31°45′54″N 35°11′50″E / 31.76500°N 35.19722°E / 31.76500; 35.19722

File:SulamyaakovS.jpg
Jacob's Ladder sculpture, Givat Mordechai, Jerusalem

Givat Mordechai, (Hebrew: גבעת מרדכי, trans: Mordechai's Hill) is a Jewish neighborhood in southwest-central Jerusalem, Israel, midway between the neighborhoods of Nayot and Bayit Vegan. The neighborhood was named after an American philanthropist, Maxwell (Mordechai) Abbell of Chicago.

History

Givat Mordechai was established in the 1950s by members of Hapoel Hamizrachi, the forerunner of the National Religious Party, known in Hebrew as Mafdal. Most of the streets are named after leaders of Hapoel Hamizrachi. The population is largely modern Orthodox, with some secular Jews. There are many synagogues and educational institutions in Givat Mordechai. The main campus of the Jerusalem College of Technology is located there, as is the Hebron yeshiva.[1]

Landmarks

The Jerusalem Fire Brigade is headquartered in Givat Mordechai.[2]

Ezra Orion's outdoor sculpture "Stairway" (1979-1980) is located at the entrance to Givat Mordechai in the Elsie Bernadette Garden. It is widely known as "Sulam Yaakov," or "Jacob's Ladder."

Givat Mordechai abuts the Pri-Har valley (Gazelle Valley), a large expanse of open fields that is home to a herd of deer and other wildlife. Plans to build residential towers here triggered an outcry from environmentalists and local residents, who managed to block the project. Instead, the area is slated to become a park and a nature reserve.[3]

Notable residents

References