Another “Once Upon a Time in Jerusalem”,
and this time – the Rassco neighborhood, 1963, viewed from the direction of Bayit Vegan.
The neighborhood’s official name is Givat HaVeradim (“Rose Hill”), and it was established in the early 1950s, during the austerity period, to provide housing for government officials who moved to Jerusalem as the city was beginning to establish itself as the capital of Israel.
The neighborhood was built by the then-governmental company Rassco, and over the years, the name Rassco stuck and became the neighborhood’s common name.
With all the colorful characters, flavors, and quirks of Jerusalem — from calling every cat a she-cat, to the esh tanur (a taboon oven for baking flatbreads), metzitza (a Jerusalem-style lollipop— Rassco is just a small part of the bigger picture.
The houses in the neighborhood were built of concrete by the government, in contrast to the building regulations in the city, which had been established back in the British Mandate era, requiring that buildings in Jerusalem be clad in Jerusalem stone.
The era was one of austerity, and it seems that what was allowed for the government wasn’t allowed for others.
In that sense, nothing has changed.
Later on, buildings clad in Jerusalem stone were constructed in the neighborhood’s areas, catering to the city’s emerging middle class.
Back to the present day – a master plan was recently drawn up for the neighborhood, under which several areas will be redeveloped as part of an urban renewal project (Pinui-Binui), with the construction of high-rise towers of 18-20 stories and new residential complexes.
The young civil servants have grown old, the buildings have aged and deteriorated, and fresh blood is needed in the area.
On the other hand, the traffic arteries in the neighborhood were designed for the apartment blocks of the 1950s, and the challenge of traffic flow in the area is now in the hands of the planners.
Time will tell.
The new replaces the old – stone-clad towers instead of aging plaster apartment blocks, densification and modernization plans for a neighborhood in an excellent location, but one that has been stagnating for decades.
Wishing a peaceful Shabbat to those near and far and Chag Sameach❤️
May our brothers and sisters return home to their families.
With thanks to the photo collection of the late Yitzhak Sa’ad.
