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Welcome to the Moskowitz Archive for Jerusalem,
we are in the midst of documenting people
who lived here, in the Old City
during the years that preceded the establishment of the State,
who remember. We are documenting them
so that documentation will remain for the future generations.
We are very proud of the team that is helping us
and we will thank them later in the more ceremonial part.
We depart from here
to experience the project itself.
Nitsana, who manages this part of the project,
will be here to talk to you.
First we will hear some brief, Jerusalemite words
from Minister Benny Begin,
Benny Begin,
who joins us a native of Jerusalem
from before the establishment of the State.
He wasn't a resident of the Jewish Quarter,
yet we are honored to hear from a native of Jerusalem
and I... Do you want to speak in English?
In English for the lady. -Okay,
he'll speak in English. Great.
In English for Mrs. Moskowitz.
Mr. Begin, how important is it to document areas
that are currently considered the Moslem Quarter
but in which there was Jewish life before that.
What is the importance?
In Hebrew, if you may.
We see,
especially people my age,
the younger generation doesn't see it this way.
Documentation in general is extremely important.
It's important to preserve the memory
for generations to come.
I don't want to undermine the importance
of preserving the memory, the documentation
of findings,
of chapters in the history of our country
and the history of Jerusalem,
that Jews were not always a part of
but it is part of our being in the Land of Israel.
Obviously,
just the fact that Jews were here
but were not always allowed to live here,
given these circumstances, it is extremely important.
I'd like to remind you of something,
I won't be brief.
In the 4th century AD,
there was in Bethlehem...
The first action
that the Khalif undertook...
What do you think about
Meir Dagan's statements?
Well, right now we're...
conducting a historical documentation of history
of up until last week.
You want me to relate to yesterday's history.
Let's digest it first.
Thank you. -Bye.
About the Shalit deal... -Thank you.
Thank you. People, I told you in advance,
as you may recall,
that there will be no news in the things I say
and I think I kept my promise.
Right.
Nitsana.
Hello.
We wanted to hear what you have to say about the news.
Hello, thank you all for coming.
My name is Nitsana. -It would've been interesting.
I've had the privilege
of filming and hearing the stories of amazing people
for several months now,
and we thought the nicest way to share...
to explain what we're doing and what the archive is about,
would be to take you on a short tour with us,
to see what we're doing,
which is taking people
and providing them an opportunity
to show us their Old City.
Where they were before '48.
Today I have the honor of being escorted by Meir Shaloom,
who's sitting in back,
soon we'll go down to...
He's the one who will take us on this tour
and we'll hear from someone else
whose story I already filmed.
I want to say that we have only filmed Meir
in his home where I interviewed him and he provided his testimony
for several hours on camera.
After that, one of the things we do is
take the people back to the Old City
and give them an opportunity
to return to the places they told us about.
This is what we're going to do today.
I haven't interviewed Meir yet in the Old City.
I must explain to you
that usually we film 3 or 4 tapes in half a day,
to my crew's dismay.
That means we work very hard
and with a large amount of material.
We'll make it short today,
very short,
so if you see me cutting people off in the middle,
it's just because we want to move on.
Usually in these interviews I let the people say
whatever they want
and I think people can testify that that's true.
So, thank you,
without further ado, as they say in English...
In the end we'll go to...
Yes, in the end we'll obviously go to...
the Quarter Café, that's what it's called, right?
The Quarter Café, we'll conduct a brief ceremony
and we'll have lunch, which is the most fun part.
So without further ado, for real this time,
come with me and accompany Meir
as he takes us on his tour of the Old City.
Do you want to go before us, Nitsana?
No, it's fine.
Is everyone coming? -Yes.
It takes some time.
Did you hear the news?
What? -Did you hear the news?
No, what news? -What he was talking about.
Oh, I didn't understand, wow.
That's so exciting.
That'll be amazing if it happens.
Where are you from?
You're a model today.
Talk.
I should talk? -Excellent.
Wow, can you hear me?
Okay. -Wow.
