Jerusalem, as we all know, is a many-storied spot. Civilizations of all kinds have tramped – and trampled – their way through here, predominantly on their way from their European bases, heading for more distant points in Asia or in Africa. They have fought over the hilltop city and left their mark and artifacts and, in so doing, made Jerusalem a magnet for archaeologists from across the globe.
Additionally, as a sacred place for the world’s three major monotheistic religions, Jerusalem has drawn leading figures from various societies and walks of life who have traveled to the Jewish capital to get a better handle on its history and dynamics, fill their lungs with some pine tree-scented air, or feed off the heady spiritual and historical ambiance as a catalyst for their creative endeavors.
Next year marks two decades since Jerusalem joined the international Open House Worldwide festival bandwagon, which takes place in a geographically and culturally diverse sweep of cities around the world, from Gdansk to Buenos Aires, Tallinn to Dublin, and Melbourne to Mexico City. The international festival has existed since 1992, and its mission statement speaks of engaging citizens, “particularly from under-represented backgrounds, to learn about architecture and city making, and have a meaningful role in shaping their future.”
That is something of a moot point, as perhaps most of us are not consciously aware of the impact of our urban architectural surroundings on us at a basic physical level, as well as intellectually and emotionally.
On a personal level, certainly having a drink in the “olde worlde” atmosphere of the American Colony Hotel induces a far more pleasant vibe than, say, getting an eyeful of any of the tower blocks currently sprouting all over the place as Jerusalem takes giant steps toward a new urban vista.
Naturally, there may be others who are excited by the mindset and aesthetic shift in the capital and look forward to a bolder, less history-laden cityscape. Such a broad spectrum of outlooks is catered to, and then some, by the abundance of events lined up this year by perennial Jerusalem Open Houses director Aviva Levinson. All told, there are 164 tours to prominent buildings, public institutions, private homes, and quaint hideaways nestled in obscure spots around town unbeknownst to the majority of us.
MANY A celebrity has dropped by over the centuries, such as Mark Twain, who partook of a furlough in Jerusalem, specifically at the American Colony Hotel, as I learned from Michael Schwartz when he guided me around the impressive rambling edifice in advance of the tours for the public that feature in this year’s Open House Festival. The event takes place over two weekends – October 30 to November 1, and November 6 to 8.
Schwartz is a South African-born architect who made aliyah almost 50 years ago. For most of that time he has been gainfully engaged in planning and overseeing an ongoing continuum of enhancement, renovations, and extensions at the venerable hotel whose roll call of VIP guests over the past 120-plus years includes T.E. Lawrence – aka Lawrence of Arabia – Winston Churchill, Bob Dylan, and Twain’s more contemporary professional counterparts Philip Roth, Leon Uris, and John le Carré.
Walking around the American Colony’s sprawling grounds and through its magnificently appointed interior, one gets a sense of timelessness, of past and present seamlessly co-mingling, with a heady redolence of yesteryear’s grandeur oozing through the fabric of the current design.
British director Michael Winner certainly bought into that and filmed much of his 1930s-set Agatha Christie mystery Appointment with Death at the hotel in 1988.
In 1995, Oscar-winning actor and famed raconteur Peter Ustinov visited the hotel and planted a palm tree, which continues to flourish in the inner courtyard.
There are stories galore to be told, and retold, of tragedy and joy along with intrigue and squabbles as generations of Americans and Swedes created, maintained, and reimagined the hotel and its environs.
The compound offers an enchanting oasis of peace and tranquility amid the hustle and bustle of the city, with traffic hurtling along nearby Barlev Boulevard, and the constant tension of seemingly insoluble Middle Eastern politics
Schwartz will dispense all that and much more as he shows his groups around the place on October 30 and 31 and November 1 (twice daily). Advance registration is required; and given the popularity of the hotel and Schwartz’s decades-long vested interest in the place and gift for storytelling, it is surely going to be a case of first come, first served.
The Harvest Month event at the hotel, based on the theme of the olive picking season, which runs through November, offers special accommodation packages for anyone interested in experiencing American Colony hospitality firsthand.
For more information: (02) 627-9777; www.americancolony.com
The life of David Kroyanker
THERE ARE also installments right across the festival program designed to appeal to all tastes and fields of interest. The last building block in the Open House rollout is a session at Anna Ticho House dedicated to the lifework of David Kroyanker.
