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Murals – The Market, Jerusalem The “Machane Yehuda Market” mural on Agripas Street in Jerusalem, created by the Citécréation workshop in Lyon, France was unveiled during Hanukkah in 2001. The mural, set on an exposed concrete wall, was made using a “slight of hand” technique, thus its details appear to be real. The tin wall on the left side of the multi-story residential building constructed on Agripas Street in 1935-1937 symbolized neglect and poverty. Since 1987, the area has been going through a process of restoration and environmental, community and tourism development. Residents of the centrally located neighborhood were partners in the decision to dedicate the mural to the Machane Yehuda Market, the beating heart of the area and the core of the Jerusalem experience. Before producing the artwork, the artists did their research, meeting local residents and business owners, some of whom appear in the mural itself. They wished to hear what the residents wanted to see on the wall in their neighborhood and acted accordingly. The Jerusalem Municipality, the Ministry of Tourism, the Israel Government Tourist Corporation, the Ministry of Construction and the company that executed the project, the East Jerusalem Development Company, all collaborated on the creation of the mural. The building was prepared for its “new clothes”: the window blinds and railings were painted as part of an extensive renovation to the building carried out by the Ministry of Construction. The Israel Electric Corporation provided a generator room on the ground floor for the artists. To express their appreciation for this assistance, they painted images of IEC workers on the side of the building. Jerusalem neighborhoods and the surrounding mountains appear in the background. The landscape of “Jerusalem, hills enfold it” echoes paintings of Jerusalem created in synagogues in the Diaspora and Israel depicting it as the ideal city reflected in the biblical text. The mural incorporates images of residents and merchants. The prominent keystone in the arch above the fish store features the lion relief from the Lion’s Gate, which residents consider as one of the hallmarks of being a Jerusalemite. This image originates from the tiger – the symbol of the Mamluk Sultan Baybars. In the modern era, the Jews of Jerusalem adopted the tiger as the Lion of Judah – the symbol of the Judean tribe and of Jerusalem. After IDF paratroopers penetrated the Old City through the Lion’s Gate during the Six Day War in 1967, it attained new national meaning. Many local residents perceive the Machane Yehuda Market as the center of the Jerusalem experience, a place where local, authentic and national heritage is preserved. In late 2022, the Machane Yehuda Market celebrated its centennial. Details of the photo: images from the market: Eli Mizrahi, Benny Dagim, the tea distributor, Moti’s son, the market anthem, the lions in the keystone, the bicycle, an illustrated carton, IEC workers, 103 call center, a for sale sign, the lights in the market, the menu meat-dairy, etc.… With thanks to Nirit Shalev Khalifa
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