In the center of Jerusalem lies a neighborhood with an identity crisis. Originally just one small district, Geula has become so synonymous with haredi life that its name now blankets an entire cluster of neighborhoods.
Ask a Jerusalem taxi driver for “Geula,” and he might drop you off anywhere from the original streets to the bustling Malchei Yisrael corridor because in the minds of many, they’re all just Geula now.
The story of the neighborhood’s origin reads like a biblical tale with a modern twist. In the late 1920s, real estate developer Abraham Chasidoff partnered with the Shalosh brothers to purchase land from a German orphanage. Chasidoff named the neighborhood after his firstborn daughter, Geula, who was born just as construction wrapped up.
Chasidoff built the first house at what is now 4 Zechariah Street, living there with his family when it was nothing but a lonely structure surrounded by construction debris. From that single house grew what would become the epicenter of Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community.
One of the neighborhood’s most intriguing “what if?” stories involves early resident Ze’ev Spiegel, who in 1930 had a grand vision: a central synagogue that would unite the community. The neighborhood already had three synagogues – one Sephardi and two Ashkenazi (split between hassidim and Lithuanians). But Spiegel wanted something grander.
His proposal to the Shalosh brothers was audacious: Donate land for the central synagogue, and we’ll rename the entire neighborhood Shalosh Neighborhood in your honor. The brothers declined, and history kept the name Geula. One wonders how different things might have been if Jerusalem had a “Shalosh neighborhood” instead.
Walk through Geula today, and you’re literally following in the footsteps of prophets – at least nominally. The original Kerem Avraham-Geula section reads like a biblical who’s who: Nehemiah, Ezra, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Nahum, Jonah, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Meanwhile, the neighboring streets honor rabbis and Torah scholars, creating a unique geographic tribute to Jewish religious heritage.
The hassidic highway
Malchei Yisrael Street has evolved into something resembling a hassidic highway. What began as a neighborhood border has become the commercial lifeline of haredi Jerusalem. The famous Kikar Hashabbat (Sabbath Square) serves as the epicenter, a junction that gained historical significance during the fierce Sabbath observance battles of the 1950s.
Today, this street buzzes with a United Nations of hassidic life. Ger Hassidim operated their main center here for decades before moving to Machaneh Schneller. Satmar, Boyan, Bobov, Radzin, and Eshlag Hassidim all maintain a presence here, each adding their own flavor to the neighborhood’s religious mix.
With more than 45,000 residents, Geula is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city. The streets throng with children, who make up 24,000 of the residents, going to and from school, as men head to yeshivas, and women go about their daily lives.
Spend only a few minutes walking through Geula, and the energy of haredi life hits you hard. Dozens of eateries line the streets, offering a mix of traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine alongside modern pizzerias and burger bars. Visit on a Thursday night, and enjoy trying out the many different cholents on offer, to get you into the Shabbat mood.
However, Geula is a neighborhood that faces a dilemma. What began as a mixed neighborhood of secular and religious Jews in the late 1920s has evolved into Jerusalem’s largest haredi commercial center. The transformation into today’s predominantly haredi enclave occurred gradually, mirroring broader demographic shifts within Jerusalem’s religious communities.
The streets that once housed diverse families now host businesses, yeshivas, and institutions serving the ultra-Orthodox community. Parking is nearly impossible, especially before Sabbath and holidays, with public transportation dominating the main arteries. This commercial boom has triggered an exodus. Longtime residents are moving to the periphery, leaving behind a neighborhood that is increasingly institutional rather than residential.
TODAY’S GEULA operates as an energetic center of haredi religious life, hosting diverse streams of Orthodox Judaism from various hassidic courts to traditional Lithuanian yeshiva communities. The area’s spiritual infrastructure includes countless houses of worship, religious study halls, and intimate prayer gatherings.
Perhaps most remarkably, Geula contains layers of Jerusalem’s complex history. The eastern edge blends into the renowned Mea She’arim neighborhood, while the Zion-Blumenthal children’s home, an orphanage established in 1917, serves as a touching reminder of the neighborhood’s social service heritage.
The historic Schneller Compound, which became integrated into Geula’s expanding boundaries, now houses modern residential developments that are as modern as can be, while maintaining the traditional neighborhood character.
The legendary Hebron Yeshiva called Geula home for years before relocating to Givat Mordechai. However, it still maintains a branch in the neighborhood. The real estate landscape today showcases this intersection of Jerusalem’s historical architecture with contemporary housing demands, featuring a mix of traditional Jerusalem stone structures and recently constructed apartment buildings.
What began as a developer’s tribute to his newborn daughter has grown into a major center of religious commerce and culture in Israel’s capital city. It’s a neighborhood that expanded in both size and character, much like the city itself.