Kroyanker, who passed away last month at the age of 86, was an architect, town planner, and architectural historian of Jerusalem. It would not be erring on the side of hyperbole to say that he had Jerusalem stone set deep into his DNA. Over his long career, he wrote dozens of books and papers about the capital and its urban aesthetics. In his expansive oeuvre, he extolled the beauty of some of Jerusalem’s edifices and structural vignettes, while bemoaning the city’s egregious descent into poverty and the resultant urban degeneration.
I have a signed copy of his last book, Jerusalem That Once Was, subtitled Urban Memories Saved from Oblivion, which I received from him just under a year ago. As does all his work, the book incorporates a cornucopia of exquisitely crafted drawings that highlight the finer details of structures of all ilks from across the capital.
Kroyanker contributed to Open House editions over the years. The October 31 (noon) event pays tribute to his efforts to generate architectural restoration in Jerusalem and will unveil rare documents from the early days of his career in building restoration. The gathering will be moderated by Dudu Uziel, the deputy director of planning at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Ticho House senior curator Timna Seligman.
RAFI KFIR certainly homes in on the architectural minutiae that most of us miss around the city. His “What Is the Wall Telling Me?” guided tour starts at the plaza in front of Beit Ha’am on Bezalel Street (November 8 at 11 a.m.).
During the course of an hour or two, Kfir will take his group along the back alleyways and main thoroughfares of downtown Jerusalem, stopping at inscriptions set into walls, atop arches, and on doors and gateways that serve as historical markers along the city’s timeline over the past century or so.
One inscription on Agrippas Street, for example, eulogizes Sir Moses Montefiore and his philanthropic endeavor in Jerusalem, while another sign, of a strict religious ilk, cautions women passing through the back streets of Nahlaot to ensure that they are modestly attired. Kfir added some spicy subtext to the sign wording, as is his wont on his guided tours, indicating that the “private courtyard” mentioned in the top line of the sign was somewhat off the mark. “It’s not a private area. It’s a private area through which the public may pass,” he chuckled.
Kfir is a veteran tour guide in the capital who was born and bred near Mahaneh Yehuda market and is a mine of juicy information and anecdotes about the city. We naturally wended our way to the market, which, on the day, was jam-packed to the proverbial rafters as Jerusalemites waded in to get their vittles and raw ingredients for the Sukkot festive meals. Even so, we managed to espy an ancient-looking sign, stashed away behind ungainly piping, high up above a corner stall. Had Kfir not pointed it out, there is little chance I would have ever noticed it. The Jerusalemites frantically milling around us certainly paid no attention to it. I was in store for a surprise – one of many in my personal Kfir-assisted urban circuit. The sign heading read “Shuk Halvaah Vechisachon” [Loan and Savings Market].
“The original name of the shuk wasn’t Mahaneh Yehuda,” Kfir lobbed in my startled direction. “That was the name of the nearby neighborhood. It was called Shuk Halvaah Vechisachon because it was financed by an organization called Halvaah Vechisachon Yerushalayim [Aguda Hadadit BAM] – Jerusalem Loan and Savings Mutual Association Ltd.” That was some revelation.
We moseyed on through the market, stopping for a moment at 1 Ha’agas Street, the original home of the grandparents of preeminent actor, singer, comic, and writer Yossi Banai when they came to pre-state Palestine. The address was immortalized by Banai’s nephew, popular rock-pop musician Ehud Banai, in an eponymous 1989 song.
Kfir took me along Jaffa Road, where he pointed out more wall inscriptions just around the corner from the shuk, which commemorated the charitable deeds of various philanthropists. He said he had originally wanted to call his Open House slot “Storytelling Stones,” which, in all fairness, sounds like a pretty accurate moniker for the tour.
THERE IS more, so much more, to catch over the two Open House weekends – inside intriguing, opulent, and simply quirky buildings, as well as out and about on the streets of the capital.
Folks looking to get insider information on some of the city’s older districts may want to take part in walks around Rehavia and Katamon – which Levinson has mysteriously called “To Love to Death” – and the German Colony and Baka.
The cast of important public buildings on the festival agenda includes the Bank of Israel, the Supreme Court, the Knesset, and the National Library.
The “Urban Renewal in Historic Districts” walk through Rehavia and Sha’arei Hesed, led by architect Marla Haber Goldstein, should shed some light on the way things have panned out and may evolve as Jerusalem undergoes large-scale construction and renovation. Notably, there is a hidden building on Shabazi Street, across the road from Sacher Park, and an equally left-field-located Hasboun Compound off Hillel Street to be discovered.
All tours are free, although quite a few require advance online registration.
For more information: batim.itraveljerusalem.com/en/