Projects

The Jerusalem Foundation is committed to leveraging the city’s diversity and unique history to shape its future as a modern, thriving metropolis and an inspiration around the world. We celebrate Jerusalem’s rich history and help create opportunities for residents of diverse backgrounds, particularly youth, to learn about the city’s significance through the ages.

Central to this endeavor is the Tower of David Museum, which contains archeological finds dating back over 2,800 years. Each year, the museum brings Jerusalem’s history to life for more than 300,000 people from Israel and abroad, offering innovative exhibits tracing history from ancient through modern times, and examining Jerusalem’s centrality to diverse peoples and religions.

In 2000, archeologists working on the Kishle structure – erected in 1834, and later used by the British to imprison members of the pre-state Jewish underground – stumbled upon layers of remains chronicling Jerusalem’s expansive history. This included evidence of Jewish life in the Crusader period; important finds from the Second Temple period; part of the First Temple-period city walls; and beneath the entire structure, a tunnel that served as a drainage duct for Herod’s Pool, and as an escape route for the priests and their families when the city was destroyed by the Romans.

In one of the most important initiatives in the field of archeological sites in Jerusalem to date, the Kishle will be transformed into a world-class visitor site, with a cutting-edge archeological center. Visitors will follow a linear route exploring the mysteries of the Kishle excavations and the remains of the palace, the walls, the tunnels and the people behind them. The complex will house an interactive 45-minute multimedia experience, alongside a new, two-story entrance and exhibition gallery building with two rooftop observation decks, as well as space for lectures and events.

Impact: The 450 sq. m. (4,850 sq. ft.) space unearthed will serve as an important archeological site for visitors from around the world, with the center split into two levels: a multimedia archeological center displaying archeological findings on one floor and a gallery on the upper level for changing exhibitions and other cultural activities. The renewed and expanded Kishle complex will attract hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world, and enable the Museum to significantly expand educational and cultural programs and reach out to larger and more varied audiences. This is a priority heritage project for the State of Israel and is a designated landmark tourist attraction.

Partners: The Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs, the National Heritage Site Fund of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Tourism and the Jerusalem Municipality

The Jerusalem Foundation focuses on developing leadership in the city through investing in the next generation. We safeguard the future by promoting young civil leadership with a long term commitment to Jerusalem and giving diverse communities access to opportunities.

In partnership with the Israel Scouts youth movement in Jerusalem and the Tene Yerushalmi organization, the Jerusalem Foundation is establishing a program for youth leaders in disadvantaged neighborhoods which will inspire future leadership in Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Young Leadership Program will focus on exceptional youth movement graduates, facilitating their familiarization and deep connection with Jerusalem, its residents and needs, forming a cohesive community of future leaders in the city and developing and applying practical leadership skills in activating youth in their neighborhoods.

The leadership program will be conducted jointly by the Jerusalem Foundation and the management of the Israel Scouts in Jerusalem in disadvantaged peripheral communities across the city, with professional leadership guidance provided by Tene Yerushalmi. The Israel Scouts will employ a core of young adult staff members who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills as Israel Scouts youth instructors or branch managers. The Scouts will be responsible for staff training and supervision and accompany participants in conducting activities for children and youth in peripheral neighborhoods and peak events in those communities.

With a view toward enabling participants to remain living, working and learning in Jerusalem and to realize their potential at this critical juncture in their early adult life, and in exchange for a long-term commitment to living and leading social and community activity in Jerusalem after the program’s conclusion, the program will provide rent, living stipends and higher education scholarships.

Becoming involved in their communities, these young leaders will develop a long term commitment to their neighborhoods and Jerusalem as a whole, while also breaking the cycle of poverty in their areas. The program will also act as a model for other youth movements, which they can operate in the future to nurture their own leadership talent and harness their leadership potential for the needs of the city.

Impact: The project’s impact goes beyond the empowerment of the next generation, encouraging all members of the community to build a new reality on the ground for the struggling neighborhoods.

Need: Jerusalem reflects the entire diversity of the Jewish People; it is both a launching pad for new dynamics and developments in the Jewish world and a laboratory for experimentation and innovation. What happens in Jerusalem affects Jews worldwide. We have witnessed an increasing tension between secular and ultra-Orthodox expressions of Judaism in the public sphere.

The Jerusalem Foundation seeks to shape a modern and vibrant city by creating opportunities for all Jerusalem residents, including opportunities for dialogue and shared living. In line with our vision for 2030, we support endeavors developing innovative, collaborative models of Jewish renewal and pluralism that will reinvigorate a sense of communal belonging among the city’s diverse population. Among those endeavors is the Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva, which transforms Jerusalem’s unique energy into a systemic set of ideas and activities that will impact Israel and the entire Jewish world.

Response: The Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva was established in 2011 with the aim of inspiring the city’s young people by offering them greater opportunities for multifaceted creative Jewish expression. The JSY curriculum involves texts, lectures, hevruta (paired) learning, tours, film, art and environmental projects. Core principles include: uncovering, investigating and examining the process of secularization – Jewish and general – as a subject and as a world view, via textual study from the Bible and modern Hebrew literature, and nurturing a deep connection to Jerusalem as the cultural and spiritual center of the Jewish people throughout the generations, through meetings with different personalities, organizations and communities in Jerusalem.

For some time, the Secular Yeshiva has operated on a temporary basis from a building in Ein Karem, which they shared together with the local community. The building is in need of renovation, to allow it to appropriately serve the needs of both the Secular Yeshiva and other community groups which use the shared space.

