Jerusalem - Between East and West Tour 

This walking tour will take us along the fascinating East-West divide of Jerusalem along the route #1, built on what used to be the border between Israel and Jordan between 1948 and 1967. On the tour, you will see and experience the rich and fragile nature of Jerusalem's people and places, so deeply connected and yet divided.

The tour will start at New Gate, with a short historical introduction focusing on the current realities in Jerusalem. From there, we will cross the road, the former border, to West Jerusalem. Passing the historic Notre Dame Abbey, we’ll enter into the neighborhood of Musrara, whose history is a fascinating microcosm of Jerusalem. Here Jewish immigrants from Muslim countries were crowded into depopulated Palestinian homes, making what was once a wealthy neighborhood into a slum, and giving rise to the formation of the Israeli Black Panthers. Continuing north we will pass into the Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim, and explore their unique society, struggling to maintain its insularity in the face of social and political change.

Crossing over to East Jerusalem at the place of the historic Mandelbaum Gate, we’ll see what remains  of this famous border crossing, including the historic Baramki house which was once the family home of the Palestinian architect who designed it, then an Israeli military post, and now a museum of modern art. Next we’ll cross the road into the present day Palestinian neighbourhoods, the site of the Palestinian National Theater, often raided and shut down by the Israeli police, the former PLO offices in the Orient House, the majestic American Colony Hotel, and the final part of our tour in the threatened homes of Sheikh Jarrah.

Whilst observing the great beauty and rich history we will discuss and interact with some of the many hardships that Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem endure such as home demolitions, settlement expansion and racial discrimination. We will end the tour at the evicted home of the El Kurd family in Sheikh Jarrah. The visit and tour will give a good overview of many of the key issues affecting Israeli and Palestinian communities, right in the heart of this fractured city, Jerusalem/Al-Quds.