![Davids-harp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Davids-harp.jpg)
Ir David Foundation or City of David Foundation, commonly known as Elad
l'ad( he, אלע"ד, an acronym for "אל עיר דוד", meaning "to the City of David") is a
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
-based,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i settler association which aims to strengthen the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, and renew the Jewish community in the
City of David "City of David" is a biblical and religious epithet for the ancient city of Jerusalem.
It may also refer to:
* City of David (archaeological site) - an archaeological excavation associated with ancient Jerusalem
* Jerusalem Walls National Park
...
, which is also part of the neighborhood of
Silwan. The foundation works to achieve its goals by tourism, education, archaeological excavations and obtaining homes in the area to establish a Jewish presence.
Background
"Ir David" - or the City of David is the name given to a site beyond the southern edge of Jerusalem's
Temple Mount
The Temple Mount ( hbo, הַר הַבַּיִת, translit=Har haBayīt, label=Hebrew, lit=Mount of the House f the Holy}), also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, lit. 'The Noble Sanctuary'), al-Aqsa Mosque compoun ...
and
Old City Old City often refers to old town, the historic or original core of a city or town.
Old City may refer to several places:
Historical cities or regions of cities
''(by country)''
*Old City (Baku), Azerbaijan
* Old City (Dhaka), Bangladesh, also ca ...
, with the
Tyropoeon Valley on its west, the
Hinnom valley to the south, and the
Kidron Valley on the east.
Modern Jewish settlement on the ridge began in the City of David began in 1873–1874, when the
Meyuchas The Meyuchas (Meyuhas, Meyouhas) are a Jerusalem Sephardi family that has produced notable rabbis and merchants for hundreds of years. They trace their ancestry to Spain before the Alhambra Decree.
Modern settlement on the site of the City of Dav ...
family, a Jewish rabbinical and merchant family that had lived in Jerusalem since their expulsion from Spain, moved a short distance outside the city walls to a house in the area. With the outbreak of
1936 riots
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
Jews were advised by the British authorities to leave the area since they could not guarantee their safety.
The foundation was founded in 1986 by David Be’eri a former deputy commander of
Duvdevan Unit
Unit 217, frequently called Duvdevan ( he, דובדבן, lit=cherry), is a ''mistaʽaravim'' unit in the Commando Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces.
It is notable for its undercover operations in urban areas, during which its operators of ...
, with the intention to purchase the former Meyuchas family home and other properties in the city. In 1986 they were granted the authority to work on behalf of the
Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund ( he, קֶרֶן קַיֶּימֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael'', previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Syria (later Mandatory Palestine, and subseq ...
to reclaim land in the area.
For a long time, Elad refused to provide the names of its funders and when they did they requested successfully that the names be kept under privilege.
[Ahdaf Soueif]
"The dig dividing Jerusalem,"
''The Guardian'' (26 May 2010) etrieved: 29 May 2010/ref> In 2016, the Israeli newspaper ''Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'' revealed that the organization received 450 million shekels (US$115 million) in donations between 2006 and 2013.[ Most of the money came via corporations in international tax havens whose owners could not be identified.] About half of Elad's income between 2003 and 2018, amounting to 348 million shekels, came from four companies registered in the Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...
. Documents in the leaked FinCEN Files
The FinCEN Files are documents from the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), that have been leaked to ''BuzzFeed News'' and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), and published globally on 20 S ...
revealed in 2020 that at least three of the four companies are owned by Russian–Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich.[
]
Activities
Tourism
To expand tourist activity, the foundation created a massive marketing campaign which led to a sharp increase in the number of visitors in recent years. In 2001 the foundation had only 25,000 visitors, but 250,000 in 2006 and 350,000 in 2007. In a program called "Ancient Jerusalem", they bring visitors to the three sites of Biblical Jerusalem, the City of David, Armon HaNetziv and the Mount of Olives. There were 450,000 visitors in 2011.
Education
Ir David invests considerable resources in education and strengthening ties to Jerusalem, and increasing the knowledge of and research of Ancient Jerusalem. In association with the IDF
IDF or idf may refer to:
Defence forces
* Irish Defence Forces
* Israel Defense Forces
*Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006
* Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917
Organizations
* Israeli Diving Federation
* Interac ...
, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and Yad Ben Zvi, the foundation gives day tours of Jerusalem to soldiers, with an emphasis on sites connected to Jewish heritage and Zionism. The association operates weekends and seminars on leadership and Zionism among the officers, held at various tourist sites in Ancient Jerusalem. The association also works in conjunction with Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva ( he, בְּנֵי עֲקִיבָא, , "Children of Akiva") is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was first established in Mandatory Palestine in 1929.
History
B ...
, a religious Zionist
Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religious"), and in Israel, the ...
youth movement
The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise.
0 ...
, giving visitors educational tours.
In 2001, the foundation established the Megalim Institute dedicated to expanding knowledge of Jerusalem in the fields of history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
, archaeology and the Bible. The institute teaches academics both in Israel and internationally through courses, seminars and tours. Every year the institute hosts the 'City of David Archaeological Conference', where excavators and researchers present the latest innovations in the study of Jerusalem. Megalim Institute also publishes various books and publications in areas relevant to historical research.
Archaeological excavations
Ir David Foundation funds most of the archaeological excavations conducted in recent years in the City of David and the surrounding areas. All excavations are conducted by the Antiquities Authority, or with their approval. Among the many excavation sites the association found in 2005 the proposed Pool of Siloam 200 meters from another "Pool of Siloam" which was a fifth-century reconstruction and the road that connected the Spring to the Temple. The pool was used as Mikveh
Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity.
Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...
for ritual purification performed before visiting the Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
.
While the archaeological sites are clearly from at least the Second Temple Period, there is no clear evidence of the presence of King David or Solomon at the site. However, much of the narrative in Samuel and Kings I is consistent with the archaeologic discoveries, including the water shaft through which David's troops are described scaling when they entered the city and captured it from the Jebusites. Both names appear in the Book of Jeremiah (38:1). The two men were ministers in the court of King Zedekiah, the last king to rule in Jerusalem before the destruction of the First Temple.
In December 2008 excavations funded by the foundation found a large hoard of over 250 gold coins, dated to around the seventh century near the end of the Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
period. A clay seal bearing the name of Gedaliah son of Pashhur was also found. His name is explicitly mentioned in the Bible (). The foundation also funded excavation of a house the archaeologists suspect belonged to Helena of Adiabene, a fourth-century mansion,[ and an ancient water tunnel.
]
Home purchases
Ir David purchases houses in Silwan and rents them to Jewish families. According to the foundation, some houses in Silwan were originally owned by Jews before the establishment of the state, representing the Jewish settlement of Kfar Shiloah, established for immigrants from Yemen in the late 19th century. As of 2009, 75 Jewish families live in properties owned by the Association.
The Ir David foundation acquires property in the city of David and surroundings in one of four ways:
* Locating assets belonging to Jews in the city of David and seeking legal action to return them to the original owner.
* Buying properties declared absentee property. According to ''Haaretz'', Elad took control of properties by making a very dubious use of the Israeli 'Absentees Property Law'[Meron Rapopor]
"The republic of Elad"
''Haaretz'' (23-04-2006) etrieved 29-05-2010/ref>
* Persuading Arab residents to voluntarily sell their homes to Jews.
The foundation endeavours to buy up property from Muslims in the area, but the acquisition of houses is complex, since under Waqf
A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...
law, Muslims are not permitted to sell their land to Jews, since according to Islamic jurisprudence the lands they dwell on belongs to Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
. Elad employs Muslim middle men as brokers to bypass the Waqf rules and to purchase the properties.
In September 2014, Ir David Foundation aided residents moving into 25 apartments in Silwan, the largest acquisition in the foundation's history. The apartments were spread over seven different buildings, which were purchased by Ir David Foundation through a US shadow organization.
