Musrara, My Love (Jerusalem)

Friday, October 9, 10:00–13:00

Musrara (Morasha) is a European gem with an Oriental character outside the walls of the Old City: once a neighborhood of Arab aristocracy, later the birthplace of the “Black Panthers,” and today a bohemian enclave between the religious Mea Shearim and the bustling Damascus Gate.

This is a neighborhood that was once caught in an “interregnum” and found itself entirely on no man’s land. Mansions, film schools, institutes, watermelons, attempts to mend the city’s seam, traces of war, Golda Meir, the Black Panthers, and a love story that I will tell by Chiara’s Staircase. I will show you a place where you can spend the night for 250 shekels and another where you can learn Ancient Greek—but above all, the neighborhood is filled with endless art objects on the body of the divided city.

The neighborhood is beginning to be redeveloped, and local residents are also leaving it—we will discuss the reasons. Soon, nothing will remain of its charm, gardens, and shady courtyards.

I invite you to walk with me and preserve this history in your memories. There will be many colorful corners, emotions, personal experience (I lived in Musrara for a while), and plenty of art—with less politics and academic local history.

To register for the tour, contact Olga Andreyeva via WhatsApp: +972508143001. Those who register will receive a detailed program, locations of inexpensive parking, instructions, and even advice on where to stay in Jerusalem if you feel like extending the day’s enchantment.

Tour price: 150 shekels. Payment can be made in cash, by bank transfer, or via PayBox.

The route takes place outside the walls of the Old City.