We'll begin the interview
if everyone's here.
First of all,
I'll stand here so everyone can see you, okay?
Usually I stand closer to the camera, you're used to it.
First of all,
please look into the camera,
look at Dan... Daniel,
and tell him your name and where you were born.
My name is Meir Shaloom, Shaloom, not Shalom.
Double "O". -Shaloom Ben Yavesh.
You look familiar.
I'm with the crew.
You look familiar to me, from before '48.
No. -No, no.
I mean your father, sorry.
Sorry, I mean your father. -That's okay, go on.
Okay, Meir, please go ahead.
Yes, I am Meir Shaloom.
I was born in the Old City.
I am 85 years old.
Meir, how did your family arrive in Jerusalem?
According to my father,
he was the 10th generation in Jerusalem.
My mother was from Hebron,
she was an 8th generation Hebronite.
The Ezra family.
And...
No, not Montefiore. -Okay.
Meir, please tell us about this place.
We are standing in a familiar place,
the entrance to the Cardo.
What do you remember of this place from before '48?
The Cardo...
When you go down the steps on Habad Street,
you go straight,
there was a cement wall from '36 that the British built,
there were no Jews there,
you took a left to Bikkur Holim.
There was a hospital for paralyzed people...
But from Habad Street,
behind that cement wall...
Which is here? -Yes.
I don't know where I am anymore.
Okay, wait,
let's talk about this place.
This is... Behind us...
Now I know where I am.
This is the Hurva. -Yes.
What was this place like before '48?
Before '48? -When you lived here.
We want to accompany you. -Here...
First of all,
we had a big family in Jerusalem.
If we take the right side,
besides the ruins that weren't there,
there was a police station.
In this police station...
Never mind. I had...
the privilege of waking them up, I was arrested several times.
I was 20, I wasn't a child.
That's the police station.
The butcher shop was across from the police station.
The butcher.
Further down there's an iron gate.
At the iron gate
there's a place called the olive press,
Maasara in Arabic,
that's where they produced oil.
There was a gate, and there were...
Today, according to...
There are
all kinds of antiques by artists.
Down there...
It was called Bab Hat El Yahud.
"Bab" means "door." Ha-Yehudim Street.
From there to here.
Further up...
if we go up,
we take the stairs on the left,
there's a turn at the top of the stairs.
That's the continuation of Habad Street.
It starts on the left
until the empty lot.
Not an empty lot, the Armenians lived there.
Jews lived here.
But what was here,
on either side of this street?
Jews lived on either side of this street, but...
among the courtyards....
there were courtyards, not apartments.
There was a courtyard,
it was surrounded by rooms, there was a family in each room,
if there were two floors that was a lot
but that's what there was,
and sadly, we also had Arab neighbors
who lived in a room too.
They lived with us. Their children grew up with us.
As children...
Jews, Arabs and Christians.
Meir, where.. as a family...
when you lived here,
was there a synagogue you used to go to?
We had...
I remember that since the day I was born
we had synagogues,
four synagogues all together.
If you want to tell us about the synagogues,
let's go there.
Let's go.
Please let him through.
We're going this way.
Let me.
Which way? Straight. -It's this way.
Meir, do you remember what this area was like
before 1948?
This was a street
and there were shops on either side
and there were homes, there was another floor,
two floors.
The Jews lived here,
on either side.
Further down...
Let's wait until the people get closer to us.
What was further down?
Further down this street that we are on,
there's a right turn,
if I'm not mistaken...
Let's go see. -Just a second.
Beit El.
Beit El Synagogue.
What about this synagogue?
I remember we didn't pray there.
I was...
In today's terms, I was a fighter.
We were inside the synagogue
and from the windows,
there was a roof
of a home, and we were across from the Hurva.
We used to defend the street and the Hurva from here.
Repeat it when we get closer
because I don't think they heard you.
Let's go up these stairs.
Yes. -What was here?
Here there was...
First of all, there was a synagogue...
Turn around so the people can see you.
