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Baka (Hebrew: בַּקְעָה; Arabic: بقعه), (officially Geulim), is a neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, Israel. The neighborhood is bounded by Talpiot to the south, Mekor Chaim to the west, the Greek Colony and German Colony to the northwest, and Abu Tor to the east.
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History
Baka (lit. "valley") was a mixed Muslim, Christian Arab, Armenians neighborhoods built outside the Old City of Jerusalem at the end of the 19th century. The neighborhood had an agricultural character until the 1950s. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the neighborhood was left on the Israeli (western) side of the wall dividing West Jerusalem from East Jerusalem. Its population changed, as with many neighborhoods on both sides of the dividing line. The neighborhood became a central location because of the Jerusalem Railway Station located at its edge. The station linked Jerusalem from the 19th century until service ended in 1998. Many streets in Baka are named for the Twelve Tribes: Judah, Issachar, Zevulun, Reuven, Shimon, Gad, Ephraim, Menashe, Benjamin, Dan, Asher and Naphtali.[1]
Demography
Demographically, the neighborhood contains a mix of religious and secular Jews. It is popular among English and French-speaking olim.[2]
Schools and public institutions
The four main schools are Oranim, Efrata, Geulim A, and Pelekh. Ulpan Etzion, Israel's first Hebrew-language school, was established in Baka in 1949. The ulpan, directed by Mordechai Kamerat, was used as a model for Hebrew language education across the country. [3]In 2008, the school vacated its college-style dormitories, communal rooms and gardens after the lease expired with the Carmelite Church that owned the property.[4]
References
Coordinates: 31°45′33.01″N 35°13′14.94″E / 31.7591694°N 35.2208167°E
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