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TourismDave KaplanDave KaplanWalk the Line. Passing this beautiful home, where stone and nature mesh in a tapestry of visual serenity, one arrives at the new Railwayscenic pedestrian path.British Mandatory government deported the Templersto Australia. As Germans, they were considered enemycitizens, all the more so because they made little effortto disguise their Nazi sympathies.The next residents were Christian Arabs attracted byits location between Bethlehem and the developingneighborhoods of Katamon, Talbiya and Baka, populatedby some of Jerusalem’s wealthiest Arabs. Like the Templerstheir residency too came to a climatic end through war.However, the upheaval of 1948 was not an existentialstrife a world away but an eruption on their doorstep.In the wake of the fierce battles during Israel’s War ofIndependence, the Arab residents of the German Colonyand Baka fled, abandoning their homes. These abodeswere soon taken over by Jews “exiled from the OldCity,” says local resident Dennis Diamond. “It was in away a population exchange. A large percentage of thesepeople were Sepharadim of generational Jerusalemitesand they established in the German Colony an echocommunity of their life in the Old City. Over the ensuingyears, the area attracted young Israeli families as thehousing was affordable. The population was mixedand interesting and when I arrived in the mid-seventiesthere was this sense of continuity as most of theoriginal residents from 1948 were still living here. It waswonderful being part of this community – exuding anambiance of romanticism and familiarity - characteristicsthat endure to this day.”Diamond, originally from Johannesburg and one of theearlier pioneers of English-speakers to this area hasmade a significant contribution through his involvementSpring-Summer 201224in project management and interior design in preservingthe architectural legacy of the area. He recalls how in theearly days “I was so agitated about changing features ina building that had been doing fine for nearly a centurybefore I came along.” For this reason, he reveals witha smile, “In my own home, we lived for many winterswith drafty wooden windows because I could not bringmyself to change them.”Anyway, continues Diamond, “From the late 1980s,architects designed with greater sensitivity whenmodernizing old buildings.” He credits Jerusalem’sillustrious former mayor, Teddy Kolek for “this newdirection.”Preserving the PastThe eighties in Jerusalem, says Diamond, were plaguedwith a huge spate of high-rise building out of sync withthe character of the city. “Teddy assembled a team ofinternational people – all lovers of Jerusalem – who heinspired in the physical tapestry of the city and who in turnadvised him to appoint an international team of architectsand urban developers to monitor future building. Theywere not necessarily Jewish, but all prominent in theirfield and whose advice he solicited and heeded. Theyhad no authority but exercised influence because Teddylistened. The new trend was soon apparent when forexample the design for the then new Hyatt Hotel -planned as a multi-storied tower complex – was sentback to the drawing board. The end result instead was alayered structure on the side of the mountain in a typical
The key to your financial securityBank of Jerusalemבלומנקרנץ ושות'‏ Park, (right) where the original train track from the 1890s is now aYerushalmi or Middle Eastern style. Similarly, the originalgrandiose plans for the Inbal Hotel was modified creatingthe poignantly sensitive structure you have today, inkeeping with Jerusalem’s landscape.”The new mindset impacted on the German Colony’sstructural future. “Preservation laws were enforced andso when homes were renovated from the 1980s, theydid not lose their character; most certainly the ones Iwas involved in. My approach to modernizing was tointerfere minimally.”Diamond believes that what generally transpired was“that the more sensitive new architects joined forceswith the stronger old guard of the profession who hadwanted to preserve more strongly the character of thecity. The result is that new developments are emulatingthe style of the old German Colony buildings thus inkeeping with the neighborhood’s architectural legacy.”All in all, says Diamond, “it’s been very excitingarchitecturally to live in this neighborhood.”Diamond says he is moved when he looks out fromhis balcony and sees tourists standing below on thepavement, staring up at his double-storied home. “Thetour groups are forever stopping below with their guidesgesticulating towards my property then the adjacentone and followed by homes across the street. Once thepreserve of mainly locals, today the German Colonyattracts tourists in their multitudes daily”You too may want to join a tour or walk in the GermanColony at your own leisure. It would be well worth avisit. Who knows? You may even be inspired thereafterto read the poetry of Yehuda Amichai!Spring-Summer 201225Bank of Jerusalem invites you to enjoyfinancial stability and peace of mind…Enjoy the highest standards of private banking,with an unparalleled level of personal andprofessional service.Our renovated branch on Keren Hayesod streethouses a long history of superlative banking toour overseas clients, providing comprehensivesolutions to all their financial needs.At the Bank of Jerusalem we continue to serveour satisfied clients and provide consultationon a broad spectrum of savings and depositplans, global capital markets and real estatefinancing.Now is the time to take a new look atyour investments in Israel and abroad, andconsult with our team of dedicated bankingprofessionals.18 Keren Hayesod Street, Jerusalem | Tel: 972-76-8095030Email: bankjer@bankjerusalem.com | www.bankjerusalem.com
Page 1 and 2: InbalInbal Jerusalem MagazineSpring
Page 3 and 4: You work hard and invest wisely for
Page 6 and 7: Table of Contents8CultureThe Big Pi
Page 8 and 9: CultureBy David E. KaplanThe Big Pi
Page 10 and 11: CultureJust as the ‘Bang bang, sh
Page 12 and 13: CultureSchool, the future looked bl
Page 14 and 15: CultureDistribution Award at the 20
Page 16: CultureReutersRed Carpet. Israeli d
Page 20: TourismChurch built in 1927 and dec
Page 23: Kety KatavMagical & Majestic. Jerus
Page 27 and 28: Abir SultanNahum Budin, PhotoStock-
Page 30 and 31: Nature“and many great-grand child
Page 32: Naturerelations. And it has paid of
Page 35 and 36: Herzl Center, JerusalemSpring-Summe
Page 37: imaginary Israel set in 1923, where
Page 40: FoodBrauner Teddy, The National Pho
Page 43 and 44: the brick interior of our oven, in
Page 45 and 46: To Israel With LoveHaim ZachHaim Za
Page 47 and 48: Proud to be PreferredIn February, t
Page 49 and 50: Haim Zach“Hello, I’m Sandra Haz

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