The Jerusalem Foundation seeks, in partnership with the Jerusalem Municipality, JSY and others, to establish in the building a multipurpose community center that will respond to the diverse needs of the creative community of Ein Karem and the institutions sharing the building. We believe that through creative and spiritual sharing, the community members, artists and educators will create a center where the spirit is greater than the sum of its parts, a center of Jewish culture and renewal that will manifest an innovative model of attractive activity, attractive to the lives of young people and community in Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Foundation, in partnership with the Jerusalem Municipality, seeks to renovate the JSY building in order to transform it into a multipurpose, modular center that can be adapted to serve the wide variety of community needs in Ein Karem and manifest an attractive location for the community members, particularly young adults.

The Center will be housed in the building to be renovated and adapted by the Jerusalem Foundation in Ein Karem for this express purpose. The project partners – the local community center, the Community Minyan and the Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva – have reached agreement in principle regarding space allocation. The lower floor will be used by the Secular Yeshiva, the top floor alternately by the Ein Karem branch of the local Community Center and the Community Minyan (a weekends and holidays prayer group) and the courtyard will host shared activities. This allocation will form a new community model, responding to the diverse needs in a modular and sensitive manner.

In line with our vision for 2030, we support a number of projects which provide platforms for Jerusalem’s varied populations to find expression through creativity.

Established in 1973, the Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna is a premier Israeli music academy, providing unique high-quality music education opportunities to some 650 children and youth ages 3 to 18, reflecting the diverse mosaic of Jerusalem’s population including secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jews, Muslims and Christians, pupils with special needs, dozens of Ethiopian-Israelis and new immigrants from around the world, spanning the full range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Hassadna strives to provide each pupil with musical instruction of the highest caliber while ensuring that every child longing to experience the gift of music can access this life-changing opportunity. Its pupils and graduates receive worldwide acclaim, winning coveted Israeli and international music competitions, launching international careers and continuing on to the most prestigious universities and academies.

Need & Response: Forty-six years since its establishment, the enormously successful Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna operates out of inadequate, makeshift facilities within a building that serves in morning hours as an elementary school and where heavy and costly equipment has to be re-arranged each afternoon, preventing the conservatory from fulfilling its full potential.

A new, contemporary building is needed to ensure the conservatory maintains its superior-quality music instruction and continues to grow. This facility will serve its diverse population of pupils, families and faculty, fulfilling Hassadna’s potential as a central cultural and educational hub in the heart of Israel’s capital.

The new building will feature:

Practice and training studios enabling pupils to hone their skills with the support they require, play together, establish ensembles, maximize rehearsal time and focus on the task at hand
Music library and listening room with computer and work stations, a sheet music lending library, a recorded music listening library, supporting literature and expert librarian assistance
A pupil area with a comfortable lounge, a small eat-in kitchenette, computer stations, study corners, a furnished garden and an outdoor play area for children coming from school and returning home late
A family waiting area with sitting areas, Wi-Fi, a toddlers’ play area, games and audio-visual equipment, enabling parents and young siblings to utilize waiting time on a computer, reading or playing
Faculty lounge with a kitchenette, couches, work stations, lockers and computer stations for the use of Hassadna’s roughly 100 first-rate faculty devoted to musical education
Many more facilities, including acoustically isolated, well equipped classrooms, small learning spaces, storage for musical instruments of all types and sizes, a reception and security desk, a distinguished entrance foyer and snack bar
Management and administration offices with a reception and waiting area, spaces for meetings with pupils, parents, faculty and guest musicians, as well as instruments for pupils skill assessments

Location: The designated site is in close proximity to the conservatory’s current location in south-central Jerusalem’s German Colony, a busy, dynamic and easily accessible part of the city, contributing to the cultural life in Jerusalem.

Website: https://hassadnamusicconservatory.com/en/home/

With the easing of restrictions people gradually returned to the outdoors to observe and to breathe. For some, this was the first time such an intense yearning for the outdoors was felt. The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and Outset Contemporary Art fund are bringing together a selection of outdoor sculptures from a wide range of museums and private collections. The focus of this first time collaboration will be to address the role of art and nature in regards to our physical and mental wellbeing.

The project will include 12-15 sculptural works by leading contemporary artists on loan from museums all over Israel. These works will be installed throughout the Botanical Gardens, in open as well as concealed spots, creating a cyclic route through which the visitors are invited to walk and discover the artworks through movement. The exhibition will be curated by Hadas Maor who is working closely with the botanical, scientific and educational departments of the gardens.

A detailed program of educational resources and activities for schools will also be developed. JBG currently works with over 250 schools and kindergartens, and this project will connect the important topics of nature, art and mental health for school children as well as families and older adults.

Taking in account the risk of a second wave of Corona, and also allowing for those still in isolation to experience the exhibition, we plan to create excellent virtual tours. This will allow for those outside of Israel to enjoy this rare collaboration of Israeli museums and thus enable an international reach of a universally relevant issue.

This innovative approach creating an opportunity for on site visits and online experience is an important example of adapting culture in the shadow of COVID. The Gardens also adheres to all Purple Badge guidelines and is finding a way to revive cultural engagement in the city under new conditions as well as pooling resources with other institutions across the country who cannot currently share their art and helping the public process their recent experiences and prepare for a new future living with COVID among us.

The Coronavirus lockdown has led to some creative partnerships and placemaking adaptions that will continue well after the threat of the virus recedes. Three key cultural institutions (the Interdisciplinary Center, Machol Shalem Dance Company and Between Heaven & Earth), have joined together to establish a new cultural center in the old Rav Hen cinema house. The core institutions will focus on placemaking, recognition and branding of the new complex and on the unique possibilities that exist there both for the individual organizations and in collaboration. This new home for the three cultural organizations will create a meeting point for dance, theater and interdisciplinary art in Jerusalem.