This was Beit El Synagogue.
Yes. -Up here.
After the dawn prayer
the Kabbalists used to sit here and read (Torah).
Wow. -They studied.
And here, in '48,
we had a post.
In this synagogue that was vacated.
From these windows
on the left,
there are two windows.
There was a roof
and we went onto the roof from these windows,
this roof was across from the Hurva Synagogue.
We used to hear the explosions,
the mortars.
We stood guard here.
Once I was on the roof... -Yes.
There was a bunch of Arabs.
We exchanged fire,
I was wounded and I fell.
They took me away, it was one day before the surrender.
My post which was called the Beit El post
fell.
Now we'll go to the synagogue. -Yes.
I haven't been here in years.
When was the last time you were here?
There was a roof here.
Wait, I think everyone should hear this.
What did you just say, Meir?
As I enter this street
I remember
what happened here over 60 years ago.
What happened? -Yehuda Baruch lived here,
There is a representative here from the Baruch family.
On the right there were steps,
we used to go down.
Steps on the right
and we used to go down to Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue.
It has several branches,
It was to the left, did I say right...
Take us there.
I wish.
It's closed.
That's okay, we'll take you later.
Now it's only for these people.
Hello. -Hello.
Hello. -Hello.
Are you a member of the Baruch family?
No, the Getz family.
Did the Baruch family live here?
In '48?
Yes. -In '48?
What? -Did the Baruch family live here until '48?
Yes, after '48 it was occupied by... -Saliman.
Did you know this house from the inside? -Yes.
You did? -Yes, Aji lived downstairs.
Can we bring him to visit later on?
We're busy outside right now.
No, I know the place.
There's an exit to the courtyard. -Do you remember the house?
There is no courtyard, there's a 5-room apartment now.
Rabbi Getz lives here now, he was the Kotel rabbi.
After the Six-Day War,
when his son fell during the liberation of Jerusalem,
yesterday was his memorial service.
He came here from Moshav Kerem Ben Zimra,
I am his son.
That's nice.
Nice to meet you. -We're from the same family.
My son fell too.
When?
32 years ago.
After the Six-Day War. -Yes.
It was during the attack beyond Neot Hakikar,
after they infiltrated.
He was in the Shaldag unit
and he fell.
So we're family.
Thank you.
Forgive me for cutting this important conversation short,
I know it's more important than what we're doing here.
Where is it we're standing, Meir?
We're here. We came from the street,
we went down several steps,
and the synagogue was down here on this level.
There are stairs going down
from this synagogue.
Many stairs, I don't remember how many.
It was a round synagogue,
very beautiful,
it was called Eliyahu Hanavi.
Do you know why it was called Eliyahu Hanavi?
They say...
There's an alcove there
with a chair and a Parochet curtain.
They say the people were seeking
a quorum
but there was none.
Suddenly an old man appeared
and they could pray in a quorum.
Suddenly, after the prayer, he disappeared.
They saw him walking towards this alcove
and it was empty.
So...
Since then it was called the alcove of Eliyahu Hanavi.
We used to go there.
We'd go down to the synagogue
and in the middle of prayer we'd go to this alcove
and kiss the chair and the curtain and leave.
Can you tell me how the prayer service was conducted?
If you could describe it for us.
The prayers
were in the Sephardic style.
There are chairs, benches.
We'd gather and go downstairs.
Why did we go down the stairs? Everyone knows. -Why?
Because it says "Out of the depths I have called Thee, Lord."
So we had to go downstairs.
So all four synagogues
are beneath street level,
they are low.
That's Eliyahu Hanavi.
The middle synagogue that connects them,
the one on the right hand side, is called Yohanan Ben Zakai.
Further on it's the Istambuli Synagogue.
Okay, then let's go,
we'll go to all four synagogues.
This is not what we usually do,
usually you take the lead,
when we interview you,
you take the lead,
but this time I'll lead you to the next site.
Have something to drink.
Thank you. -Cold water. -Thank you.
Let's continue.
