Beit Orot (,
lit. The House of Lights) is a Jewish neighborhood on the northern ridge on the
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet (; ; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem, east of and adjacent to Old City of Jerusalem, Jerusalem's Old City. It is named for the olive, olive ...
, in
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the portion of Jerusalem that was Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, held by Jordan after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Captured and occupied in 1967, th ...
, near the
Augusta Victoria Hospital
The Augusta Victoria Compound is a community hospital and church complex on the northern side of the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem; the hospital is one of six which form the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network. The compound was built in 1907 ...
and the
Palestinian
Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine.
*: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
neighbourhood of
At-Tur
At-Tur (, ; The Mount) is the 52nd chapter (''sūrah'') of the Quran with 49 verses ('' ayat''). The surah opens with the oath of Allah swearing by the Mount, which some believe is Mount Sinai, where the Tawrat was revealed to Musa. The chapt ...
.
[
]
The Irving Moskowitz Yeshiva & Campus, a
Religious Zionist
Religious Zionism () is a religious denomination that views Zionism as a fundamental component of Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' (), and in Israel, they are most commonly known by the plural form of the fi ...
Hesder
Hesder ( "arrangement"; also Yeshivat Hesder ) is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework. The program allows Orthodox J ...
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; ; 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 studied in parallel. The stu ...
is the nucleus of the neighborhood.
[Overview]
at ''BeitOrot.org''
History
The purchase of the land that was to become Beit Orot was arranged in 1990 by
Hanan Porat
Hanan Porat (; 5 December 1943 – 4 October 2011) was an Israeli Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, educator and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Tehiya, the National Religious Party, Tkuma (political party), Tkuma and the Nat ...
, an Israeli politician, and financed by Dr.
Irving Moskowitz, an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
Jewish philanthropist, and his wife, Mrs. Cherna Moskowitz. The site was chosen for its historic significance: during the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
in 1967, Porat was a paratrooper and his commander, Giora Askenazi, was killed there in the fight for the Old City in Jerusalem. The purchase of the land represented the first Jewish acquisition outside the Old City after the Six Day War. Porat founded Beit Orot together with
Binyamin Elon
Rabbi Binyamin "Benny" Elon (; 10 November 1954 – 5 May 2017) was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Moledet and the National Union between 1996 and 2009. A ninth-generation Jerusalemite, Elon ...
.
The purchase was controversial, as the site of Beit Orot had originally been planned as an Arab school,
[
] and the purchase of the land for the yeshiva was opposed by then-mayor
Teddy Kollek
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek (; 27 May 1911 – 2 January 2007) was an Israeli politician who served as the mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, and founder of the Jerusalem Foundation. Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978 Jerusalem ...
,
[ but Kollek was soon voted out of office and the purchase allowed to be concluded. The project continues to stir controversy][
] as Palestinian authorities decried continued Jewish building in what they say should be Arab neighborhoods.[
On January 31, 2011, a cornerstone laying ceremony was held for four apartment buildings with a total of 24 homes that are the beginning of the new Jewish Israeli settlement of Beit Orot on the Mount of Olives Ridge. In attendance at the ceremony were ]Knesset
The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
members, Jerusalem city councilmen, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee
Michael Dale Huckabee (, born August 24, 1955) is an American diplomat, political commentator, Baptist minister, and politician serving as the 29th United States Ambassador to Israel, United States ambassador to Israel since 2025. A member of ...
, and actor Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations ...
.[
]
Jerusalem Day program
Beit Orot hosts a popular program for Jerusalem Day
Jerusalem Day (, ) is an Public holidays in Israel, Israeli national holiday that commemorates the "reunification" of East Jerusalem (including the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City) with West Jerusalem following the Six-Day War of 1967, which s ...
. Beit Orot's location overlooks a panoramic view of the entire city of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount
The Temple Mount (), also known as the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, 'Haram al-Sharif'), and sometimes as Jerusalem's holy esplanade, is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a ...
and the Old City walls. As part of the Jerusalem Day program, there are multiple free guided tours of the Mount of Olives Ridge, the area of the 1967 battle. One tour follows the path that the paratroopers took to the Lion's Gate on their way to liberating Jerusalem.
See also
* Ma'ale ha-Zeitim, another Jewish settlement on the Mount of Olives
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Mount of Olives
Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem
Populated places established in 2011
Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem
2011 establishments in Asia