Funding
The largest single funder of the organization is Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and the companies he controls, which have donated $100 million. These donations came to light through a leak of bank documents known as the FinCEN Files
The FinCEN Files are documents from the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), that have been leaked to ''BuzzFeed News'' and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), and published globally on 20 S ...
that had been submitted to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Criticism
On archaeology
In 1997, the organisation was sued by the Israeli state for damaging archaeological remains and for building on a historic site without a permit, and the Israel Antiquities Authority strongly recommended that the upkeep and control of the archaeological sites not be handed over to the organisation.[Yigal Bronner]
Archaeologists for hire
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 1 May 2008 In 1998 a proposed contract to do this was annulled. However, in 2002 the contract was re-confirmed, this time without opposition from the IAA, and from that time the organisation has had responsibility for the preservation and maintenance of the City of David National Park.
In 1999, unauthorized construction on the Temple Mount by the Waqf resulted in trucks fulls of dirt filled with archaeological artifacts being dumped. In 2005 the Ir David Foundation joined a Bar Ilan University and the National Parks Authority, Temple Mount Sifting Project, where volunteers and professionals recover these artifacts. Thousands of artifacts have been recovered including 5,000 ancient coins. In March 2017, the Temple Mount Sifting Project announced it stopped collaborating with the Ir David Foundation. The reason was not published.
In 2011, a leading Israeli specialist on the archeology of Jerusalem, Dr. Eilat Mazar, who in the past collaborated with the Elad foundation, wrote a letter protesting the foundation's lack commitment to "scientific archeological work". In particular she expressed concerns over their intention to demolish a wall in a subterranean trench called "Jeremiah's Pit," which she regards as part of a tourist gimmick. The Antiquities Authority replied that she was only trying to appropriate the site for herself. Elad countered that her contract forbids her from complaining about future excavations.
Elad was blamed by Silwan residents when a channel dug for archaeological excavations partially collapsed in December 2011 near the village's mosque. The excavations were carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by Elad.
On evictions
Critics accuse the foundation of methodically moving of Jerusalem to "Judaicize" the city. The foundation says its actions are legal under Israeli law.
In December 2011, joint activities between the Elad Association and the Jewish National Fund in Israel (JNF-KKL) led to Seth Morrison's resignation from the board of JNF-USA, the JNF's arm in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Morrison resigned in protest at the decision by Himnuta, a subsidiary of JNF-KKL, to launch eviction proceedings against the Sumarin family, who lived in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem. In the case of the Sumarin family, the children of the original owner, Musa Sumarin, were declared absentees after his death even though there were other family members living in the home at the time. In 1991, the Israeli government transferred the property to the JNF subsidiary. In a letter to '' The Jewish Daily Forward'', Morrison said the action on the Sumarin home "is not an isolated case. JNF has gained ownership of other Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and, in many instances, then transferred these properties through its subsidiaries to Elad, a settler organization whose purpose is to “Judaize” East Jerusalem". Under Israel's controversial Absentee Property Law, the state may reclaim homes whose owners were not present in 1967, when Israel took control of East Jerusalem. Morrison said that the expulsion of the Sumarin family was a violation of human rights, and part of the systematic transfer of Palestinian property to ideological settlers who wish to put facts on the ground that hinder a lasting peace agreement. A campaign against the eviction was launched by T'ruah
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, often referred to as T'ruah, is a nonprofit organization of rabbis who act on the Jewish imperative to respect and protect the human rights of all people in North America, Israel, and the Palestinian Ter ...
then known as Rabbis for Human Rights, and by the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, and in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
by the Jewish organization Yachad. In response to these campaigns the JNF delayed the eviction.
On authority over national park
Ir Amim and others petitioned the High Court in July 2010, to cancel an agreement between the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) and Elad because of secret transfer of authority to Elad, which would carry out a political agenda. The Court ordered some changes and a new three-year contract was signed.
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Ir David
Official Site
The Story Behind the Tourist Site
Criticism of Elad by the Silwan Information Center local protest group
Archaeologist petition
for control of the investigations to be taken away from Elad
Digging for Trouble
Journeyman Pictures, via YouTube
Major archeological finds
Gedaliah Ben Pashchur Seal
Foundations based in Israel
City of David
1986 establishments in Israel
Roman Abramovich