Visitor Center

For those whose heart thrills to the notes of “mountain air is clear as wine”

For those who are curious to understand how the residents of Zion suffered doubly in the independence war,

Or those who simply want to linger where the scent of pine needles still carries over Jerusalem…

Please climb up with us to the top of ‘Mount Scopus-Har Hatzofim’ to

The “Jerusalem brigade- Mount Scopus” visitor center.

The visitor center on the Beit Orot campus on Mount Scopus is a place of connecting-

Connecting to Jerusalem and its people, dreamers and warriors alike,

Connecting to oneself, to our inner yearning to seek our brothers and sisters

Connecting to our willingness to sacrifice and give our all, for others and for our future generations

But above all it is a place of connection between two entities, which, despite their anonymity, have had an incredible impact on Jerusalem and its residents since the beginning of Zionism – Har Hatzofim (Mount Scopus) and the Jerusalem Brigade. Their influence extended beyond as well.

The tale of each is fascinating unto itself, but their meeting point is truly a breathtaking experience.

Jerusalem, smile down upon your children!

"I highly recommend the activities at the Beit Orot campus, it is a heart-opening place and allows a glimpse at the residents and the ideals by which they live. Everything was organized in the best way possible. The lecture with Rabbi Chen Hallamish was thought provoking, fascinating and useful to our educational work."

"We had the privilege of celebrating our son's Bar mitzvah at Beit Orot. We were looking for a special activity for our family and son's classmates so we chose an amazing tour with Rabbi Chen Hallamish. The tour enabled us to experience our emotion-filled story as a nation, it was a significant experience and added a very important level to our Bar Mitzvah. Thank you so much!"

"The lecture with Rabbi Chen drew the students so deeply into the Jerusalem atmosphere of what it means to us as a nation, and to each individual as well. I felt it was magical and the girls were entranced."

Background

Jerusalem is a central target for any attacker. The fall of Jerusalem is the fall of the entire country. Thus it was throughout history and thus it still is in this new age of a Jewish country. Right after the UN’s partition plan in 1947, the Arabs put tremendous efforts into capturing Jerusalem. The force employed on the city’s residents, sometimes with the aid of the British, via siege, murder and terror were some of the worst that were known in human history. Against all this the Jews of Jerusalem stood, many of them elderly, women and children, with tremendous heroism. The IDF, which was founded in the midst of battle, was extremely behind in terms of manpower and weapons against both the regular and irregular Arab armies.

Even after the partial victories and achievements in the independence war and the ceasefire in 1949, Jerusalem remained under threat. The heart of Jerusalem was split by the “city line’, to the east of which were the Jordanian Legions, and to the west of which were the Jewish citizens of Jerusalem.

The visitor center deals with the heroic stand of the Jerusalem Jews and the inspirational sacrifice of those fighting for her, emphasizing the soldiers of the Jerusalem brigade, throughout the two decades between the UN’s decision on November 29th, 1947 until Jerusalem was liberated on June 6th, 1967.

Our Vision

The heroic story of Jerusalem from the war of independence until its liberation will serve as inspiration for the younger generation.

Aims

Visitors will encounter and experience the story of Jerusalem’s stand during its most difficult time in the new age. They will discover how citizens and soldiers, some of whom were teenagers under the age of enlistment, saved Jerusalem and the frail, young country that had just been born. We hope that this insight will help strengthen the love for nation, heritage and country among young people and teenagers, and will strengthen their resolve and ability to deal with challenging events in their personal and national lives.

Target Audience

Groups of teenagers and young adults from Israel, as well as young adults from across the world, who see themselves as part of the resurrection of the Jewish people in their homeland.

Subjects

The visitor center deals with Jerusalem’s stand during the war of independence, during the six day war and the two decades in between. A large portion of the story will be told through the story of Mount Scopus, which was an enclave in the heart of hostile Arab neighborhoods and came to be one of the prominent symbols of Jerusalem’s stand and the sacrifice of her people during that time period.

Moskowitz Campus – where the building of the visitor center is located, is also a part of the story of our national home renewal. In the middle of the site that was bought by the Moskowitz family there lies a large and lovely house that was built at the beginning of the 20th century by Hilda Andersson, a Christian Swiss reporter who came to Israel of Zionist motives. Her life story is tumultuous, but even more so is the mystery of her murder in April 1948 by Arabs or Brits who avenged her support of the Jewish state that was beginning to form during those days.

“The city line”- which crossed the city from north to south and separated the Jewish side of Jerusalem from the Arab one, was a constant bone of contention for 20 years. In order to understand what a Jerusalemite experienced for two decades we will tour selected spots along this line.

The Jerusalem brigade – the visitor’s center brings social justice to the Jerusalem brigade, which, since it was founded as the Etzioni brigade in the independence war, played an important part in the protection of Jerusalem and the difficult battles for its liberation in the six day war. Including the liberation of the Hebron mountains, from the Tomb of our matriarch Rachel until the cave of Patriarchs, yet this unit is nearly absent from the historical accounts.