva, that is.

The large barren field in Kiryat Hayovel has, in recent years, turned into a flashpoint between secular and ultra-Orthodox groups. The neighborhood has become a symbol of secular opposition to the increasingly Haredi character of Israel’s capital. Continue Reading »

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| May 20, 2012
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Jewish Birthrate Up, Arab Rate Down in Jerusalem

The Jewish birthrate in Jerusalem is higher than the Arab birthrate, putting an end to reports of an Arab demographic threat.

The Jewish birthrate in Jerusalem is higher than the Arab birthrate, putting an end to reports of an Arab demographic threat in the united capital.

The birthrate in the expected life of mothers is 4.2 children for Jewish mothers compared with 3.9 children for Arab mothers, according to the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS).

Reflecting the trend in the rest of Israel, the birthrate for Jews represents a dramatic reversal and is on the increase while the Arab birthrate is declining. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags:
| May 13, 2012
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Lack of shade makes Western Wall visit unbearable for tourists

Judaism’s holiest site is also one of the most unpleasant places to visit.

 

It was a beautiful, partially cloudy spring day in Jerusalem on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 25 degrees Celsius in the shade. A perfect day for strolling around nearly any part of the city, with one truly glaring exception: the Western Wall Plaza. The glaring whiteness of the plaza pavement reflected the heat, and the complete absence of trees, buildings and pergolas ensured that there was not a speck of shade. The result is an almost unbearable experience for worshipers and tourists who congregate at the Judaism’s holiest site.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| May 11, 2012
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In Jerusalem, possible site of ancient church’s ‘miracle’ is revealed

Rehavia site may be place where ‘God revealed’ stone supply to church builders.

 

In “The Buildings of Justinian,” the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea wrote at length about the churches the emperor built in the 6th century. He related a miracle that occurred during the construction of the Nea Church, in what is now the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City:

“God revealed a natural supply of stone perfectly suited to this purpose in the nearby hills, one which had either lain there in concealment previously, or was created at that moment,” he wrote, adding, “So the church is supported on all sides by a number of huge columns from that place, which in color resemble flames of fire … exceptionally large and probably second to no columns in the whole world.”

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| May 4, 2012
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Electricity pole sparks tension between Vatican and Jerusalem municipality

Six weeks ago, Franciscan monks discovered a huge, unsightly pylon in front of the impressive church overlooking the Garden of Gethsemane.

 

An electricity pylon erected in front of the Church of All Nations in East Jerusalem is sparking tensions between Israel and the Vatican. The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land submitted on Wednesday an administrative appeal against the Jerusalem municipality and the Israel Electric Corp, claiming that the municipality approved the action illegally.

The offending pylon near the Church of All Nations at the Garden of Gethsemane.

The offending pylon near the Church of All Nations at the Garden of Gethsemane. - Photo by Michal Fattal

Six weeks ago Franciscan monks discovered a huge, unsightly pylon in front of the impressive church overlooking the Garden of Gethsemane.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| May 3, 2012
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Police Block March to Temple Mount

Jerusalem police have ruled that activists cannot hold a march to the Temple Mount this Sunday.

Some 200 right-wing activists allegedly planned to lead approximately 20 sheep to Judaism’s holiest site.

The march, beginning at Jerusalem’s central bus station and culminating in the Old City of Jerusalem, was to be held in protest over the lack of permission to allow ritual offerings on the Temple Mount.

Police explained that such a march could disturb the peace and cause public disruptions. They plan to deploy along the proposed route on Sunday to prevent the march from reaching the Old City, a spokesperson said. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| April 18, 2012
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Bono’s note found at Israeli hotel: ‘Hope is like a faithful dog’

U2 front man, who paid a surprise visit to Israel earlier this month, leaves a poetic note in the guestbook at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel.

U2’s front man Bono surprised Israeli passers-by earlier this month with his sudden visit to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Bono.

U2 singer Bono - Photo by: AP

On Wednesday, BuzzFeed published the note Bono left behind at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel, which consists of a poem about how “hope is like a faithful dog,” and his sketch of “a dog called Hope.””In Jerusalem, hope springs eternal,” the poem read.

