Nayot () is a neighborhood in south-central

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

established in 1960 by a group of English-speaking immigrants.''A holy hill becomes home from home''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

Magazine, Anglo File, December 24, 1999 The neighborhood's population of 2,223 includes a mix of families, young children, and older adults. Its most notable landmark is likely the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

Etymology

The name ''Nayot'' (lit. "oases") appears six times in the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

, in I Samuel (I Samuel 19:18).''Batei Tzioney America'', Kol Ha'ir, Ruth Yovel, July 3, 1987 (Hebrew)

History

Nayot was the first housing project in Jerusalem built by Anglo immigrants to Israel. Until an official name was announced in 1963, it was known as ''Hashikun Ha'anglo Saxi'' (the Anglo-Saxon neighborhood). English-speaking immigrants seeking housing in the 1950s formed a committee in 1957, and leased 16 dunams of land from the

Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...

below the hill where the

Israel Museum The Israel Museum (, ''Muze'on Yisrael'', ) is an Art museum, art and archaeology museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world's leading Encyclopedic museum, encyclopa ...

and the

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 ...

are located today, which was outside the boundaries of Jerusalem at the time. Of the first 62 semi-detached homes built in 1960, fifty were purchased by families who immigrated to Israel from the United States and Canada. Many of the first tenants were diplomats, among them Simcha Dinitz. The architect was David Resnick, who won the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...

for architecture in 1995. The committee also set up a

mortgage A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners t ...

fund, which was unknown in Israel in those days. Fundraising in the United States brought in $100,000, and the Israeli government matched the sum, creating a fund of $200,000.

Landmarks

Nayot’s most famous landmark is the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, located just off Herzog Street.Gems in Israel: The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
Spanning 30 acres, it is the largest

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

in Israel. The garden serves as a center for education, learning, and research, featuring more than 6,000 plant species from around the world. It is divided into sections that showcase the flora of different regions, such as Southern Africa and the Mediterranean.

Notable residents

* Shimon Agranat * Eliyahu Lankin

References

{{coord, 31, 46, 4.77, N, 35, 12, 10.48, E, display=title Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem 1960 establishments in Asia Populated places established in 1960