About the project
The Montefiore Windmill was built by Sir Moses Montefiore in 1857 to allow residents of his Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighborhood, the first neighborhood built outside the Old City walls, to mill their own flour. It never functioned properly, because it was relatively too low on the landscape, but the windmill became one of Jerusalem’s most familiar landmarks. The Jerusalem Foundation has aided the municipality in restoring, repairing and interpreting the windmill for the public at various times, including the initial 1968 restoration, and repairs in 1976 and 2002. The Foundation supported installation of the permanent exhibit Sir Moses Montefiore, His Life & Work, in the windmill in 1982, and has supported various educational activities in and around the windmill over the years. Guy’s Hope Observation Point is located next to the windmill.
In 2012, thanks to support from the Christians for Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Tourism and the Jerusalem Municipality, Montefiore’s Windmill, the first landmark of the modern city of Jerusalem was re-dedicated after a significant renovation. Today, the windmill looks like it did 150 years ago, with blades that rotate and the ability to grind flour. The Prime Minister and other dignitaries recalled their childhood in Jerusalem, playing in the very same area that was once a border.