Thank you. -Did you hear the story about this place?
I know it, I grew up on it. -Come on, we have to go.
That's okay. -Yes?
Yes.
We can't discuss the common grave.
Yes, I know where it is.
Be careful, there's a step.
He's a champ.
He's great.
When we film him, he walks tall.
We are all very moved.
Wait, there's no railing, I have to lean on the wall.
I'm leaning on the wall.
Go through here, I'll hold you.
They lived here.
Up here? -The stairs are down here.
Here, right.
Yonah and Avram lived here.
Yonah and Avram lived here? -Yes.
Not for a long time.
The Havaton family lived here.
It was called Kantarat (Arch of) Havaton.
Do you know people from this place?
Our house. -Yes.
Your house is here? -My parents.
My parents lived at that entrance
on the left side, on my right.
Let's turn around. What was that place?
At the entrance...
there's a house and an open door,
and there are steps... -Yes.
And down below... -Yes.
There are steps and my parents lived there,
They had two children here, my two older siblings.
One of them is the mother of my escort.
They lived there and it was called...
the Havaton courtyard.
Havaton, I know that's the name of the place
and that archway...
What?
That arc was called the Havaton arc.
That's it.
Let's continue.
Okay, you have to let us... Many people walk through here,
you have to respect them.
A school.
Say it again. -What is the place?
We called it Sha'ar Ha-Shamayim,
it was a school,
like a nursery school,
we called it "kutab (school)."
It was a room
where they taught grades 1 and 2 as well.
It was called Sha'ar Ha-Shamayim.
Further down...
Go on.
What's further on?
In short. -Further on there's an entrance,
the Ohr Ha-Chaim Synagogue,
on the right.
The entrance to Batei Mahse is on the left,
and if you go straight, people lived there,
it belonged to the synagogue...
I mean the school.
There was a school on the second floor
and apartments downstairs.
We're going to enter Batei Mahse,
a very special place in the Old City.
When the British left and the Jordanians captured us,
our dead were buried here,
I was among the wounded.
We buried them here
and they remained here until Jerusalem was liberated.
The graves were removed and taken to the Mount of Olives.
This place remains a memorial to the dead.
Okay, if...
This was a mass grave.
What do you mean?
After the house here was destroyed
then the dead from the last two weeks were buried below,
we buried them here.
That's it.
It was covered up.
The Jordanians knew about the grave,
they asked where the dead are.
They saw them here.
That day
8 more people died.
I...
I was wounded, I didn't know.
What do you mean when you say, "we buried them?"
The people who died in the battles... -How are you related to that?
I was...
in charge of 4 border posts.
The Beit El bloc.
That's it.
Let's go into Batei Mahse. Thank you.
Take Meir's wire.
I'll give you mine so you can talk.
Everyone come inside.
Everyone come inside, please.
He can tell his grandson
about his family history.
I'll begin by making a correction.
Maybe... -Your full name.
Zelniker Zvi.
Son of Alexander and Ita Zelniker.
We lived in the Jewish Quarter
from 1859.
My grandfather,
my father, and nine more children.
I'll continue that later,
I just want to tell you the story
of the cemetery that was here.
People were buried here one on top of the other
with wooden planks.
Planks and doors.
The dead lay here, in this room.
I personally helped my uncle
bury the dead,
I was 11.
My uncle always said "It's a mitzvah," in Yiddish.
I brought the stones
to put under the doors
so that there'd be a gap between each dead body.
So I just wanted to explain
what went on here.
Now I'll tell you about this place.
The Ashkenazi field was here.
The Ashkenazi Hakura as it was called.
Here in Beit Rothschild there was a garden,
we weren't allowed in
because there was a guard by the name of Yehuda
who was situated in this small dwelling.
Whenever we entered, he'd run after us with stones
and throw us out.
This was the only garden in the Jewish Quarter.
Where this building is now, there was a hill with sand.
We used to fly kites here.
We used to play tag,
Five Stones,
hide and seek.
Hands up, like...
All the games children used to play.