“Hope is like a faithful dog, sometimes she runs ahead of me to check the future, to sniff it out and then I call to her: Hope, Hope, come here, and she comes to me.

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| April 5, 2012
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Jordan’s crown prince holds secret visit to Temple Mount

King Abdullah’s eldest son escorted around Temple Mount by Israeli security forces, may also visit Cave of Patriarchs

Jordan‘s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, 18, held a secret visit to Temple Mount in Jerusalem escorted by Israeli security forces. He arrived at the site via the Mughrabi Bridge.

ביקור ראשון של יורש העצר הירדני בהר הבית (ארכיון) (צילום: נועם מושקוביץ')

Temple Mount in Jerusalem - Photo Noam Moskowitz

A Palestinian official told Ynet that the prince will also be visiting the Cave of Patriarchs later on Wednesday. He said that the visit had been coordinated and initiated by Israel and that consequently Prince Hussein will be visiting the cave’s Israeli side. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags:
| April 5, 2012
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Much of East Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev built on land owned by Holocaust victims, study says

Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets says lands in northern Jerusalem neighborhood, now worth tens of millions of shekels, purchased before World War II by European Jews

 

Much of the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev was built on land belonging to Jewish victims of the Holocaust. This discovery was made recently by the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets, established in 2007 by the Israeli government for the purpose of finding assets in Israel belonging to Holocaust victims and restoring them to their legal heirs.

Pisgat Ze'ev, Tess Scheflan

The neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev in East Jerusalem - Photo by Tess Scheflan

The lands, now worth tens of millions of shekels, were purchased before World War II by European Jews – mainly in Latvia and Estonia, but also in Romania and Belgium.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| April 3, 2012
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Jerusalem Mayor aims to establish new settlement in East Jerusalem

About 200 new homes are being planned for the new neighborhood, known as Kidmat Zion, on a plot of land purchased by U.S. millionaire Irving Moskowitz.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced on Monday that he intends to promote the establishment of a new Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. About 200 new homes are being planned for the new neighborhood, known as Kidmat Zion, on a plot of land purchased by U.S. millionaire Irving Moskowitz, a longtime patron of Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem.

The East Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Dis.

The East Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Dis, where the mayor wants to build 200 new homes - Photo by: Emil Salman / Jini

On Monday, Barkat made his intentions known to the three Meretz party members of his city council coalition. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags:
| April 1, 2012
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Christians mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

Hundreds of Christian pilgrims celebrate in Holy Land, holding masses, processions retracing Jesus’ triumphant return to Jerusalem

 

Hundreds of Christian pilgrims marked Palm Sunday in the Holy Land on Sunday, holding masses and processions retracing Jesus’ triumphant return to Jerusalem.

צילום: MCT

Colorful procession in Rome (Archive: MCT)

Palm Sunday marks the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, where he was greeted by cheering crowds bearing palm fronds, according to the Bible.

 

The day’s events began with a mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher – revered as the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Several hundred worshippers and clergy lit candles and waved palm fronds in the dark, cavernous church. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| March 28, 2012
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What’s the capital of Israel? Don’t ask the U.S. State Department

In statement issued this week, State Department spokeswoman listed a U.S. diplomat’s travel destinations as ‘Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, Jerusalem, and Israel’ – drawing fire from conservative reporters.

 

The status of Jerusalem has long been a controversial issue – even in the U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland echoed that fact this week while answering a question about Israel’s capital.

Earlier this week, the Department of State issued a routine statement announcing the visit of the Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Kathleen Stephens to the Middle East. The statement said that Stephens was “to meet with a broad cross-section of government officials, students, NGOs, and exchange program alumni”.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| March 26, 2012
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US Supreme Court Sends ‘Jerusalem Passport’ Case to Lower Court

The US Supreme Court has sent back to the lower court the question of whether a passport can list “Jerusalem, Israel’ as a place of birth

 

 

The US Supreme Court has returned to the lower court a decision whether Menachem Binyamin Zivotofsky’s passport can list “Jerusalem, Israel’ as his place of birth.

The case has made its way all the way through the entire United States court system, from the district court, through the court of appeals, and up to the highest court in the land.

But on Monday, March 26, Supreme Court justices sidestepped the delicate issue of Menachem Zivotofsky v. Continue Reading »

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