House by house, old Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem are being reclaimed for Jews. The Uvneh Yerushalayim association, formed for the purpose of locating and reclaiming Jewish-owned properties in eastern Jerusalem and environs, very recently scored a very dramatic success in its efforts.
The story began when a property in a largely Jewish-owned, but currently Arab-inhabited, neighborhood just north of the Old City was put up for sale, for a significant amount. Contacts between Uvneh Yerushalayim and the elderly Jewish owner were not proceeding fast enough for the seller, and finally the Jewish organization "happened to learn" that the man was willing to sell it to his Arab tenant for about 20% less. Uvneh Yerushalayim quickly contacted the owner once again and offered approximately the same, and the response was, "Fine - but only if you sign with me no later than five days from now."
That night, Uvneh's Chaim S. boarded a plane to the U.S. with only one thought: "There must be someone who can help us keep this property Jewish." He landed in New York, made a few unsuccessful calls - and then it happened. Chaim made an appointment with a Jewish man from New Jersey for the next night, explained him the situation, and the man said simply, "I'll take it."
Chaim jubilantly returned to Israel the next day, and signed the deal with the landowner. "This was a vibrant Jewish community up until the pogroms of 1929," he said, noting that the property lies in close proximity to an area on which were housed two synagogues up until then. "Nineteen Jews were massacred in 1929, and many others left, and Arabs came in and squatted on the properties. Our goal is to make these areas Jewish once again." Uvneh can be reached at "chaim@uvnehyerushalayim.org".
The story began when a property in a largely Jewish-owned, but currently Arab-inhabited, neighborhood just north of the Old City was put up for sale, for a significant amount. Contacts between Uvneh Yerushalayim and the elderly Jewish owner were not proceeding fast enough for the seller, and finally the Jewish organization "happened to learn" that the man was willing to sell it to his Arab tenant for about 20% less. Uvneh Yerushalayim quickly contacted the owner once again and offered approximately the same, and the response was, "Fine - but only if you sign with me no later than five days from now."
That night, Uvneh's Chaim S. boarded a plane to the U.S. with only one thought: "There must be someone who can help us keep this property Jewish." He landed in New York, made a few unsuccessful calls - and then it happened. Chaim made an appointment with a Jewish man from New Jersey for the next night, explained him the situation, and the man said simply, "I'll take it."
Chaim jubilantly returned to Israel the next day, and signed the deal with the landowner. "This was a vibrant Jewish community up until the pogroms of 1929," he said, noting that the property lies in close proximity to an area on which were housed two synagogues up until then. "Nineteen Jews were massacred in 1929, and many others left, and Arabs came in and squatted on the properties. Our goal is to make these areas Jewish once again." Uvneh can be reached at "chaim@uvnehyerushalayim.org".