Kiryat HaYovel (Hebrew:קריית היובל) is a neighborhood in southwesternJerusalem onMount Herzl. It was built in the early 1950s to houseJewish immigrants and refugees who fled the Arab world.[1] Today, Kiryat HaYovel has a population of 25,000 residents.
Kiryat HaYovel is located on the main road toHadassah Hospital,Ein Kerem, betweenRamat Denya andKiryat Menachem.[2]
Kiryat HaYovel was established in 1952 to house thousands ofJews from Arab countries who fled their homes when theState of Israel was declared.[1] In the early days it was atent city, as public housing projects, calledshikunim, were hastily built to accommodate them.
The neighborhood was built near ruins known in Arabic as "Khirbet Beit Mazmil" ("The Stonemasons' House") and was initially named after it. There is a common misconception that the name originates from a Palestinian village of the same name that existed in the area and was abandoned during the1948 Palestine war. However, surveys from the British Mandate era and contemporary maps, as well as earlier ones, indicate that there was no such village in the area.[3] The name originates from the stone quarries that were located at the top of the hill and were used by the Palestinian residents ofEin Karem. Part of the area was agricultural, with olive groves present.
It was renamedKiryat HayovelArchived 2011-10-01 at theWayback Machine[4] (Jubilee Town) to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of theJewish National Fund.[5][1]
The need for housing was so urgent that a British mandatory ordinance requiring that all buildings in Jerusalem be faced withJerusalem stone was waived in Kiryat Hayovel. Functional architecture, with flat roofs, stucco facades and no ornamentation, was characteristic of early construction in the neighborhood, and many examples remain until today.[6]
The neighborhood's immigrant population was gradually supplemented with young couples. In the 1960s, they were joined by teachers and professors, offsetting the proletarian character of the neighborhood and creating more upscale sections, such as the large private homes lining Shmaryahu Levin Street.[2] In 2002, it was described as a blue-collar neighborhood.[7]
On March 29, 2002,Ayat al-Akhras, a 17-year-old Palestinian, blew herself up at the entrance of Kiryat HaYovel's mainsupermarket, killing two people and injuring 28.[8]
Kiryat HaYovel has a commercial center, a community center, three public swimming pools, and a library.
The neighborhood's claim to fame is "The Golem", a whimsical playground sculpture set in Rabinovich Park. Commonly called "The Monster" (Hamifletzet in Hebrew), the sculpture's three red tongues serve as slides. The Golem was designed by the French sculptorNiki de Saint-Phalle.[9]
Many of the streets in Kiryat HaYovel are named for countries in Latin America, whoseUnited Nations representatives voted in favor of the establishment of Israel in 1947.[10]
ALYN Hospital, a comprehensive rehabilitation center for physically challenged and disabled children, adolescents, and young adults, is located in Kiryat HaYovel.[11]
31°45′27″N35°10′40″E / 31.75750°N 35.17778°E /31.75750; 35.17778
