Yerushalayim and the Old Yishuv
This year each day of camp has a theme related to Shivat Tzion. Every Eidah has the theme of the day integrated into various activities during the day. Today we focused on Yerushalayim and the Old Yishuv.
In the 1850s, the streets of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem were filled with garbage and rats. There was never enough water in the cisterns and the water was often too horrible to drink. There was abject poverty, overcrowding and disease. People rarely ventured out of the city walls for fear of being attacked by thieves.
Moses Montefiore (1784-1885) encouraged Jews to leave the Jewish Quarter and settle outside the walls. He even built a windmill to encourage industry and provide jobs for Jews willing to settle in Jerusalem. Montefiore’s Windmill and the neighborhood of Mishkenot Shaananim is a popular site until today.