Changing populations

The single-family homes in Givat Hamivtar are attracting well-to-do haredi families.

By JOHN BENZAQUEN
open house 521 (photo credit: courtesy of Houses from Within)
open house 521
(photo credit: courtesy of Houses from Within)
The northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Hamivtar, located between French Hill and Ramat Eshkol, derives its name from its recent military past.
From 1948 to 1967, it was a fortified Jordanian position, one of a series of such fortifications meant to block the way from west Jerusalem to the enclave on Mount Scopus in the eastern Jordanian part of Jerusalem. Givat Hamivtar in Hebrew means “cut” or “bisected hill,” because that stronghold cut off Mount Scopus from Jewish Jerusalem. The Arabs have given it a more mundane name – Tel al-Mudara, the Rounded Hill, because of its topography.
The area has both recent and ancient historical significance.
During the Six Day War, an important battle took place in the area, and archeological excavations have revealed ancient Jewish tombs from the time of the Second Temple and earlier.
After the Six Day War, Israel annexed the area, along with what is now French Hill and Ramat Eshkol.
Givat Hamivtar is one of a ring of neighborhoods constructed following the 1967 war. These neighborhoods were planned to emphasize the new political realities, and that entailed increasing the non-Arab population in the greater Jerusalem area. The government was keen to accelerate the process.
This was the case in Givat Hamivtar, with a slight difference. It was the first ring neighborhood in Jerusalem to be declared a Bnei Beit’cha area, meaning that the land was sold to private individuals and not contractors or developers. The purchase was conditional on the buyers building a private dwelling within a certain time span.
That was 45 years ago, and Givat Hamivtar became one of few areas of the capital devoted to private dwellings for the middle class. It was the abode of secular, generally well-to-do families, and as such, real estate fetched premium prices.
Now things there are changing. The residents are still well-to-do – they would have to be, as an average large single-family home with a garden, usually terraced, can cost well over NIS 4 million, and dwellings costing NIS 6m. or more are not a rarity. But the ideological makeup is changing fast.
The northern neighborhoods, such as Ramat Eshkol, French Hill and Givat Hamivtar, are either becoming predominantly haredi (ultra-Orthodox) or already are. The haredi community is growing fast, and its members frequently expand to areas adjacent to already haredi neighborhoods, which in turn become primarily haredi.
This phenomenon occurred in Ramat Eshkol, which was relatively near the haredi neighborhoods of Kiryat Belz, Kiryat Sanz and Geula. Consequently affluent haredim, many of them from the US, bought what was then expensive housing. The trend continued in the neighboring French Hill, which, because of lower real-estate prices, attracted haredim who could not afford the Ramat Eshkol prices.
This trend is now happening in Givat Hamivtar, where the large single-family homes are well-suited to traditionally large haredi families, and haredim who have the means are willing to pay the stiff prices.
More importantly the area has the necessary cultural, educational and religious infrastructure, such as yeshivot, synagogues, mikvaot (ritual baths) and strictly kosher food shops.
Savion Mass is the manager of the Anglo-Saxon Real Estate Brokerage (sub-agency) in northern Jerusalem, which covers Ramat Eshkol, French Hill, Givat Hamivtar and Tzameret Habira. Speaking to In Jerusalem, she explains that “the fact that the haredim are buying property in the area is normal. There are excellent social infrastructure facilities for the haredim, and consequently they are keen to buy.”
She also points out that “in the past, haredi demand raised prices in Ramat Eshkol, for example. Today, when real-estate demand is relatively weak, prices are steady, but it is the haredi demand that is keeping it steady.”
At present, northern Jerusalem is sought after among the haredi community, with the exception of Tzameret Habira, a lovely pastoral area of terraced apartments adjacent to French Hill.
Most property owners in the area have the impression that prices are still rising, and consequently they are asking outrageous prices. However, those who have to sell because they want to buy a larger or more suitable dwelling have to accept a lower price.
Recent real-estate transactions:
• A three-room, 150-square-meter apartment in a high-rise building sold for NIS 2.12 million. Originally it had five rooms, but the proprietors adapted it to their needs.
• In the Tzameret Habira area, a 145-sq.m. apartment with a large terrace sold for NIS 1.8m. The apartment was in dire need of renovation.
• A terraced dwelling also in Tzameret Habira, 110 sq.m. with a 12-sq.m. terrace and separate store room, sold for NIS 1.575m.
• On offer in the area: two large penthouses for NIS 2.95m., plus a single-family home in Givat Hamivtar with an asking price of NIS 4.2m.