Just a second.
Zvi, if I may direct you.
Tell us what Batei Mahse was
because people don't necessarily know
why it was important to the Quarter
and where exactly did your family live?
We'll get there, but Batei Mahse
was a place that housed Jews
who weren't well off.
There used to be a Kollel (community organization) here
of German and Austrian Jews,
among them my great-grandfather who came to this country
in 1809.
Yes?
And so on.
What you see here,
there was a small shack
where Gitaleh lived.
Gitaleh had a soup kitchen.
We used to study in the Heder
and at noon we'd come here to have some soup,
or a piece of bread... That's all there was.
Let's continue to the house...
If you could
show the people
where your house was
and...
Our house was up there.
Down here, where the olive tree is,
there was a building too.
It was torn down to provide room for this plaza.
The legacy was erased in a heartbeat.
Please describe to us
what your house looked like,
describe the house so they can see it.
One sentence.
We lived upstairs.
There was a small shack next to each apartment,
beyond the rooms.
That's where the kitchen was, there was no gas...
There was a...
like a small barbeque where they put...
Where they cooked...
They cooked the cholent and other food
on a kerosene burner.
There was no toilet.
We had to go outside for the toilet, I'll show you where.
There were two toilets, I don't know...
Two toilets, there was no running water at home.
There were two wells here
where the water was drawn.
There was an Arab called Abu Ali el-Khalil
who drew the water and brought it home.
At home we had a jug,
we put a white cloth on the jug
to filter the water,
we didn't care what was on it...
We drank the water and it was tasty.
We were satisfied.
I want to tell you, we had a good life here.
No two ways about it.
Despite what I'm telling you.
Zvi? -Yes?
Thank you so much, I...
I know you have so many amazing stories.
They came here especially for us
to show us this very important place.
Now I want to go back. A surprise for you.
You said you haven't been to your house
since 1948.
So today, with everyone,
we're going to look for your house.
From what you told me,
your house is this way. We may not find it,
but let's go together and see what we find.
The people here were very religious, with beards and sidelocks.
They lived here. -They lived here.
The maintenance people he mentioned,
his name was Yehuda...
Yes, no, not Avidan.
Yehuda, right.
I knew them personally, and their children too.
But there was another man...
Yes. -He was a gardener too.
This gardener,
he was Yemenite.
And I was privileged in that his daughter
married my brother.
So that's how I know... -You became family.
Meir, where to now?
Let's see.
I don't know.
I'm confused by this Old City.
Why are you confused?
This is not the Old City I grew up in.
What do you mean?
Many changes.
Two-story buildings, three stories...
There were no... -We didn't have...
You didn't have... -There were no apartments, there were rooms.
What do you mean by rooms?
Every family lived in one room. -Just a second.
Every family lived in one room. -Yes.
Sometimes there were 6 or 8 people
in one room.
Really? -Yes.
There were no apartments.
So how did 8 or 9 people sleep
in one room?
On mattresses on the floor.
That's how it was.
The ones who were lucky,
like us, for example, we had another small room.
We were 5 siblings
in one room.
Two in each bed.
Yes, and on the floor.
When we reach the area where your house was,
please tell us again
because I don't think everyone heard.
Yes.
Is this not the Old City that you know?
No.
It's changed.
What's changed about it?
Look, I'm walking on...
This is not a road but it's paved.
It's paved with stones.
At the time the roads were no more than
dirt and stones.
This is new.
How do you feel coming back here?
I don't recognize myself,
I don't recognize the Old City.
I don't recognize...
There are places we visited, like Beit El,
it impressed me
because I was longing to see the place
that I hadn't seen for...
I won't say how many years
because they'll think I'm old.
You know, Nitsana ...
a month ago we discussed coming here
to see my parents' house.
Here you are. -He said it doesn't exist.
Left. -Could it be it doesn't exist?
Where to?
Where to? -Where do you think...?
Here. -Where?
Yes, down here, we have to go down,
but I want to tell you a short story.
So tell everyone, not just me.