The Rav Chen partnership is a perfect example of pooling resources, sharing risk, reducing the number of overlapping festivals and creating one great event that can be in line with Purple Badge guidelines while bringing new audiences to different art experiences.

This is a perfect example of placemaking – turning an old, out of use, commercial cinema complex – into a vibrant cultural scene which is also located in a neighborhood on the seam line and adjacent to an industrial zone. The new partnership is planning events in the surrounding neighborhood, in outdoor locations such as: Oman Street (a street with car garages and appliance stores), a park between the Beit Safafa (Arab) neighborhood and the Katamonim (Jewish) neighborhood. Thanks to the traditional audiences of each of these partners, they will be able to bring new performances to different population groups in Jerusalem – appealing to each other’s traditional base and sharing those audiences, from Orthodox religious background, secular and east Jerusalem.

The series of events will take place starting in September and lasting until mid-October and will be combined also with part of the Israel Festival program.

The performing arts partnership has developed an innovative solution to the current restrictions limiting audiences, with the creation of a broadcast studio within Rav Chen’s new performance space with a fully professional team to record and broadcast cultural events that cannot be held in person. These programs will include dance, theater, visual arts, and much more, to be broadcast live so as to offer the highest level of audience experience online, together with audience response during broadcasts, creating a true interactive experience during these days of social distancing.

The Israel Festival will combine with the Jazz Festival in September and place an emphasis on Israeli/Jerusalem artists and performers utilizing unique outdoor venues such as the Botanical Gardens and the Israel Museum sculpture garden and sites within Jerusalem neighborhoods.

The 59^th annual Israel Festival was originally scheduled to take place from June 4-20^th and was postponed due to the Coronavirus. The Festival will now take place from September 3-12^th adapted to Purple Badge guidelines. During that same period, the Jerusalem Jazz Festival will take place from September 8-10th.

The Festival content has also been adapted to the new themes that are universal at this time – community, encounter, touch, empathy, emergency conditions, individualism and technology, ageism, democracy, acceptance of the other and more. The engagement of art with the public sphere now also takes on a new and important role within a community. Dealing with the themes above through art will give voice to our common anxiety and provide an avenue for expression and inspiration which is more important than ever.

The Israel Festival will change from large scale central venues for performance to placemaking and the dispersal of cultural events – they further seek to revive cultural engagement among local residents by direct engagement of artists with communities.

The Israel Festival has developed a new model that will enable the connection between artists and communities and public institutions throughout Jerusalem for a common examination of their daily routine. Artists will be invited to hold an artist’s residency of about 3-4 weeks within a community or public institution of their choice. They will create a dialogue with local community members and will learn about the different conflicts and needs that exist in the shared space. The discussion of routine and adaption will lead the encounters. At the end of the residency, the artists will perform an independent artistic performance/installation inspired by the sessions, either independently or together with the community. This has the potential to create a real opportunity to re-think routine and the manner in which community life is conducted.

We are also planning to have artistic photography and livestream broadcasts of the shows. The broadcast of the shows will be accompanied by enriching content packages such as documentary footage of the creative process, interviews with the creators, and a dialogue between viewers. There will also be a joint performance of the Israel Festival and the Jazz Festival, on the opening night of the Jazz Festival, under the artistic direction of Avishai Cohen and Tamir Muscat, under the theme of ‘Family’.

The Train Theater has created a traveling show the “Surprise Train” that will visit the neighborhoods and community centers of Jerusalem over the summer months. The performance is designed for outdoor spaces taking into account social distancing and Purple Badge guidelines. The visit to each neighborhood, for children and families, will include a performance, a creative inter-active workshop and characters in costume circulating at the public site throughout the event.

This traveling show will engage new audiences and provide a welcome respite from the last months of disconnection and isolation. It will allow Jerusalem families to enjoy the puppet theater and cultural activity after a very long absence and in a new and adapted model for performance. All audiences will wear face masks, temperatures will be taken before entering the outdoor site and social distancing will be maintained.

The “Surprise Train” will include a performance from the Train Theater’s existing repertoire but it will be performed 2x during the event in order to accommodate a full audience in 2 separate sittings – socially distanced outdoors. The creativity workshops will be set up with materials distributed widely in different stations throughout the space and will provide options for disinfectant and hand cleaning.

The Train Theater plans 10 such events in different Jerusalem neighborhoods as long as the weather permits.

The Khan Theater has developed a new initiative for special performances in outdoor locations – adapting their repertoire to a new model of interactive audience engagement and using placemaking to create social distancing options for theater performances. The first of these series of shows will take place in the Mishkenot Sha’ananim area, utilizing the plaza by the windmill and the Yemin Moshe neighborhood.

Responding to the fear and anxiety of typical Khan annual ticket holders, who are generally older people, the Khan developed an innovative strategy to help them feel safe coming out to enjoy culture. Open-air performances, which will be lighter in atmosphere and will appeal to a wide range of audiences can attract young and old alike and provide the option of adhering to social distancing. The crisis that has affected the theater could also be an opportunity – to challenge the Khan to perform in a festive and magical atmosphere in the open air, to make the theater more familiar to young people and new audiences who don’t frequent the theater, and to deepen the connection with the city of Jerusalem.

The play ‘Glory’ (Tehila), based on a well-known book by Shai Agnon and which has been running successfully for over six years in the Khan, will move through the streets and spaces in the Yemin Moshe neighborhood and the windmill complex, together with the audience. These performances will include a limited audience of about 40-50 people who will wear masks, maintain social distance and be tracked for follow up if necessary by purchasing tickets online and leaving relevant contact information.

This new venue has provided additional opportunities for a new model as the Khan is offering a combined ticket with wine tasting through the Windmill winery on site – creating an opportunity to pool resources and help an industry hard hit by lack of domestic and international tourists.

