Batei Munkacs

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Neighborhood sign on apartment building in Batei Munkacs

Batei Munkacs (Hebrew: בתי מונקאטש, "Munkacs Houses"), also spelled Batei Munkatch, officially Batei Munkacs Tiferes Zvi,[1] is a former courtyard neighborhood in Jerusalem. Established in 1928 by the Munkacser Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira, Batei Munkacs is now part of the Nachlaot neighborhood.

Location[]

Batei Munkacs is bordered by Yizrael Street to the south, Netziv Street to the west, the neighborhood of to the north, and Mesilas Yesharim Street to the east.

History[]

A row house in Batei Munkacs, with partial view of courtyard

Batei Munkacs was founded in 1928 by the Munkacser Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira,[1] as a housing project for members of the Munkacser Kollel,[2][3] Kollel Tiferes Zvi,[4] a charity organization that supported families from Munkács, Hungary, living in Jerusalem.[5] The land was purchased in 1914 by two Hasidim sent by the Rebbe,[1] but the outbreak of World War I halted building plans. Construction was further delayed until 1929, apparently due to a lack of funds.[6] Batei Munkacs was one of only a handful of new neighborhoods constructed during the British Mandate era.[7] It was the seventh, and last, Haredi neighborhood established in the Nachlaot area.[3]

While the Munkacser Hasidim intended to build on the entire tract of land, only three buildings – two row houses at either end, and a synagogue building in the center – were eventually erected due to a lack of resources.[6][8] Like other kollel neighborhoods constructed at the end of the Ottoman period, such as Batei Ungarin, the buildings of Batei Munkacs were planned around a courtyard,[8] with the synagogue in the center of the courtyard. Each apartment had a kitchen and bathroom in the entrance hall, and two rooms located to the rear.[8] According to a 1914 newspaper report, the Munkacser Rebbe intended that each homeowner would also have room for a small vegetable garden in front of his apartment.[1][2]

Batei Munkacs synagogue

The neighborhood regulations, approved and signed by the Munkacser Rebbe during his visit to Palestine in 1930,[9] sought to maintain the integrity of the neighborhood as a Hasidic enclave. Residents were required to wear Hasidic dress (levush), and were not allowed to shave their beards or payot (sidelocks).[6] Like members of other Hasidic sects in Palestine, the Munkacser Hasidim were enjoined to send their children to Haredi schools, and not to schools run by Zionist pedagogues.[6] Residents were also required to support the neighborhood synagogue by praying there at least once a week on weekdays, and on at least one Shabbat every two months. The synagogue adheres to the prayer customs of the Munkacser Hasidism.[6]

The Munkacser Rebbe visited Palestine for the first time in the spring of 1930. He spent one Shabbat in Batei Munkacs, where he was hosted by a homeowner.[10] A huge outdoor awning was erected for his Friday-night tish, which was attended by myriads of Jerusalem residents.[6]

The neighborhood today[]

Batei Munkacs continues to be occupied by Haredi families in the 21st century.[3][11] It is home to about 30 families.[3] The yahrtzeit of the Munkacser Rebbe on 2 Sivan is commemorated in the synagogue with refreshments after the prayer services.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Sorasky, Rabbi Aharon (1991). Great Chassidic Leaders: Portraits of seven masters of the spirit. Mesorah Publications. p. 110. ISBN 0-89906-482-5.
  2. ^ a b "ירושלים: בתים וגנות לבני כולל מונקטש" [Jerusalem: Houses and Gardens for Members of Kollel Munkacs]. Moriah (in Hebrew). 12 May 1914. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Lev Ha'ir (Machane Yehuda and Nachlaot)". Jerusalem Municipality. 30 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-02-19. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  4. ^ Meringer, Motty (25 May 2009). "Munkacz – an Empire of Torah". Tog News. Retrieved 22 January 2014.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "The Hasidic Rabbis of Munkács". Yad Vashem. 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "בתי מונקאטש" [Batei Munkacs] (in Hebrew). Jerusalem Municipality. 7 October 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-02-19. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  7. ^ Kark, Ruth; Oren-Nordheim, Michal (2001). Jerusalem and Its Environs: Quarters, Neighborhoods, Villages, 1800-1948. Wayne State University Press. p. 165. ISBN 0814329098.
  8. ^ a b c Katzir, Uri. "שכונת בתי מונקאטש" [Batei Munkacs Neighborhood]. aplaton.co.il. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  9. ^ "The History of the Munkács Community Before the Holocaust – Religious Life – Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapira – the Munkaczer Rebbe". Yad Vashem. 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  10. ^ Sorasky (1991), p. 113.
  11. ^ Malkov, Tzipi (24 May 2012). "מחנה יהודה: הסוחרים התנגדו, בלבסטה בוטל" [Mahane Yehuda: Merchants objected, Balabasta cancelled]. Ynetnews (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 January 2014.

Coordinates: 31°46′52″N 35°12′50″E / 31.781°N 35.214°E / 31.781; 35.214

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