Where? -Here.
I'll tell you something
that happened in the Old City.
What were we talking about?
You said you have a story to tell about the Old City
and we're going to see your house that you wanted to see.
Right.
There was a war, we were...
We were youths,
18 or 20 years old.
We were the only ones and so we were the defenders of the Old City.
Things are different these days.
We didn't have a uniform either.
What happened is,
further down... it wasn't like this,
this building wasn't here.
Down below,
a British officer
and a British soldier
went downstairs
and we were up here,
this is the Hakura.
The Hakurawas a playground, we trained here.
They went downstairs
and we watched them coming back up
with a sack.
He was carrying a sack over his shoulder.
They knew... I didn't know, there was one guy,
Emmanuel Medav, he was killed in '48.
He was the children's counselor, he saw them
and drew his gun and threatened the Major.
He said: "Leave that here."
What was it?
I'll make a long story short,
it was the only mortar we had.
Somehow he found out
and took it.
He shot the Major
in the shoulder,
he fell
and dropped the sack.
There was a guy called Mordechai, we called him Morduch,
Mizrachi, he ran over
to the soldier
and threatened him.
The soldier gave him his gun.
That was our victory, then there was a ceasefire.
Before that there was shooting for an hour.
After the ceasefire it was over.
We could walk around with weapons.
It was like that for two days.
Then it was over.
So this was...
Where it happened. -Downstairs.
I guess the cache was here
and he took the mortar from the cache.
Thank you, Meir.
Let's go to the street
where you say your house was.
I hope. -Let's see.
Friends who remained there.
let's see. -Memories.
Pictures, letters.
What do you mean, what was left?
Left?
They took over the Old City, I was among the wounded,
we were lying with the wounded and the Legion entered.
I was told they entered.
Bedouins, with curly hair
and weapons.
They were short, they came in
and stood among us. We were lying on the floor.
There were many of us.
They were among us, that's how I remember them.
I remember the commander,
they said he's the big...
I forgot his name.
Okay... -So he entered
and conducted an inspection
and everyone stood up and saluted him.
He was their army commander.
They had occupied the Old City...
Sadly I was among the conquered.
But I wasn't well, I lay there.
Today I'm here
and I'm enjoying this.
Places I haven't been.
Let's see if we can find the area where your house was.
We'll see.
Do you remember this street?
Do you recognize it?
The street wasn't like this.
Where was Misgav LaDach Hospital?
We... -We didn't pass by there yet,
not yet. -No, we didn't pass by it.
Okay. -We're on our way.
This house was... -Were you close to Misgav LaDach?
Was I close to Misgav LaDach?
Yes, the family.
I think the street we lived on was long,
and... -Look how long.
What was Misgav LaDach, not during the siege,
before that, when you lived here. -A hospital.
Tell us about Misgav LaDach.
It was a hospital.
If a child was hurt or if he fell,
he was taken there for treatment.
That's it.
Later, there were beds,
there were rooms with beds for the patients.
The patients lay there.
How does it compare to hospitals today? What does it look like?
What a question...
How can I compare the Old City today to the Old City back then?
Tell me. -There's a huge difference.
This is not the Old City I know.
How was it different,
Misgav LaDach, for example,
how was it different in terms of health care?
What kind of treatments did you undergo here
as children?
Nothing I can say except for...
They bandaged wounds, if we children played and got hurt.
I didn't get hurt.
My mother was admitted to Misgav LaDach
with typhoid fever.
Really? Do you remember how they treated her?
I was a child,
I don't remember.
But they treated her.
My mother's grandmother ,
I remember.
She was sick.
I was 3 or 4 years old.
My mother took me
to visit her grandmother in this hospital.
Later she died
and they buried her to the light of kerosene lamps,
it was Saturday night.
They took her to Hebron to bury her there.
That was her final will.
It was after Shabbat.
As children we looked out the windows
at the street when they walked by.
Those are the things I remember, that's the Old City,
but this is not.
This is big.
Okay, now we're approaching... -This.
