KNESSET. Once at the Knesset, discover why Israeli schoolteachers compare
excessively rowdy pupils to Parliament members. Free tours include an explana-
tion of the structure of the Israeli government, a look at the magnificent Marc
Chagall mosaics and tapestries (yes, those are woven not painted) that adorn the
building, and a peek into the room in which some of the most important decisions
have been made-the cafeteria. (On Eliezer Kaplan St. directly across from the Israel
Museum. From the central bus station or Jaffa Rd. take bus #9 or 24 and ask the driver where to
get off. Passports are required for entrance as part of a detailed search, Tours last
30min.; Su and Th; call to find out when the English tours begin and arrive at least 15min. early.
Open sessions M and Tu 4pm, W 11am; call to make sure that the Knesset is in session.)
ARDON WINDOW. The Ardon Window in the Jewish National and University Library
is another Givat Ram sight worth looking into-or, better still, out of. One of the
largest stained-glass windows in the world, it depicts Jewish mystical symbols in
rich, dark colors. The library, which boasts the world's largest collection of Juda-
ica and Hebraica materials, also features temporary exhibits displaying different
aspects of their collection. (Take bus #9, 24, or 28 from the city-center, Open
Su-Th 9am-7pm, F 9am-lpm. Free.)
REHAVIA
South of Independence Park lie some of Jerusalem's most elegant and affluent res-
idential areas. Rehavia, the area trisected by Azza Rd. and Ramban St. was
founded in the 1920s and became the refuge for the many German Jews fleeing
Nazi persecution in the 1930s. For years, it was famous as a German high-culture
enclave, where dark wood library shelves were lined with Goethe and Schiller
while Mozart grooved on the gramophone. Today, the legacy lives on in the many
International Style houses, designed in the best German Modernism tradition.
Flowery hedges fill the spaces between the well-kept stone buildings, making a
walk around the neighborhood's lush streets a verdant pleasure.
In the middle of Rehavia on Alfassi St. is Jason's Tomb (near 12 Alfassi St. the
sign says "Rock Cut Tomb"), built around 100 ВСЕ as the burial site of a wealthy
Hasmonean-era Jewish family. Pottery found at the site indicates that three gener-
ations were buried there, while charcoal drawings on the plastered porch wall
depict ships, suggesting that one of the deceased was involved in naval excur-
sions. The pyramid topping the tomb is a reconstruction. Farther east past Azza
Rd. is the Prime Minister's official residence, in the heavily guarded house at the cor-
ner of Balfour St. and Smolenskin St. Next door on Balfour St. is the Schocken
Library, designed by renowned architect Erich Mendelssohn, who resided in Jerus-
alem in the late 1930s (he lived in the windmill on Ramban St. near Kikkar Tzarfat,
now a ritzy shopping complex).
TALBIYYA AND QATAMON
Farther south are the neighborhoods of Talbiyya (Komemiyut) and Qatamon
(Gonen), still known by their pre-1948 Arabic names. The ornate villas, one of
which was the home of renowned cultural theorist Edward Said, have become
favorites of Hebrew University faculty and, more recently, well-to-do profession-
als. The official residence of the Israeli President is on Ha-Nassi (President) St. and
the plush Jerusalem Theater is on the other side of the block, on the corner of
Chopin St. and Marcus Rd.