The Neighborhood
About The Neighborhood
The German Colony - “HaMoshava HaGermanit” - is one of Jerusalem’s most affluent neighborhoods, best known for its quiet charm and lovely green areas. The area is easily accessible both on foot and by weekday public transport to downtown modern Jerusalem and the ancient Jerusalem of the Old City. It is a unique historical neighborhood characterized by many mansions built in the Ottoman era, as well as in the Bauhaus and Templar styles.
The Moshava, (as it is fondly referred to by its residents), represents segments of Jerusalem’s rich culture and society, and its main street - Emek Refaim - is lined with restaurants, cafes, shops, and artisan boutiques. The historic, small and endearing Lev Smadar cinema screens eclectic and foreign-language movies, offering a cafe, bar and beer-on-tap in its lobby. On occasion, the street is pedestrianized for an evening to host events, fairs and festivals. Each Friday, there is a weekly organic Farmers’ Market in the grounds of the Beit Yehudit Community Center, a center which hosts a multitude of classes and events, as well as communal gatherings marking important days in the Jewish and national calendars.
Beit Yehudit is also home to the famous “Shira Hadasha” synagogue, an egalitarian minyan specifically created to enable women to have greater participation in the prayer proceedings. The Great Synagogue is within walking distance and all over the German Colony and adjacent Baka’a, Greek Colony, Old Katamon and Talbiye neighborhoods, there is an abundance of traditional and Sephardi synagogues which welcome Olim and guests from abroad. Walking to the Kotel on Shabbat and Haggim is about a 35-minute walk.
The Moshava is also home to the Museum of Natural History - a historic house called the Villa Decan. It is a natural oasis offering a variety of experiential, cultural, educational and fun-related exhibitions, activities and events for all the family.
At the top of Emek Refaim stands the luxurious Orient Hotel and the historical First Station complex, (originally the Jerusalem Railway Station), which is a bustling center of entertainment, culture and culinary delights almost all hours of the day, every day of the week.
The boardwalk of the Train Track Park (Park HaMesila), following the route of the original Jaffa-Jerusalem railway and incorporating the original tracks into its design, winds its way from the Jerusalem Railway Station to Teddy Stadium in Malha.
Talbiye [officially Komemiyut] is a beautiful, prestigious area near the German Colony, Rehavia, Old Katamon and Baka’a neighborhoods of Jerusalem. With its picturesque Rose Garden and magnificent mixture of unique architectural styles dating from the British Mandate period (1917-1948), many homes have been declared historical monuments and, as such, are legally protected from being drastically altered or demolished, making Talbiye one of the most sought-after and expensive locations in Jerusalem.
Talbiye is home to important landmarks and significant structures such as The Israeli President’s Residence, the Prime Minister’s House, Salame’s Villa, the National Academy of Science, the Van Leer Institute, (hosting discussions on philosophy, society, culture and education), the Jerusalem Theater for the Performing Arts, and the Museum for Islamic Art.
Recreated in 2011, the “newcomer on the block” is the restored Hansen House - Center for Design, Media and Technology - a vibrant cultural hub set within a former leprosy asylum built in the 19th century set amongst a preserved and renovated community garden. The compound offers a wide range of annual events, a cinema theater, a permanent historical exhibition, an art gallery featuring changing exhibitions, and new-media laboratories and interactive experiences. It is the proud organizer of “Jerusalem Design Week” and the “In Print Art Book Fair”, and home to the Mamuta Art and Research Center, The Jerusalem Film & Television Fund, the Erev Rav art magazine, and a lovely Farm Cafe which sells sustainably-sourced agricultural produce.