Do you recognize anything?
This is...
A junction. -A junction.
Between this and this, this way to Meidan,
and this way to Misgav Ladach
and from here to...
What was it called? Meidan Street.
It says so. -Hayyei Olam.
It doesn't say that. -Hayyei Olam.
This is Hayyei Olam Street. -It's written in Arabic.
In Hebrew too. -This is in Hebrew.
Hayei Olam Street.
So Meir, this is the area
where Misgav Ladach hospital was,
what do you recognize? -It's not here. It's down there.
Okay. -It should be. -Explain to me.
Describe what was here. -Look,
there was an alley here.
You come from here and enter the alley. The oven was here.
Further down, on the left, there were stairs,
and a large gate on the right,
that was Misgav LaDach.
We won't go to Misgav LaDach,
we'll continue another 10 meters. -Yes.
There were stairs on the left
they went down and there was Porat Yosef Yeshiva.
So it was down here.
Then where was your house? -This way.
This way? -Yes.
In here?
Here? In the wall? No.
Where's the entrance? I don't know.
Everything has changed.
There were no houses, these are houses,
these are not the rooms or the courtyards we lived in.
Describe what this place was like,
if your house was here, what was it like when you lived here?
There was a courtyard. -Turn around to the people
so they can see you.
But I have to explain.
Explain in this direction.
Explain with your hand. With the cane.
Before I said right, now it's left. -Okay.
This was the area your house was in.
This is where my house was,
in the middle of this street.
What was here? -No one can see
because I'm explaining with my hand. -Everyone come here so you can see.
Maybe we should move back a little so everyone can see.
What was that? Your foot. -A small step.
A step.
Okay?
Everyone crowd around
so you can see what he's pointing at.
Okay, what was in this place?
Where the floor is over there...
The courtyard was here.
Yes. -On the left.
Left, right... The courtyard was on the left.
Two or three families lived here
and the windows overlooked Batei Mahse.
That's one.
There were several courtyards.
There were several courtyards and we lived...
in the middle of this street, on the right.
We had a big house.
What do you mean?
A big house.
It was...
Except for Batei Mahse,
that belonged to the Jews,
most of the homes belonged to the Arabs, to the Waqf.
Theirs.
They rented out to the Jews.
That's why Arabs lived here too.
This place was mixed, but the majority were Jews.
But what do you mean when you say you had a big house?
I mean a courtyard.
There was no house, there was a courtyard.
There were two stories in the courtyard.
For all of them.
There were five rooms downstairs.
Who lived in these five rooms?
Five families.
One family per room,
with 6 or 8 children in a room.
There were rooms, not apartments,
and the kitchen was made of planks, outside.
The toilet, as he said,
there were two toilets on the side of Batei Mahse.
So Meir,
it seems your house is now the Kotel Yeshiva,
so that's a privilege.
Now we are all going for lunch
and then a short ceremony
to open the archive.
From the windows there
we'll be able to see your house.
Thank you for being with us today.
Just a minute.
One more thing. -Yes.
Ha-Meidan Street
was down here,
the Meidan courtyard was here
and further down
there was a dairy farm.
The lady was called Babeh.
She had cows and a dairy farm
and she supplied milk
to the Jews of the Old City. -That's lovely.
It was great.
In the Old City? A dairy farm in the Old City?
Excuse me?
There was a dairy farm in the Old City?
Yes, down here, on Meidan. -Meir.
Meir, I want to introduce you to...
Mrs. Moskowitz.
She is the one who created... -Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
May I ask you a question? -Yes, of course.
Arabs.
There are Arabs, Christians, Jews.
Do you want to make the Old City an international place?
There are leaders who do the thinking
and I hope they think well.
Welcome.
Nitsana.
Born in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
Fourth, fifth generation, a native of Jerusalem.
I was born in the Old City of Jerusalem. -I was born in the Old City.
I lived in the Old City until 1948.
Is that your story? Is that what you want to say?
That's what you remember and what's important to you.
May we begin?