Beit Yisrael
Beit Yisrael (Hebrew: בית ישראל, lit. House of Israel) is a predominantly Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem.[1] It is located just north of Mea Shearim on Ha-Rav Zonenfeld St 13.
The name Beit Yisrael is taken[2] from the verse in Ezekiel 36:10, in which Ezekiel prophesies to the hills and mountains of Israel, "I shall make numerous on you the people, the entire House of Israel; the cities will be reinhabited and the ruins will be rebuilt." According to tradition, the neighborhood is built on the location on which the sacrificial remnants of the Second Temple were disposed.[citation needed]
History
Beit Yisrael was built in the 1880s as an extension of Mea Shearim; it was originally called "Mea Shearim HaHadasha" (Hebrew: מאה שערים החדשה, lit. the new Mea Shearim). A number of prominent community activists of the Old Yishuv, looking for a solution to the skyrocketing costs of living quarters in Mea Shearim, came up with the idea to purchase the adjacent plot of land, a dirty and infested area nicknamed "the pool" because of its severe drainage problems. Rabbi Aryeh Leib Dayan purchased the plot for a cheap price, after which they drained the water and began to build. The neighborhood book of regulations describes some of the difficulties of the time:
Poverty and shortage spread their dominion over the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt. Her sons die on a daily basis, and the majority are poor and destitute. Even the measly stipend that served as a bit of relief for the poor of Jerusalem to pay their bills has, for various reasons, been reduced to almost nothing, and the sons of Zion will soon have to search for another place to live. Lest it be too late and they find themselves, God forbid, compelled to sleep outside in the fields, on the stones and in the caves...they have, with the help of God, succeeded in gathering about a hundred members...to buy field and vineyard on which to build houses...
Beit Yisrael originally consisted of one central street by the same name, which contained the main
During the
On March 2, 2002, eleven people were killed and over 50 were injured in the
Religious institutions
The neighborhood's main synagogue, Beit Yaakov (Hebrew: בית יעקב), was established in 1887 using funds donated by a donor who wished to remain anonymous. The marble plaque, which can still be seen on the wall, relates some of the background of the donation:
For eternal remembrance in God's sanctuary, this study hall was built with the donation of a single donor, whose identity is hidden and mysterious, who donated 110
Moshiach, and they should merit to see the rebuilding of the Temple speedily, in our days. The remaining funds for the building were taken from the Beit Yisrael community. Completed and established in the year 5647/1887. May My house be a place of prayer for Beit Yisrael for all eternity.
There has been speculation as to the identity of this anonymous donor; a local legend holds that a wealthy resident often lent money to local businessmen. Once, after forgetting that one of his debtors, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Porush, the administrator of the city's charity fund, had already repaid his loan, he asked for payment. Rabbi Porush insisted that he had already paid, so they went to Rav Shmuel Salant. In such a scenario, under Jewish monetary law, the debtor must swear that he repaid the loan to the creditor. The debtor, even after swearing, and now absolved from paying, paid a second time. When the creditor discovered his error, he immediately went back to the debtor in order to return the money. Rabbi Porush refused the money, saying he doesn't want to take money which he made an oath over. He instead donated the money to build Beit Yaakov.
The Beit Yaakov synagogue also Known as Beis Yisroel Shtiblach has 6 smaller rooms, known as
To the west of the synagogue building is the Machane Yisrael
Many other synagogues can be found in Beit Yisrael, owing to the many Jews of various ethnic backgrounds who preferred to pray according to their local custom, including Jews from
Also located in Beit Yisrael is the Mir Yeshiva, the largest yeshiva in the world, boasting over 9,000 students.
References
- ^ a b "Suicide bombing in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood in Jerusalem". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. March 2, 2002. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
- ^ Vilnai, Ze'ev (1969). "Beit-Israel". Ariel Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Tel Aviv, Israel: Am Oved. p. 743.