Talpiot
Encyclopedia
Talpiot is a neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, established in 1922 by Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...

 pioneers.

Etymology

The name Talpiot derives from a verse in Song of Songs
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...

 4:4 – "Thy neck is like the tower of David, built with turrets." According to rabbinic sources, Talpiot refers to the Temple. It was said to be a compound of the Hebrew words tel (hill) and piyot (mouths), as in "the hill to which all mouths turn in prayer."

History

The early settlers were evacuated from Talpiot in the wake of the 1929 Hebron massacre
1929 Hebron massacre
The Hebron massacre refers to the killing of sixty-seven Jews on 23 and 24 August 1929 in Hebron, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine, by Arabs incited to violence by rumors that Jews were massacring Arabs in Jerusalem and seizing control of Muslim holy places...

, but later returned. When the British left Jerusalem in May 1948, a Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...

 military brigade launched Operation Kilshon
Operation Kilshon
From May 13, 1948 until May 18, 1948 Jewish forces from the Haganah and Irgun executed Operation Kilshon . Its aim was to capture the Jewish suburbs of Jerusalem particularly Talbiya in central Jerusalem....

 to seize security zones previously occupied by the British and defend Jerusalem against attack by the Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...

. The British army camp in Talpiot, known as Mahane Allenby
Allenby
Allenby is a surname of English origin and may refer to:*Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby , a British soldier** Named for the above:**Allenby Street, Tel Aviv, Israel**Allenby Bridge between Jordan and Israel...

, was one of the strategic sites captured in this operation.

After the Israeli War of Independence
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...

, Talpiot became the frontier, surrounded by Jordanian-controlled East Jerusalem
Rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan
The West Bank and East Jerusalem were occupied by Jordan for a period of nearly two decades starting from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In 1950, the British extended formal recognition to the union between the Hashemite Kingdom and of that part of Palestine under Jordanian occupation and control -...

, although Israelis continued to live there. The neighbourhood expanded significantly after the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...

. New residential districts were established in the enclave formerly controlled by the United Nations, which had been a no man's land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...

. A large industrial zone developed on the outskirts of residential Talpiot to house the businesses evicted from Mamilla
Mamilla
Mamilla was an early neighbourhood constructed outside Jerusalem's Old City west from the Jaffa Gate, and now refers to the $400 million commercial and housing district developed in selected parts of the area....

.

Talpiot today consists of several districts. "Old Talpiot" is the historic residential neighborhood founded in 1922. North Talpiot, also known as Arnona, built after 1967, offers panoramic views of the Hinnom and Kidron Valley
Kidron Valley
The Kidron Valley is the valley on the eastern side of The Old City of Jerusalem which features significantly in the Bible...

s, and the Old City. Across Derech Hevron to the west is the Talpiot industrial zone, now one of Jerusalem's main shopping districts. To the east is the neighborhood of East Talpiot
East Talpiot
East Talpiot is a neighborhood in southeastern Jerusalem, established in 1973 in the upswing of building that followed the Six-Day War. The neighborhood is located in East Jerusalem, unilaterally annexed to Israel but internationally recognized as being a part of the West Bank...

.Over the last decade, Mahane Allenby was torn down and luxury towers were built on the land.

Versailles wedding hall

On May 24, 2001, the third floor of the Versailles wedding hall in Talpiot collapsed during a wedding party, killing 23 and injuring more than 200. The collapse was blamed on poor construction, using a system called Pal-Kal which was deemed unfit for public buildings. The incident is considered Israel's worst civil disaster.

Music, art and nightlife

"Yellow Submarine', established in 1991 by the Jerusalem Foundation
Jerusalem Foundation
The Jerusalem Foundation is an international non-profit organization whose goal is the improvement of the quality of life for all citizens of Jerusalem. It was founded in 1966 by the mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek. The foundation is politically not affiliated...

 in the Talpiot industrial zone, is a performance space for musicians with rehearsal-rooms, a recording studio and a nightclub.

"Zappa Jerusalem", one of Jerusalem's largest concert halls, and "The Lab", an elite artistic production center, are located side by side in the JVP Media Quarter
Jerusalem Venture Partners
Jerusalem Venture Partners is an Israeli-based venture capital firm, with offices in the JVP Media Quarter in Jerusalem and in New York City.-History:...

 in Talpiot. The quarter also includes Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), one of Israel's largest Venture Capital
Venture capital in Israel
Venture capital in Israel has rapidly developed from the early 1990s, and has about 70 active venture capital funds, of which 14 international VCs with Israeli offices, and additional 220 international funds who actively invest in Israel...

 firms, 14 start-up
Start-up
Startup or start-up may refer to:* Booting, an initialization period that computers and electronics go through when first turned on;* Project commissioning, the act of starting for the first time a technical installation;...

 media companies, and a CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...

 animated feature film studio (Animation Lab
Animation Lab
Animation Lab is an animation studio based in Jerusalem, Israel and Los Angeles, USA.Founded in 2006, and backed by Israeli Venture Capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners , the studio is currently in development on its first feature film, The Wild Bunch, as the first feature length CGI animation...

