|
Ort Ramot, Ramot Jerusalem, Isreal
Teacher: Marion Ben-Amir
Here is the essay from the students in Ort Ramot, Jerusalem.
Unfortunately, again this year we couldn't make a trip to our chosen place, for technical reasons. A visit with a class of thirty to the centre of the city is quite difficult to organise for a small project. The class refused to choose a place within walking distance of the school because they said that teenagers all over the world would not want to read about our local community centre or children's park. They decided instead to write about a place that they love in the centre of town which is also of considerable historical interest.
We divided into groups and made posters about the various aspects of Nahalat Shiva. These posters are now hanging on the walls of the classroom - and will play an important part in the class's chances of winning the grade 8 annual "best decorated" classroom competition which will be judged at the end of this week - just before the Hannukah holiday.
Marion
NahalatShiva ( The Estate of the Seven)
Nahalat Shiva is an old neighborhood in downtown west Jerusalem. Most of
the buildings are two storeys high, built of Jerusalem stone and have little balconies and
red tiled roofs. We love going there because it is an exciting place. Its narrow
streets and charming squares are always full of people. Many of them are tourists who
come, like us, to drink in the cafes, eat in the restaurants, and buy jewellery,
handicrafts, books and souvenirs in the colorful little shops.
Unfortunately, there is one really sad spot in the middle of Nahalat Shiva. It is a drinking fountain in the memory of a young woman called Maayan ( the name means "water spring') who was killed in a terrorist bomb attack here while she was having coffee with her friends.
The neighborhood was one of the first to be built outside the walls of the old city. It was established in 1869 by seven people (that's how is got its name) who decided to live there with their families. Living conditions in the old city were very cramped so many others soon followed to join the original families Nahalat Shiva. In those days it was a regular neighborhood inhabited by many different kinds of people. After a while it was almost abandoned because other places in Jerusalem became more attractive as places to live.
However, a few years ago, some people decided to renew Nahalat Shiva instead of destroying it.
We love to spend time in Nahalat Shiva at the weekend - especially in our favorite place called " The Square of the Cats". This is an open area where traders (not cats!) sell all kinds of things - jewellery, clothes from the 60's, antiques, candles and carpets. We meet all our friends there and search for things to buy with our pocket money. On our way to "Cat's Square" we sometimes think of how life was here in the old days. Hanit, in our class, has helped us to imagine it. She knows all about it because her grandmother lived in Nahalat Shiva when she was a little girl.
Grade 8 - English Class
Ort Ramot
Return to the Participating Schools page
Return to the Essays page