Further plays from the Khan repertoire will be adapted for outdoor spaces and made into special theater experiences. The plan is to hold such shows through 2020 as long as weather permits. Ministry of Health regulations are changing all the time and the number of people who may attend will be adapted to changing regulations.

One city, 882,700 residents. Jews, Muslims and Christians; secular and religious. A mosaic of languages, cultures, and belief systems. The complexity of Jerusalem presents a special challenge and the Jerusalem Foundation is ensuring that Jerusalem’s diverse residents can build a modern, open and vibrant city together. Key to this endeavor is creating shared public spaces that bring people together, enhance the quality of life for key populations, and strengthen the social fabric of the city. Building new community sports, fitness and swimming centers will fill a need for the social and communal needs of a key population – residents of east Jerusalem – in line with our vision for 2030.

Community centers and swimming centers are important hubs of social and community life. The value of community sports centers extends beyond sports and recreation, playing an important role in bringing communities together, social and cultural impact, reducing crime and antisocial behavior, increasing community capacity, developing leadership and encouraging civic participation.

For this reason, there are already at least fifteen swimming centers open to the public throughout Jerusalem and additional swimming and sports centers are being planned for communities across the city. However, all of the existing public swimming pools in Jerusalem are in Jewish neighborhoods; this makes them less easily accessible to most east Jerusalem residents. The Jerusalem Foundation views the establishment of such centers in east Jerusalem as a high priority in the coming years.

The Jerusalem Foundation intends to establish two community sports, fitness and swimming centers to serve east Jerusalem. The first will be in the northern east Jerusalem community of Beit Hanina, where the center is already in the planning stages, and the second we hope to build in the southern east Jerusalem community of Sur Baher.

Location: The designated site of east Jerusalem’s first-ever center of its kind is in Beit Hanina, a large neighborhood in northern east Jerusalem, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Jerusalem’s city center, stretching over about 1,500 acres and home to over 35,000 Arab residents. Nearly 90% are Muslims, 10% are Christians and the community is young, with more than half of all residents below age 25 years. The Beit Hanina Community Center, established in 1985, provides social, educational, cultural, health and welfare programs to a combined population of 55,000 area residents who currently lack swimming and sports facilities. The community benefits from an impressive, strong and committed local leadership who are willing to take responsibility for the needs of civic society in their community.

Highly accessible and adjacent to the Jerusalem Light Railway, the ambitious, state-of-the-art, 3,600 sq. m. (38,750 sq. ft.) complex will, at the first stage, contain a fully equipped indoor community sports, fitness and swimming center. Among the facilities that are planned for a later stage, adjacent to the complex, are a sports hall, sports courts, an activity center for youth and the elderly, an office building with income-generating commercial space and plenty of parking spaces.

The complex was designed according to Israel’s latest green and sustainable construction standards as a modern building with references to local architectural motifs by the leading Israeli firm Galpaz Architecture & Engineering Ltd.

The second neighborhood, Sur Baher, is located in the southern part of Jerusalem and is at a low socio-economic level. Sur Baher has existing infrastructure, such as a community center and a number of schools, that can work together with the new sports center once it opens. We hope that, like Beit Hanina, this will be a perfect location for a second new sports center in east Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Foundation seeks to adapt and expand the Al Mada teacher training for STEM education to Jerusalem primary schools. The successful program was launched by the Israel Center for Excellence in Education (ICEE) to transform math and science teaching in 200 Israeli primary schools. In Jerusalem, the unprecedented inclusion of secular, religious, and ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools, as well as Arab schools in East Jerusalem, will close educational gaps, which prevent true shared living, and strengthen the fabric of society. Communal Strength is a key priority for the Jerusalem Foundation as part of its 2030 vision, with this program representing a life-changing opportunity for Jerusalem’s most disadvantaged children and their future.

Coordinated by the Jerusalem Foundation, the program includes innovative teacher training in math and science by ICEE expert educators and an easy-to-use curriculum, with teacher handbooks and student materials adapted for different cultures and languages, including Arabic. ICEE provides ongoing support to teachers and organizes city-wide competitions on scientific topics. This approach will ensure a long-term impact on education, making Jerusalem a city of educational excellence. Fifty primary schools in Jerusalem’s most disadvantaged communities will benefit in the first year of the program, with the goal of expanding in the following years.

Impact: Real change in the teaching and learning processes for math and science in grades 3 to 6. Teachers and students will acquire tools and experience that will benefit them in the long-term, translating into academic and future life achievements for students and improved teaching methods for teachers. This will benefit the city of Jerusalem as a whole, strengthening its social fabric and commitment to inclusivity.

Partners: Israel Centre for Excellence through Education, Jerusalem Education Authority, Ministry of Education

A flagship program of the Jerusalem Foundation, Project Springboard aims to break the cycle of future poverty in Jerusalem’s poorest neighborhoods. By taking a holistic approach to one neighborhood at a time, the Jerusalem Foundation ensures that the city’s most disadvantaged youth are provided with opportunities to fulfill their potential, thus instilling hope for the future and preventing poverty. At the same time, adults are provided with tools for effective home budget management. With strategic partnerships with local community councils, neighborhood schools and public and private organizations, Project Springboard strengthens the social fabric and community support systems of Jerusalem. Thus, building communal strength for a modern and vibrant city in 2030, in line with the Jerusalem Foundation’s vision for the next decade.

