4 on King George

• Along King George (http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/george-v.html ) on the left is the building of the JNF ( http://www.jnf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=history Karen Kayemet LeYisrael), which bought land for Jewish settlement and for forestation. In the same complex are the Jewish Agency and the UJA. Farther along is the building that housed the Knesset (parliament) from 1948 until 1966 (http://www.knesset.gov.il/main/eng/home.asp ). The slightly abstract horse scupture replaced the menorah that moved with the Knesset. (The public restrooms in the adjacent park are well-maintained.)
• Before the old Knesset building, on the right side ofthe street, is the top of Gahn Ahtsma’oot (Independence Park) is a kiosk selling men's and women’s hats and sun glasses. He did a good business untill they moved the bus stop to thecorner of ben Yehuda [17Jan07: The kiosk is gone. Last I noticed, it was selling wonderful capes and pochos, as well as hats and umbrellas. Today there was no trace of it.]
• King George crosses ben Yehuda(http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/people/bios/beliezer.html). one block above the ben Yehuda midrahov (described in every guidebook) and curves to parallel The Midrehove (you can read about it in any guide book; in Jerusalem "The" midrahov always means ben Yehuda) down the hill to Yafo (the ancient route to the port of Jaffa).
• If you are on a 4 aleph, some passengers will continue on to the Hebrew University campus or the Hadassah Hospital, both on Har HaTsofim (Mt Scopus - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Scopus ).
• This time boarding passengers are religious men in black, more colorfully dressed women with their hair covered, and two Arab women in hijab. Across Yafo the Jewish neighborhoods are all most entirely ultra religious until Ramat Exhkol, where the population is mixed, and HaGiv’a HaTsarfatit (French Hill, aka Givat Shapira), where is is largely secular.
• The bus stops outside the Bell Tower, which plays carillon music from time to time. A little way up the street, you can turn left into the ben Hillel promenade and continue to the more famous ben Yehuda promedade or turn left onto Yabetz ( http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2006/06/yabetz.html ). If instead of turning on ben Hillel you cross the street and go up that pedestrian promenade, you will reach Agrippas on the way to the Mahaneh Yehuda market ( http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2006/06/on-abundance.html ). Along this promenade are three or four stores selling colorful Indian clothes and scarves.
• For the continuation of the 4 route, see http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/street-of-prophets.html and additional posts, through the early 20th century and up.

Copyright 2006 Jane S. Fox