JERUSALEM AREA BY AREA - Jerusalem and the Holy Land - page 115

Saturdays and Jewish holidays
the Italian-- ewish community
worships here. The building
also houses the Museum of
Italian-- ewish Art, which has
some fascinating items, such
as medieval ritual objects. On
the lower floor is the Centre of
Studies on Italian Judaism and
a library on the same subject.

Ticho House 6
9 Ha-Rav Kook St. Map 1 A2. Tel
[phone]. @ 11, 13, 18, 20, 35,
48. Museum # 10am-5pm Sun,
Mon, Wed & Thu, 10am-10pm Tue,
10am-2pm Fri. ¢ Jewish hols. &

The Italian Synagogue and Museum of Italian-Jewish Art in a quiet square

conjunction with the Tower of
David Museum at the Citadel
(see p104) - buy a discounted
joint ticket. The ride lasts
about 30 minutes, with shows
at 40-minute intervals. It is
not recommended if you
do not enjoy rollercoasters.

South of Ben Yehuda Y Street is

a series of narrow lanes, with
low houses and connecting
courtyards. These are collec-
tively known as Nakhalat
Shiva, meaning “the Domain
of the Seven”, which refers to
the seven families who built
them. Dating back to 1869,
this area was the third Jewish
residential quarter to appear
outside the Old City walls.
Despite being threatened with
demolition on more than one
occasion, the area was finally
renovated in the 1980s. Today
it is filled with shops, work-
shops, bars, restaurants and
cafés and is invariably busy
until the early hours.
Other streets in this locality
also have much to interest the
visitor. Buildings of varied
architectural styles reflect the
diverse cultural influences
that have shaped the city.

Built in the 19th century as
the luxurious residence of
a wealthy Jerusalem family,
this is one of the city's loveliest
examples of an Arab mansion.
Its large central drawing room
is the focal point of both the
architecture and the social life
of the building. In the early
20th century the house was
bought by Dr Abraham Ticho,
a famous Jewish ophthalmo-
logist who used to give the
poor free treatment, irrespec-
tive of their ethnic origin or
religion. Dr Ticho's Viennese
wife, Anna, was an artist. By
day the house was a clinic
and by night it was the
centre of Jerusalem's social
and intellectual life.
Nowadays the house is
administered by the Israel
Museum (see pp132-7) , to
which Anna Ticho left more
than 2,000 watercolours and
drawings. Some of these are
exhibited here. The house
also has a charming and very
popular café overlooking a
delightful garden.

Ben Yehuda and
Nakhalat Shiva 4
Map 1 A3 . @ 20, 23, 27.

One of the popular streetside cafés
and restaurants in Ben Yehuda

At the heart of modern
Jerusalem are the pedes-
trianized precincts of Ben
Yehuda

Italian Synagogue 5
27 Hillel St. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 624

Y Street and Nakhalat
Shiva. They constitute one of
the liveliest parts of the city,
with shops, restaurants, street
vendors and musicians coming
together to create a rich and
varied atmosphere. In the
minds of local people, Ben
Yehuda

l
1610. @ 18, 21, 22, 30. #
9am-5pm Sun, Tue, Wed, 9am-2pm
Mon, 9am- 1pm Thu, Fri. ¢ Jewish
hols. & www .jija.org

Originally a German college
constructed in the late 19th
century, this building now
houses an 18th-century
synagogue from Conegliano
Veneto, near Venice in Italy.
In 1952, with no more Jews
living there, the synagogue
had fallen into disuse. It was
decided to dismantle the
interior and bring it here. It is
arguably the most beautiful
synagogue in Israel, and on

Y Street and Nakhalat
Shiva are the embodiment of
secular Jerusalem. The contrast
with the Orthodox city, just a
short distance to the north in
Mea Shearim (see p125) ,
could not be more marked.
Ben Yehuda Y Street was built

in the 1920s, and has since
been the traditional meeting
place for Jewish intellectuals,
politicians and journalists.

View over the beautiful garden at
the back of Ticho House