Baruch Mizrahi family
Encyclopedia
Baruch Mizrachi is the oldest known Jewish family in Jerusalem, who came to Jerusalem in 1621 and bought five houses in what is now called the Old City.
In 1643, Baruch Mizrachi wrote a will
, bequeathing the houses to his sons, but preventing them from selling the houses, and obliging them to bequeath the houses to their sons, so that when the Messiah
will come Baruch Mizrahi will be able to return and live in his houses. The houses passed from generation to generation, and were the main reason that the family didn't leave Jerusalem (while many other Jewish families at time left the city because of the economic conditions at the time). The houses were leased by the family members since the turn of the twentieth century to an Arab family, while the family members built their houses outside the walls surrounding the Old City.
family continued living in the houses. When Israel liberated the remainder of Jerusalem in 1967, the family members returned to the houses and claimed ownership to the property. At the time, the Israeli authorities expropriated and demolished all the houses in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem in order to build a new neighborhood, and hence the family members were able to collect only compensation, which the family members felt they were not allowed to collect because of Baruch Mizrachi's will. Instead it was agreed that on the new building a plaque would be hanged with the family's story.
The mayors of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek
and Uri Lupolianski
both promised that upon the arrival of the Messiah, Baruch Mizrachi will be able to receive from the municipality five new houses in Jerusalem.
and Gilead Sher
, an Israel peace negotiator.
In 1643, Baruch Mizrachi wrote a will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
, bequeathing the houses to his sons, but preventing them from selling the houses, and obliging them to bequeath the houses to their sons, so that when the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
will come Baruch Mizrahi will be able to return and live in his houses. The houses passed from generation to generation, and were the main reason that the family didn't leave Jerusalem (while many other Jewish families at time left the city because of the economic conditions at the time). The houses were leased by the family members since the turn of the twentieth century to an Arab family, while the family members built their houses outside the walls surrounding the Old City.
Post-independence
In 1948, the Old City was conquered by the Jordanian army, and the same ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
family continued living in the houses. When Israel liberated the remainder of Jerusalem in 1967, the family members returned to the houses and claimed ownership to the property. At the time, the Israeli authorities expropriated and demolished all the houses in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem in order to build a new neighborhood, and hence the family members were able to collect only compensation, which the family members felt they were not allowed to collect because of Baruch Mizrachi's will. Instead it was agreed that on the new building a plaque would be hanged with the family's story.
The mayors of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek
Teddy Kollek
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek was mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, and founder of the Jerusalem Foundation. Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983 and 1989...
and Uri Lupolianski
Uri Lupolianski
Uri Lupolianski was mayor of Jerusalem from 2003 to 2008 and founder of Yad Sarah.-Biography:Born in Haifa, Israel in 1951, Lupolianski studied at the Yavne School in Haifa and then attended Yeshivat Hanegev. He served in the Israel Defense Forces as a paramedic and worked as a teacher at a...
both promised that upon the arrival of the Messiah, Baruch Mizrachi will be able to receive from the municipality five new houses in Jerusalem.
Descendants
There are several descendants of the family known today. Former Israeli president Yitzhak NavonYitzhak Navon
Yitzhak Navon is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and author. He served as the fifth President of Israel between 1978 and 1982 as a member of the center-left Alignment party...
and Gilead Sher
Gilead Sher
Gilead Sher is an Israeli attorney who served as Chief of Staff and Policy Coordinator to Israel's former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Mr. Ehud Barak...
, an Israel peace negotiator.