Mazkeret Moshe (Nachlaot) Neighborhood, Jerusalem. Photographs by Tim Nachum Gidel

The neighborhood lies south of the Mahane Yehuda Market and Agrippas Street, between Shomrom Street and Mazkeret Moshe Street. The neighborhood was founded in 1883 with funds from the Yehudit and Moshe Montefiore Fund, for the 90th birthday of the well-known British philanthropist. The neighborhood started with the building of 83 houses that were sold at low prices and with long term loans from the Fund. The houses were built in a square shape with an inner courtyard with the houses around it. The front of the homes faced the inner courtyard. At first the neighborhood was planned for the settlement of the Ashkenazi community. The first synagogue built in the neighborhood was "Yismach Moshe" on Mazkeret Moshe Street. (The prayers there were like those in the Hurva Synagogue in the Old City). Another synagogue that was built later was 'Chesed ve Rachamim'. Over the years the area underwent demographic changes and the population became more Sephardic. There were merchants, shoemakers, shoe polishers, a bakery as well as others. Opposite the entrance from Agrippas Street, there was a Youth Club for street kids and under privileged children that operated from 1983. (Today it is the "Weiner Club" named for Katya and Franz Weiner). Dr. David Yellin, Dr. Carl Frankenstein and Dr. Anna Gordon from the School for Social Work at the Hebrew University, were those who opened the center. At first there was only a hut, then a one floor building. The neighborhood children were helped by youth from better neighborhoods. One of these boys was Prof. Avraham Nadad (Probolosky) who was born in Poland in 1938. He worked with 'street children' through educational and community work. He ran the Mazkeret Moshe Club in the capacity of psychologist. Eliezer Shmueli was another one who helped prepare the local youth from the neighborhood before their being drafted into the Hagannah in the War of Independence. Zvi Yavetz and Moshe Tamir were two other men involved in the project. Graduates of the Gymansia Haivrit in Rehavia also helped work with the youth at the club. The children were between the ages of 5-18. They played, took trips and put on plays. Avraham Nadad worked with the parents. In 1975 another storey was added to the building, funded by the Jerusalem Foundation, which served the young children and the elderly. In the year 2000 it was turned into the Kayta and Peretz Weiner Center to tell the story of those who moved outside of the walls. You can see pictures in the album of David Meiri, the director of the Center. The album, number YBZ.0327, tells the story of the Children's Center from the beginning of the 1960's (1962-1963). The photographs in this album were taken in 1942 by Tim Nachum Gidel and brought to the Yad Ben-Zvi Archives as part of the "A Picture in Stone" Project of the Lev Ha'ir Community Center. Tim Gidel was born in Germany and started his career as a photographer, primarily for the press in 1929. In 1953 he wrote a pioneering doctorate which preceded its time, on 'Reporting in Pictures and the Press'. Since then he devoted himself to academic research in Switzerland, England the United States and Palestine. Gidel moved to Israel in 1936 (after two earlier visits in 1930 and 1935). He lived in Rehavia, on Radak Street. He sold photographs to various Zionist organizations. He took many photographs on his trips abroad as a press photographer. He used a Leica camera which enabled him to take spontaneous 'artistic' pictures in the spirit of the 'New Vision' Movement of the time. In addition he experimented with new technical developments such as initial attempts at color photography. He took part in numerous exhibitions, published books and studies and won many prizes for his work. He was awarded the Enrique Kablin prize for his life's work in the field. Many of his photographs are of strangers he chanced to run into in the street. He said, "My photographs, as I see them, are a variation of the everlasting tragic-comedy aspect of human life. Most of the photographers of today are trying to express their personal inner 'I' through the camera lens, whereas I let the object express itself through the help of the camera". Read more