The Springboard program, which has been successfully running for 5 years in Kiryat Menachem and for 3 in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, is now being implemented in Gilo, where a high proportion of residents come from low socio-economic families. The combination of home budget management support for families to avoid poverty and improved education and enrichment activities for children, change the neighborhood’s atmosphere. In particular, Springboard identifies students with exceptional potential in music, sports and science and offers these children the programs necessary to fulfill their potential for outstanding achievement. Support is also offered to especially run down and struggling elementary schools to improve conditions and turn them into an attraction and a community anchor to the benefit of the entire neighborhood.

Impact: With its activities, the Springboard project revitalizes entire neighborhoods, one at the time. It is not only the residents of the neighborhood that benefit from it, but the city as a whole becoming increasingly more modern, inclusive and vibrant.

Partners: Jerusalem Education Authority, Ministry of Education, Local Community Councils

Jerusalem is home to 23,000 Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) seniors, nearly half of whom (10,000) are Holocaust survivors. In line with our vision for 2030, we are focusing on strengthening the community support systems to provide for the needs of Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox seniors, one of the city’s most vulnerable populations. We aim to ensure equality of opportunity for this population sector to grow old at home, in dignity and security, with sustained support for them and their caregivers.

The Jerusalem Foundation, together with the Misgav Lakashish organization, seek to establish the first elderly day center in Jerusalem that is specifically adapted to the needs of the Haredi population. The 2,000-square-metre facility will include a Social and Treatment Center for the Physically Frail (1,100 m²), as well as a separate Social and Treatment Center for the Mentally Frail (one center for men, one center for women, 940 m² in total area). Programs will meet the standards of the Israel Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services, which will support the ongoing operation, and scrupulous adherence to Haredi cultural norms such as gender separation (Separate services will be offered for women and men, and will take place on separate floors) and strictly kosher food. It will be located in the Romema neighborhood, a centrally-located Haredi neighborhood.

The Centers will operate from 8:00 – 15:00, and afterward the facility will host a range of social and educational services for more independent seniors. The morning day centers will include:

Medical Services and information for illness prevention and promotion of good health
Large Activity Halls (90 m²) hosting creative programming by and for the Haredi community as well as space for breakfast and lunch to be served
Treatment rooms (30 – 35 m²)for occupational and physical therapy
Activity rooms (20 – 30 m²) for arts and crafts and other activities
Computer room (20 m²)for computer based activities to improve cognitive processes (only in center for the physically frail)
Areas for rest and showering, as well as a hair salon and medical pedicurist.
Transportation to and from the Centers, and laundry services
Beit Midrash center for Jewish learning.

For independent seniors, the afternoon-evening activities will include:

Social club
Enrichment program – art, drawing, jewelry making, etc.
Support groups for Holocaust survivors, widows, caregiving spouses, etc.
Employment Center – onsite work opportunities (a call center), as well as retraining courses and job placement services
The Day Center “College” – a center for continuing education and study.

Population Served: Physically frail, mentally frail and independent Haredi seniors.

Partners: Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services, National Insurance Institute, Jerusalem Municipality, JDC-Israel, Foundation for Holocaust Survivors

The Sultan’s Pool Amphitheater is one of Jerusalem’s most spectacular sites, set against the backdrop of the Old City walls. An ancient water source modernized by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and turned into an open-air music venue in 1978. It has since become one of Israel’s most prestigious locations for music, dance, opera, and festivals, actively contributing to the city’s vibrant cultural scene. Performances by national and international artists included Eyal Golan, Sting, and Bob Dylan. This spectacular site is a 2030 priority of the Jerusalem Foundation for creative culture, as it enhances the city’s vibrancy and openness, making it a source of inspiration around the world.

To fully tap the potential of the Sultan’s Pool area, the Jerusalem Foundation, in partnership with other organizations, developed an ambitious renovation plan to make this space fully useful and accessible to the public every day. The project objectives are to upgrade the amphitheater into a structure that seats 7,000 people, with 4,200 permanent seats and 2,800 additional chairs, and to turn the surrounding area into a park open to residents and visitors. The project features a café and a garden area next to Sultan’s Pool. The renovation will benefit all Jerusalem residents with no distinction as to social or religious background, as well as the many visitors from Israel and abroad.

Impact: The area will become more accessible to Jerusalem’s population and visitors alike, both as a venue for cultural events and as a destination.

Partners: Jerusalem Municipality, Ariel Municipal Company, Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Nature and Park Authority ltan’s Pool Amphitheater is one of Jerusalem’s most spectacular sites, set against the backdrop of the Old City walls. An ancient water source modernized by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and turned into an open-air music venue in 1978. It has since become one of Israel’s most prestigious locations for music, dance, opera, and festivals, actively contributing to the city’s vibrant cultural scene. Performances by national and international artists included Eyal Golan, Sting, and Bob Dylan. This spectacular site is a 2030 priority of the Jerusalem Foundation for creative culture, as it enhances the city’s vibrancy and openness, making it a source of inspiration around the world.

Yaelim is an innovative program launched by the Ein Yael Living Museum. The program, running from 2005, offers nature therapy to children and youth at risk or with special needs in Jerusalem. The treatment method combines elements of psychotherapy and creative therapy with challenges set in nature and ancient life living experiences. The activities take place outdoors, creating contact between the participants and the environment and equipping them with the skills needed to face their personal challenges and succeed in life. A strengthened social fabric and effective community support build communal strength for a modern and vibrant Jerusalem, in line with the Jerusalem Foundation’s vision for the next decade.

Yaelim helps youth from all backgrounds: religious and secular, Jewish and Arab – including those suffering from socioeconomic deprivation, domestic abuse and severe learning and behavioral difficulties. These teenagers, some of whom are living on the street or in shelters for homeless youth, have exhausted all formal educational options and are referred to Yaelim by community service organizations. Yaelim provides these youths with an alternative framework, operated through a continuum training center for nature therapy, a youth daycare center for at-risk youth, a behavioral club for adolescents with behavioral disorders, a rehabilitation nursery for special needs and training and employment groups for at-risk youth. This haven for vulnerable youth does not require an official referral and does not impose a time limit on the help provided.