).

"Studio One Jerusalem", a recording studio, opened in Talpiot in 1999. Israel Hershberg
Israel Hershberg
Israel Hershberg is a figurative painter who lives and works in Jerusalem, Israel. Hershberg is head of the Jerusalem Studio School.-Biography:...

, an American figurative painter established the Jerusalem Studio School on the top floor of an industrial building in 1996.

Talpiot has become a hub of Jerusalem nightlife. There are several shopping malls in Talpiot (among them Kanyon Hadar on Pierre Koenig Street and Kanyon Ahim Yisrael on Yad Haharutzim Street), a multiplex cinema, a bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...

 and Pool (cue sports)
Pool
-Pools of water:*Swimming pool, an artificially enclosed body of water intended for swimming*Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings:...

 alleys, and dozens of bars, nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...

s and discos, including one of Israel's oldest and most popular nightclubs, Haoman 17
Haoman 17
Haoman 17 is a chain of nightclubs in Israel.Haoman 17 in Jerusalem has been rated one of the top night clubs in the world. International DJs often play at the club, which is open on Thursday and Friday nights.- History :...

.

Haas Promenade

Connecting East Talpiot and Talpiot is the Haas Promenade ( – ha-Tayelet). From this vantage point atop a ridge overlooking Jerusalem's Old City and the Dead Sea, tradition holds that Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...

 was shown Mount Moriah
Moriah
Moriah is the name given to a mountain range by the Book of Genesis, in which context it is giv. the location of the sacrifice of Isaac. Traditionally Moriah has been interpreted as the name of the specific mountain at which this occurred, rather than just the name of the range...

 as the site for the binding of Isaac
Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac Akedah or Akeidat Yitzchak in Hebrew and Dhabih in Arabic, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah...

 as recorded in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

. Hidden under this ridge are the remains of an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....

 built by Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...

 to bring water from the south, by way of his summer palace Herodium
Herodium
Herodium or Herodion is a volcano-like hill with a truncated cone located south of Jerusalem, near the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank. Herod the Great built a fortress and palace on the top of Herodium, and may have been buried there...

, to the Second Temple
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...

. This area was a no man's land in the period between the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. At one end of the promenade, on the Hill of Evil Counsel, is the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 Middle East Headquarters, located in the former Palace of the British High Commissioner (Armon HaNetziv). The Jerusalem Peace Forest
Peace Forest
Peace forest is a forest in South - Southeast Jerusalem, Israel, between the Abu Tor neighbourhood and the Sherover Promenade. It was a location of the biblical Etsel river mentioned in the book of Zechariah .There is a number of graves of the Second Temple era found in the Peace Forest, some of...

 descends along the slope below the Promenade. The Jerusalem municipality plants a tree in this forest for every child born in Jerusalem, representing the eternal hope of peace bridging the Arab and Jewish populations. Every year, on the 29th day of Heshvan, the Ethiopian Jewish community gathers at the Promenade to mark the Sigd
Sigd
Mehlella also Amata Saww or in is popular name Sigd is one of the unique holidays of Beta Israel community. Celebrated in 29th Cheshvan....

 holiday.

Notable residents

Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Shmuel Yosef Agnon , was a Nobel Prize laureate writer and was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew fiction. In Hebrew, he is known by the acronym Shai Agnon . In English, his works are published under the name S. Y. Agnon.Agnon was born in Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire...

, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, settled in Talpiot in 1924 and wrote most of his important works there. After his death, his home was turned into a museum, Beit Agnon, where his study has been preserved intact. One of his neighbors was the eminent scholar Joseph Gedalja Klausner, uncle of Israeli author Amos Oz
Amos Oz
Amos Oz is an Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist. He is also a professor of literature at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva....

. In his autobiographical novel A Tale of Love and Darkness
A Tale of Love and Darkness
A Tale of Love and Darkness is an autobiographical novel by Israeli author Amos Oz, first published in Hebrew in 2002.The book has been translated into 28 languages and over a million copies have been sold worldwide. In 2011, a bootleg Kurdish translation was found in a bookstore in northern Iraq...

, Oz writes that Agnon and Klausner were not fond of one another and kept their distance. The founder of Modern Hebrew, Eliezer Ben Yehuda, built a home in Talpiot, but died before moving in.
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