Mea She'arim: 75 years ago

JPost special feature: The ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Mea She'arim in the 1930s.

By LENNY BEN-DAVID
Israel's History- Picture of the day (photo credit: Frank M. Good)
Israel's History- Picture of the day
(photo credit: Frank M. Good)
Meah She'arim was established in 1874 during the same week that the verse from Genesis was read in the synagogue Torah reading. In 1890, the neighborhood was home to 800 residents in 200 buildings. 

The demand for housing was so great that within three years another 100 homes were built and the population almost doubled.  Adjacent neighborhoods, such as Batei Ungarin and the Bukharan Quarter, were built to handle the burgeoning Jewish population.
Each neighborhood contained its own marketplace full of stalls and stores.  Not too many years ago, shopkeepers in the Bukharan market were still using their abacus to tally purchases.Today, however, with the exception of shoppers in Jerusalem's Machane Yehuda market, the shopping habits of Jerusalemites have changed, and supermarket chains now attract more and more consumers.More photos can be viewed at http://www.israeldailypicture.com