Impact: Only last year 1,300 teens took part in one-time workshops and “in nature” activities at Yaelim, 237 youths participated in year-long nature therapy programs and 75 groups participated in sports challenges. Additionally, 80 sessions of the Ein Yael bicycling club took place and 3 Etgarim groups (extreme sports for the physically disabled) made their home at Yaelim.

Partners: Jerusalem Social Welfare Office

Website: www.einyael.co.il/category/yeelim-center

With a special focus on the needs of the city’s most vulnerable, the Jerusalem Foundation seeks to improve communal strengthen for an open and vibrant Jerusalem in the decade ahead and beyond. Focusing on the needs of Arab Women, Workforce Development for Palestinian Women increases employment and income opportunities for women in East Jerusalem, where only 21% of women are employed and 43% complete high school. The empowerment program provides language skills, business development, practical internships and seed funding.

A pilot is currently being implemented in the Sur Baher neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, where a one-day local job fair for women and girls only is organized. The services include East Jerusalem employment agencies explaining the market demand for various jobs, academic orientation for high school girls and a variety of cultural events for children to ensure all women can participate. The fair does not only offer employment prospects to women, but it is also a way to collect information to develop relevant training programs leveraging existing resources. In Sur Baher, a community center and five schools can be used in off-school hours for vocational training purposes to the benefit of the 8,470 women living in the neighborhood.

Impact: The program has the potential to significantly improve the lives of many Arab women, their families and the community at large. In Sur Baher, 200 women expressed interest in vocational training, while 10% of the target audience already completed a training program, with 60% of them now being employed part-time.

The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem – also known as the Biblical Zoo – has been a leader in wildlife conservation since 1993. As one of the few multicultural sites in Israel, it has become a bridge between local communities, with over 1 million visitors each year, including 100,000 students from all of Jerusalem’s diverse communities. To expand the Zoo’s educational program, the Jerusalem Foundation is supporting the creation of the Education Center for Environment and Wildlife Conservation, including a High School on the Zoo premises and additional short and long-term educational programs for children, youth and young adults. This initiative will create tomorrow’s leaders in the areas of nature conservation and the environment, by turning outstanding students from all backgrounds into role models for the Jerusalem of the future. It advances the Jerusalem Foundation vision for 2030, which focuses on future leadership as one of its three main priorities.

The Education Center’s High School will operate as part of the public school system, but its curriculum will also include zoology, biology, veterinary science, ecology, animal husbandry, sustainability, horticulture, and technical maintenance. Students will be required to work at the Zoo to gain practical experience, including exposure to in situ species breeding and reintroduction programs. The Center and High School will be open to young people from all over Israel who are interested in wildlife conservation, shaping a new generation of environmentally-aware Jerusalemites.

Impact: The Biblical Zoo and the Aquarium are the most popular tourist attraction in Jerusalem. The Education Center for Environment and Wildlife Conservation and High School will improve the educational experience of Israeli youth visiting the premises, boosting their understanding of wildlife conservation and environmental sustainability for Jerusalem, Israel and the world.

Partners: Jerusalem Municipality, Ministry of Education

With the growing understanding that the precarious state of our environment cannot be ignored, the Jerusalem Foundation seeks to cultivate urban sustainability within the daily life of Jerusalem, to shape a modern and vibrant city with opportunities for all. To do so, an ambitious plan has been approved to build the new Canada Center for Urban Sustainability on the site of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. Today more than 100 organizations and activists work in Jerusalem to promote social justice and environmental sustainability, but with little interaction and limited scope for impact. The new center will provide a co-working space for these sustainability leaders to exchange ideas, maximize synergies and launch joint ventures. This will create a future leadership with a long term commitment to the city, as envisioned by the Jerusalem Foundation plan looking to 2030 and beyond.

Developed in collaboration with farmers, artists, urban planners, agro-tech developers and educators, the centre will feature a space for urban innovation demonstrations, indoor and outdoor workspaces with sustainable farming terraces, an artist studio, a greenhouse, a volunteers centre and classrooms. The Canada Centre will be built from repurposed shipping containers and will utilize eco-friendly construction methods with an emphasis on reclaimed, natural and renewable materials. By promoting innovation, education and civic engagement, the centre will position Jerusalem as a leader of the green movement in Israel and the world.

The centre will host many activities: horticulture therapy for former prison inmates and Holocaust survivors, programs for people with autism and other special needs, workshops in recyclable materials and educational programs for children, youth and adults. The centre will serve people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, reflecting Jerusalem’s diverse communities.

Impact: The centre will impact Israeli society and the economy of the future in terms of energy, waste, water, clean-tech, agriculture and food. It will boost the quality of life and promote urban renewal in Jerusalem and beyond, by uniting citizens to ensure the environmental health and wellbeing of their city, which is also their own.

Partners: Jerusalem Municipality, Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, Leichtag Foundation, Jewish National Fund Australia, dozens of Israeli NGOs

Established more than 40 years ago by the Jerusalem Foundation and the Hebrew University, the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research (JIPR) has grown to become the leading institute in Israel for the study of Jerusalem. JIPR gathers data, researches, evaluates and educates policymakers and stakeholders on critical issues and trends facing Jerusalem. The institute’s research covers every aspect of Jerusalem’s development: urban planning, social and demographic issues, economic and environmental challenges and the impact of geopolitical conflicts. As a leading institution with a long term commitment to the city, JIPR represents the Jerusalem Foundation’s dedication to future leadership as part of its vision for the next decade.

