Kiryat Shomrei Emunim ( he, קרית שומרי אמונים, "City of the Guardians of Faith") is a

Hasidic Jewish Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...

neighborhood in western

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. It was founded in the early 1960s by the Shomrei Emunim

Rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...

, Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Roth.

Name

The neighborhood is named after the eponymous book by

Aharon Roth Aharon Roth or Aaron Rote ( he, אהרן ראטה) known as Reb Arele (1894−1947), was a Hungarian Hasidic rebbe and Talmudic scholar. He first established a Hasidic community he called Shomer Emunim (Guardian of Faith) in the 1920s in Satu Mar ...

, founder of the Shomer Emunim Hasidic dynasty. This work contains essays on the subjects of "faith, reward and punishment, redemption, and a passionate yearning for God". The main street in the neighborhood is also called Shomrei Emunim Street.

Location

Kiryat Shomrei Emunim is bordered by

Mea Shearim Mea Shearim ( he, מאה שערים, lit., "hundred gates"; contextually, "a hundred fold") is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem outside of the Old City. It is populated by Haredi Jews, and was built by members of the Old Yish ...

to the south,

Beit Yisrael Beit Yisrael ( he, בית ישראל, literal translation, lit. ) is a predominantly Haredi Judaism, Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is located just north of Mea Shearim on Ha-Rav Zonenfeld St 13. The name Beit Yisrael is taken from ...

to the west and north, and Shivtei Yisrael Street to the east.

History

Kiryat Shomrei Emunim was established in the early 1960s by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Roth, the Shomrei Emunim Rebbe, son and successor of the founder of the Shomer Emunim dynasty, Aharon Roth. The Rebbe selected a site between the long-established neighborhoods of

and

. He procured a gift of IL50,000 from the Bank of Israel toward construction costs. In addition to residential buildings, the Rebbe opened a

Talmud Torah Talmud Torah ( he, תלמוד תורה, lit. 'Study of the Torah') schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of religious school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary educ ...

and

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

. Over time, the neighborhood grew to include 12 buildings, a synagogue, '' yeshiva gedola'', '' yeshiva ketana'',

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

, and mikveh. In 1975 a

Bais Yaakov Bais Yaakov ( he, בית יעקב also Beis Yaakov, Beit Yaakov, Beth Jacob or Beys Yankev; lit., House fJacob) is a genericized name for full-time Haredi Jewish elementary and secondary schools for Jewish girls throughout the world. Bais Yaa ...

girls high school moved to Kiryat Shomrei Emunim. In 1976 the Rebbe relocated to Bnei Brak, but returned to the neighborhood each year to celebrate the holidays of

Rosh Hashana Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...

, Sukkot, and Shavuot with his Hasidim in Jerusalem.

Attempted terror attack

On January 11, 2001, a resident spotted a large bag deposited in a garbage can on Shomrei Emunim Street. She called over her brother, a 36-year-old father of five who studies in a neighborhood yeshiva. He opened the bag and saw a bomb connected to a cell phone with wires. He detached the wires from the cell phone and then called police. While police were examining the bomb, which consisted of two mortar shells, the cell phone rang, but the connection had been severed. (subscription) This was the second of four attempted bombings in the vicinity of Mea Shearim and Beit Yisrael over a two-month period.

Expansion

In 2013 developers broke ground on an additional 150 apartment units in Kiryat Shomrei Emunim, a project that will double the population base. The project includes a ornamental garden and a public playground. The new units are expected to attract high demand due to the neighborhood's proximity to neighboring Hasidic communities, the Jerusalem city center, and the

Western Wall The Western Wall ( he, הַכּוֹתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי, HaKotel HaMa'aravi, the western wall, often shortened to the Kotel or Kosel), known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall (Arabic: حَائِط � ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiryat Shomrei Emunim Hasidic Judaism in Jerusalem Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem Populated places established in the 1960s