TRAVEL

Visitors stroll through Nachlat Shiva.

erusalem — Many of
the visitors who throng
to Jerusalem annually
have discovered a quaint, old-
style downtown quarter
which has been spruced up for
their leisure, recreation and
night life. It is called Nachlat
Shiva.
During daylight hours,
tourists visit historic sites
and museums, view spectac-
ular landscapes and frequent
the holy places. In the after-
noon and evening, they are
finding Nachlat Shiva a
wonderful place to sit, rest
and stroll in one of the city's
tranquil and romantic
neighborhoods.
Nachlat Shiva, which is
almost completely intact 120
years after it was built, has
echoes of New York's Green-
wich Village, Old Jaffa and
the Paris Left Bank, but all in
a smaller compass.
Artists and craftsmen
began piecemeal renovation
of the area. Seeing its poten-
tial, the city fathers launch-
ed a joint project with the
Ministry of Tourism. They
have spent $1 million and
will invest $2.5 million more.
Streets have been repaved
in Jerusalem limestone, black
basalt from Galilee and terra-
cotta brick. The first of two

j

Jerusalem
Greenwich

An old quarter shapes up
for Jerusalem's night life.

pedestrian malls has opened,
with aesthetic lighting and
tasteful ceramic street signs.
This new leisure neighbor-
hood in the center of the
city offers good fare of
every kind from gourmet to
fast food. The choice of
cuisines includes Chinese,
French, Italian, Latin
American, Oriental, tradi-
tional European, dairy, deli,
fish and more. Early risers
can get breakfast, while hur-
ried shoppers can grab a
burger as they dash off for
bargains.

A handful of bars and
taverns have also opened. The
artists and craftsmen have
been followed by fashion
houses, jewelers, hair stylists
and cosmeticians.
Nachlat Shiva was
established in 1869 by seven
prominent Jerusalemites
from the Old City. They
wanted to escape the cramped
conditions within the Turkish
walls.
The neighborhood, whose
name means "the heritage of
the seven," has not undergone
substantive architectural

alterations since these seven
pioneers constructed it The
style of the houses was iden-
tical with that inside the Old
City.
Small single-story row
houses, linked by a haphazard
grid of lanes, arches, court-
yards and steps, characterize
the neighborhood.
Storefronts remain open
quite late, while open doors
here and there in the lanes
show glimpses of light as the
sound of soft music tinkles
out into the night.
Three synagogues in the

neighborhood are a vibrant
sign of the older, pious tradi-
tion. The beadle of one
synagogue, in the center of
Salomon Street which is now
a pedestrian mall, still invites
visitors to come in and recite
prayers around noon.
What saved Nachlat Shiva
was the city's original plan to
destroy this jewel of
Jerusalem's 19th century
history, and replace it with
high-rise office towers. The
plan never came to fruition as
it was too costly. Meanwhile,
the fact that the plan existed
meant no changes were legal-
ly permitted in the area.
About a decade ago, when
the Jerusalem Development
Corporation saw how Jeru-
salemites and tourists were
starting to stroll through
Nachlat Shiva, it realized the
neighborhood's possibilities.
Storekeepers and landlords
were required by law to clean
and renovate building fronts,
repair quaint balconies, paint
grill work in a bright blue-
green, and hang tastefully
matching blue-accented signs
neatly outside the stores,
eating places and public
buildings, thus projecting an
attractive near-medieval im-
age. ❑

Israel GoNiernment Tourist Office

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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