Beit David Explained

Beit David
Native Name:בית דוד
Native Name Lang:he
Settlement Type:Neighborhood
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Jerusalem
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Israel
Subdivision Type1:City
Subdivision Name1:West Jerusalem
Established Title:Established
Established Date:1873

Beit David was the fourth Jewish neighborhood outside the walls of Jerusalem. This courtyard neighborhood was established in 1873.[1]

History

Beit David was founded as an almshouse for Jews on a plot of land donated by a kollel.[2] It was named for the philanthropist, David Reis. The name also alludes to the historical House of David and to the book known as Beit David, a treatise on Jewish law written by Joseph Ben David in the 18th century.[3] Because Beit David was far from the kollel's center in the Old City, it contained a synagogue and 10 apartments to ensure the existence of a minyan. The residence of Abraham Isaac Kook, Israel's first Askenanzic chief rabbi was on the second floor of the building, added in 1922. The Rabbi Kook House is now a museum of the life of Rabbi Kook.[4] The Museum of Psalms, located on the ground floor for many years, featured the paintings of Moshe Tzvi HaLevi Berger, a Kabbalist and painter. Berger was evicted in 2014 to make room for a yeshiva[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Buzzy Gordon Frommer's Jerusalem Day by Day John Wiley & Sons, Oct 11, 2010 Google Books
  2. Ashkenazi Jewish Almshouses in Jerusalem . Zvi Shilony . Journal of Cultural Geography . 1993 . 14 . 35–48 . 10.1080/08873639309478379.
  3. Eisenberg, Ronald L. The Streets of Jerusalem: Who, What, Why. Jerusalem: Devora, 2006. WorldCat link as given in Google Books
  4. http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/peeking-through-the-highrises-famed-jerusalem-street-s-old-architectural-glories.premium-1.461294 Peeking through the highrises: famed Jerusalem street's old architectural glories
  5. http://www.museumofpsalms.com/ Museum of Psalms