JIPR is known for its integrity and impartiality and is accepted by all parties. The research carried out clusters into three areas: urbanism and sustainability, economy and innovation and society and populations. The institute’s Annual Statistical Yearbook is a treasure trove of information tracking trends in Jerusalem and JIPR has become the go-to research institute for the Israeli government and philanthropic organizations alike, providing insightful data that shapes policies and investment for Jerusalem. Funding is needed to carry out and expand research and support the publication of many materials.

Impact: The institute’s work informs important decisions that shape the future of Jerusalem as a city and as a home to many different communities.

Website: www.jerusaleminstitute.org.il

A Studio of Her Own is a platform for promoting young religious women artists. It empowers Jewish religious women to pursue a career in the arts despite community pressure and external prejudice. Opened in 2009, the Studio provides a physical and mental space for creation, as well as programs tailored to meet the needs of participating artists. A Studio of Her Own encourages multicultural discourse in contemporary art, boosting creative culture in Jerusalem for a vibrant and open city in the decade leading to 2030 and beyond.

A Studio of Her Own offers young religious women artists, all of whom have a degree in art, a mentoring program for professional advancement, contact with curators and important artists, and increased exposure through public exhibitions. The Studio also offers a course in business development to assist them in learning to manage their personal studios and to make a living from their work. The Studio, housed in painter Pinhas Litwinowsky’s former home and atelier, was recently renovated to include a gallery for exhibitions, a library and research center and a coffee shop. With more space available, a tailored residency program for women artists has been launched and the Studio now hosts a variety of cultural events featuring performing arts, film, literature poetry and music.

Impact: Studio of Her Own has received national recognition for its many years of work and activity. Today 40 women artists are active members of the Studio and hundreds of artists have participated in the business course. Studio of Her Own does not only allow Jewish religious women to make a living from art, but it also makes art more accessible to communities that are generally not exposed to it.

Partners: Jerusalem Municipality, Leichtag Foundation

Website: www.studioofherown.com

When the art collective Empty House first entered Lorenzo-Serafin House, the historical central Jerusalem building was abandoned and dilapidated. Today, HaMiffal, the ‘factory’, is a unique cultural and arts center, a platform for creativity where Jerusalem’s young artists can experiment in a variety of ways. The whole space in itself is a massive work of art, open to Jerusalem’s residents and visitors who can also enjoy the café and co-working spaces. HaMiffal is an opportunity for local art academy graduates to stay in Jerusalem and contribute to its diverse and busy art scene. The project supports emerging artists, and their experimentations and creativity boost creative culture in the city, in line with the Jerusalem Foundation’s vision for 2030.

HaMiffal’s goal is to become a leading international art center, with an international residency for foreign artists and a creative platform. Renovation is underway of the 1^st floor, supported by funds from the Municipality for the development of the city center. Spaces and activities will double, making extra funding a priority.

HaMiffal provides work for over 200 local artists, with 400 more creatives joining the activities as co-creators or event planners. Every year, over 60,000 visitors (more than 100 per day), come to see art, meet and work at HaMiffal.

Impact: 100 artists benefit from residency programs and exhibition space each year. Among them, 5-10 are accepted to international exhibitions and residencies, while more than 100 public events are organized at HaMiffal for the benefit of the local population.

Partners: Jerusalem Municipality, Eden Development Company

Every year the Jerusalem Foundation announces a general call for arts and culture proposals to create platforms for its vibrant mosaic of languages, perspectives and beliefs, enhancing Jerusalem as a diverse, pluralistic city. The initiatives supported by the Jerusalem Foundation promote creative culture in Jerusalem and breathe new life into this ancient city, enhancing its vibrancy and openness for the next decade leading to 2030 and beyond.

In 2019 the Jerusalem Foundation received 140 applications and had to select among many deserving cultural initiatives. Funding is needed to continue to support an increasing number of arts and culture projects that are changing the face of modern Jerusalem. Priority is given to proposals that are original or innovative, bridge social gaps, by providing platforms for populations lacking cultural infrastructure and promote arts and culture in the public sphere. Projects that received funding from the Jerusalem Foundation for three consecutive years are not eligible and enter a two-year waiting period to ensure support to a variety of cultural initiatives.

Impact: The Jerusalem Foundation funding makes the Jerusalem culture and arts scene every day more vibrant, with a huge impact on the artistic community and on the city as a whole.

All contributions will be part of the large distribution of funds that supports arts and culture in Jerusalem.

Founded by the Jerusalem Foundation, the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Campus is an international multidisciplinary center of culture and dialogue at the cornerstone of modern Jerusalem. It is home to a range of world-class civil society and cultural institutions that play a vital role in the development of creative culture in the city, in line with the Jerusalem Foundation’s vision for 2030. Mishkenot Sha’ananim exposes local writers, artists, scholars and audiences to international influences, while drawing on the unique inspiration of Jerusalem and Israel to influence global discourse and position them as world centers for the arts and intellectual exploration.

The campus, housed in a restored 19^th century compound and commanding breathtaking views of the Old City, hosts world-class institutions that draw distinguished guests from around the world. The Maurice Dwek Residence Retreat and Guesthouse hosted and inspired the Dalai Lama, Paul Auster, Amos Oz, Marc Chagall, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and many more. Other institutions include the Konrad Adenauer Conference Center, the Jerusalem Music Center, the Jerusalem Press Club, the Jerusalem Center for Ethics and the Dwek Gallery. The surrounding grounds form one of the most stunning green open spaces in Jerusalem and house several historical attractions, including the landmark Montefiore Windmill, ancient cisterns and a 1860s guardhouse. The Jerusalem Foundation seeks to ensure vital support for the Mishkenot Sha’ananim campus, institutions and programs to flourish well into the future and to meet the needs of Jerusalem’s most distinguished 21^st century guests.

