Ehud Eiran served as a legal clerk to Israel's Attorney General and Assistant to
the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D
in Politics at Brandeis University.
cafe scene. Buses #4, 14, and 18 run here from the city-center. To the southeast,
the Haas Promenade is a hillside park that commands unbelievable views of the Old
City and the Dead Sea. The dusk experience alone is worth the trip. On foot, walk
south on Hebron Rd. bear left onto Albeck St. and turn left onto Yanofsky St. Bus
#8 runs from King George St. to the corner of Albeck St. and Yanofsky St.
NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS
TOMBS OF THE SANHEDRIN. A park carpeted with pebbles and pine needles
houses the Tombs of the Sanhedrin. Composed of 70 esteemed male sages and
leaders, the Sanhedrin was the ancient high court of the Jews; it ruled on legal
matters and even reviewed Jesus' case. Separate burial areas were designated for
the members. (Take bus #2 from the city center to Ha-Sanhedrin St. off Yam SufSt. Open Su-
F9am-sunset. Free.)
AMMUNITION HILL. Before the Six-Day War, Ammunition Hill (Givat Ha-
Tahmoshet) was Jordan's most fortified position in the city, and it commanded
much of northern Jerusalem. Taken by Israeli troops in a bloody battle, the hill
now serves as a memorial to the Israeli soldiers who died in the Six-Day War. The
somber, architecturally striking museum is housed in a reconstructed bunker with
a detailed account of the 1967 battle. (Buses #4, 9, 25, and 26 stop at the foot of the hill,
in Ramat Eshkol, north of the Old City, -a 582 84 42. Open Su-Th 8am-6pm, F8am-2pm; closes 1
hr. earlier in winter. NIS10, students NIS8.)
HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM. After 1948, the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem had to relocate from Mount Scopus (Har Ha-Tzofim), where it was
founded in 1925, to the new campus in Givat Ram. From 1948 to 1967, Mount Sco-
pus was a garrisoned Israeli enclave in Jordanian territory. Every week for 19
years, UN supplies were flown in to relieve the community; every week, seven
Israeli soldiers were let in and seven were let out. After 1967, all but the natural and
physical sciences departments moved back to the original campus. Massive recon-
struction was funded largely by international donors, whose names emblazon the
libraries, promenades, and pebbles that comprise modern Mount Scopus. Free
guided tours depart from the Bronfman Reception Center in the Sherman Adminis-
tration Building. Pick up a map from the Reception Center for an unguided stroll
around Israel's top university and browse through the bookstore, library, com-
puter labs, and botanical gardens. For a fabulous view of Jerusalem, head to the
lookout point, outside the university gates along the south side of the campus. The
Hecht Synagogue in the Humanities building overlooks the Old City and is reputed
to have the most magnificent view of Jerusalem in the entire city. Enter the syna-
gogue via the Sherman Building. The university's gorgeous amphitheater faces the
Palestinian Territories. (Take bus #4a or 9 from the city-center. Tours Su-Th 11am.)
WESTERN OUTSKIRTS
MOUNT HERZL PARK. Heading out of the city center along Herzl Blvd. eventually
leads to Mount Herzl Park, named for Theodor Herzl, a newspaper correspondent
who made the most prominent modern articulations of Zionism and lobbied for the
creation of a Jewish state (see Zionism, 0). Herzl was buried here in 1904; since
then, the site has become the final resting place for many other of the nation's great
leaders, including Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, and Yitzhak Rabin. A
small museum encapsulating the energy of Theodor Herzl is near the entrance, but
it has been closed for over a year with no projected re-opening date. Nearby is the
Israeli Military Cemetery, the resting place of fallen soldiers. (Take bus #13, 16-18, 20-
21, 23-24, 26-27, or 39. Open Su-Th 8am-6:45pm, F8am-2pm, Sa 9am-6:45pm.)