Katamon (Hebrew: קטמון) is a neighbourhood in south-central Jerusalem, Israel. The official Hebrew name, Gonen (Hebrew: גּוֹנֵן), is only used in municipal publications. Katamon is derived from the Greek kata tōi monastēriōi ("below the monastery").[1]
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History
Katamon was established just before World War I. German aerial photographs taken during the war show a grid of building lots demarcated by stones.[2] By 1914, a total of 5 homes had been built.[3] From 1924, building activity resumed, mostly by affluent Christian Arabs, who built large mansions there.
In the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Katamon was captured by Israel. During the Siege of Jerusalem (1948), the neighborhood was an Arab salient between two besieged Jewish neighborhoods. On April 28, during a bloody battle over control of the Greek Orthodox St. Simon monastery, located on a strategic hilltop, Rafael Eitan, then a platoon commander, was shot in the head. [4]Many others were killed and wounded on both sides. After the surrender of the Jewish Quarter at the end of May, around 1000 Jewish refugees were moved into Katamon.[5] A gutted Jordanian Legion tank was left as a monument at St. Simon park, but was removed in the late 1990s.
In her autobiography, Palestinian author Ghada Karmi describes growing up in Katamon, from which she and her father, noted linguist Hasan Karmi, and the rest of the family, fled in 1948 after fierce fighting broke out. Arab scholar and poet Khalil al-Sakakini and writer Sami Hadawi also left Katamon at this time. Al-Sakakini's daughter Hala wrote about revisiting the neighborhood in 1967.[6]
On September 17, 1948, UN Mediator Folke Bernadotte and UN Observer André Serot, were assassinated by members of the Jewish underground while driving on Palmach Street in Katamon.[7]
Geography
Katamon is bounded by the neighborhoods of Talbiya in the northeast, and the German Colony and Greek Colony to the southeast. The neighbourhood is bounded on its south side by Rachel Imenu street and Hizkiyahu Ha'Melech street (separating it from the Greek Colony), and on its east side by Kovshey Katamon street (separating it from Talbiya). These streets connect to Emek Refaim and Rehov ha-Palmach[8] respectively. On its western side, the neighbourhood connects loosely to several younger neighbourhoods collectively called the "Katamonim" (or "Gonenim", their official municipal name), running around the side of the monastery hill.
Landmarks
A major site in Katamon was the St. Simon monastery, on a hilltop to the north. The monastery is now surrounded by a large park in the neighborhood known as Givat Oranim.
The neighbourhood was home to the Hapoel Jerusalem football club from its foundation in the 1930s until it moved to the YMCA Stadium in the 1980s. In 2007, several dissatisfied Hapoel Jerusalem fans formed a new club, naming it Hapoel Katamon after the club's former home, although the new club does not play in the neighbourhood.[9]
Katamon was the home of several foreign consulates, among them the Greek consulate, the Italian consulate, and the Costa-Rican consulate. The International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem is located near the site of the old Hapoel stadium.
The Misgav Ladach hospital on the southern edge of the neighbourhood specialized in maternity care, but is now a Kupat Holim clinic. The L. A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art is also located on Palmach Street in Katamon. Katamon also houses the core community of Erloi Hassidism, as well at the Yeshiva Ohel Shimon serving that community. The international Christian Embassy Jerusalem is based in Katamon since 1997.
References
- ^ Aviva Bar Am, Katamon
- ^ Ruth Kark, Jerusalem neighborhoods
- ^ Ruth Kark, Jerusalem neighborhoods
- ^ Aviva Bar Am, Katamon
- ^ The Scotsman June 1st 1948: 'After the Jewish surrender over 1000 non-combatant residents were evacuated to Katamon, south-west of Jerusalem, 150 Jews were handed over to the Red Cross, and 350 prisoners taken to Transjordan.'
- ^ Jerusalem and I
- ^ Aviva Bar Am, Katamon
- ^ Jerusalem Real Estate Guide - A Pick Into The Most Desirable Districts Of Jerusalem Naldan Plus
- ^ Fan-owned soccer team http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/914954.html
Bibliography
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Katamon |
- Sakakini, Hala: Jerusalem and I, 1987
- Karmi, Ghada: In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story ISBN 1-85984-694-7 Verso 2002
- A country of the mind Guardian, Saturday October 19, 2002 (from Dr Ghada Karmi's memoir, In Search of Fatima)
- In Search of Fatima Fateful Days in 1948 from Jerusalem Quarterly (from Dr Ghada Karmi's memoir, In Search of Fatima)
Coordinates: 31°45′40″N 35°12′25″E / 31.761°N 35.207°E
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