Impact: The Mishkenot Sha’ananim campus hosts sites that are visited by thousands each year, contributing to a vibrant cultural scene in Jerusalem to the benefit of all of its citizens as well as international guests.

To ensure a vibrant future for Jerusalem and its diverse residents, the Jerusalem Foundation supports upgrading schools in Jerusalem, building and renovating facilities including libraries and science laboratories.

In East Jerusalem, where 75% of the Arab population lives below the poverty line and 45% of students do not finish high school, improving school facilities can help reverse these trends and improve communal strength, identified as a key priority in the Jerusalem Foundation’s 2030 roadmap.

Ibda’a Art School: Established in September 2017, is the first middle and high school of its kind in East Jerusalem. Through the arts, pupils can find their way to self-expression, present experiences and learn to productively internalize their reality to grow to be change agents in society. Under its inspirational principal, Milhem Bader, the school is growing, presently serving a total of 142 pupils. In 2019, the school launched four new tracks – plastic arts, music and theatre and cinema. All taught according to the Israeli matriculation system. The Jerusalem Foundation is seeking funds to support the Ibda’a Youth Orchestra, one of the school’s most exciting programs.

Sur Baher Girls’ High School: Located in south-east Jerusalem, it serves 347 girls and is expected to grow to 600 in 2020. To train 21^st century students who are scientifically aware, academically trained and technologically savvy, the Jerusalem Foundation is seeking funds to equip the school’s science labs (biology, chemistry, physics and robotics). Sur Baher Girls’ High School will turn into a technological learning hub for East Jerusalem, serving all the schools in the area with a direct impact on more than 2000 girls. The labs will serve as a catalyst to increase the chances of girls getting into university and thus be active agents in the social and economic development of the country.

Jerusalem is a complex city with many challenges. Its diverse residents come from a wide spectrum of cultures and religions, and speak many languages. The Jerusalem Foundation supports the city’s residents to help build a modern, open and vibrant city together. In line with our vision for 2030, we are creating opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue through joint encounters, accessibility programs, and communal initiatives between Jews and Arabs, and between ultra-Orthodox and other Jews.

Our programs: Civil society institutions have a vital role to play as a force for change. At the Jerusalem Foundation’s initiative, over 50 non-profit organizations have come together through the Jerusalem Tolerance Coalition and the new Ellen Barnett Shared Living Hub operating out of our office in Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Tolerance Coalition is a joint initiative of the Jerusalem Young Adults Center and the Jerusalem Foundation. It is composed of dozens of organizations, institutions, agencies and initiatives that work to advance shared living. They focus on people of different faiths and orientations, and are seeking to make Jerusalem a city where all groups are included and live together harmoniously. One of their flagship events is the Jerusalemite Day of Diversity (Yom Yerushalmi), a series of events that mark Jerusalem Day by celebrating the diversity of Jerusalem through tours, workshops, film events, discussion circles and performances.
The Ellen Barnett Shared Living Hub is Jerusalem’s first hub for social change organizations and initiatives promoting cross-communal and cross-cultural dialogue in Jerusalem. The Hub acts as a meeting point for the organizations that make up the Jerusalem Tolerance Coalition, empowers them to network and create partnerships, and is home to a number of ‘anchor’ groups who work out of this shared physical space:
- Kulna Yerushalayim, founded by Arab and Jewish friends from East and West Jerusalem working in partnership to advance grassroots change. One of their flagship events is the Jerusalem Double, a series of backgammon tournaments to bring Jews and Arabs together.
- Learning Together in Jerusalem, training school principals and teachers from 100 Jewish and Arab Jerusalem schools to develop and promote education toward shared living for thousands of East and West Jerusalem children.
- The Shared Living Pedagogic Initiative, a pilot program that emerged from the Learning Together program above, providing intensive multicultural teacher training, pedagogic tools, curricula and dialogue techniques, for Jewish and Arab educators teaching children of different cultures, languages, religions and national identities.
- Jewish Pluralism initiatives: The Tzionei Derech social movement, which is dedicated to creating a strong, vibrant and engaged civil society committed to Judaism, pluralism and democracy; and Kehilat Zion, a pluralistic community of Israeli Jews gathering together to re-dream Jerusalem as a meeting point and inspire Jews and non-Jews through prayer, social justice and study.

Other examples of Jerusalem Foundation projects which support and advance shared living in Jerusalem include:

The Hapoel Katamon football club, which operates a neighborhood league for Jewish and Arab youth teams, and uses sport as a tool for meaningful encounters and educating children about respect and tolerance.
Runners Without Borders, an organization which uses running as a way to connect Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem, and as a tool to empower youth and women.
The Jewish and Arab Teachers programme places Arab teachers into Jewish schools to teach Arabic, and Jewish teachers into Arab schools to teach Hebrew. The programme exposes schoolchildren to teachers who are native Arabic/Hebrew-speakers and from a different culture to their own teachers.
The Multicultural Teacher’s Lounge brings together Arab and Jewish teachers from East and West Jerusalem for a series of 10 in-depth encounters, in which they share their challenges and successes, and exchange ideas through group activities, tours and dialogue workshops.
The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School for Bilingual Education which has enabled Jewish and Arab children to study together since 1998.
0202 provides a new point of view of Jerusalem, through Facebook pages and a dedicated web site, which reach over 110,000 people every week, public discourse from East, West, and Haredi Jerusalem is translated into three languages, opening a window for empathy and understanding between Jerusalem’s diverse communities.
Language as a Cultural Bridge seeks to advance language studies in both Hebrew and Arabic, for both children and adults, in a number of frameworks.