Rehavia
Nestled between Talbiya, Katamon, the city centre and the Valley of the Cross, Rehavia was established as a neighbourhood back in the early 1920s.
It was designed as a garden suburb, and as a result, though there are some small shops, it is largely a residential neighbourhood. Rehavia also has a reputation as being one of the more affluent neighbourhoods in Jerusalem
History
In 1921, land was leased from the Greek Orthodox Church by what is now known as the Israel Land Development Company to be used to establish the neighbourhood of Rehavia.
Over the years, the neighbourhood of Rehavia has been home to many high profile figures in Israel’s history, with both David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir having lived in the area.
Rehavia was also home to Israel’s second President (Yitzchak Ben Zvi) who lived there prior to the creation of the President’s Residence in Talbiya in 1971.
Rehavia Real Estate
With the long term leases of land from the Church (see above) set to expire in the near future, properties located on "Church Land" are facing uncertainty as to their future (with the potential that these houses and apartments may simply have to be surrendered at the end of the term of the lease) which is having an understandable impact on property prices and valuations.
THIS DOES NOT AFFECT ALL HOMES IN REHAVIA and therefore you will need to seek advice from a suitably qualified professional such as a lawyer as to whether your property or the one that you are considering buying is affected and to what extent.
Community
The Great Synagogue
Built in 1982, the Jerusalem Great Synagogue has developed a reputation for their services and choir, often attracting tourists as well as worshippers to their congregation.
Many people make a point of going there for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It is located next door to Heichal Shlomo - the former seat of the Israeli Rabbinate - but which is now a museum and cultural center (see below).
Heichal Shlomo
This was built prior to the Great Synagogue in 1958 and contains a large (500 seats) auditorium that is currently host to a very popular weekly lecture by Sivan Rahav Meir.
The building is used for other events, and houses a museum of Jewish art.
Points of Interest
The Great Synagogue
See above
Ratisbonne Monastery
Located on Shmuel HaNagid street, this monastery was founded in 1874 and is now run by the Salesians of Don Bosco (an institute of the Catholic Church) and is home to their International Theological Seminary.
The Prime Minister’s House
Take a walk down from Agron towards the south of the city, and you’ll likely notice a fenced off street with some serious looking guards outside. On what is probably the safest street of Jerusalem, you’ll find the Prime Minister’s residence.
A whole new complex has been approved for construction near Cinema City, so you won’t be able to find him there for too much longer. You used to be able to walk through the street with the permission of the guards, but this has been recently changed so that only residents can pass through the street.
* For more information on Rehavia, see our guide to Rehavia real estate prices.
See all the available Jerusalem Real Estate - you can breakdown all the Rehavia properties under find a property, in the city/neighborhood section.