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Jerusalem’s City Center – once a thriving business and entertainment center and magnet for tourists – began to deteriorate after 1967 as resources were diverted to new suburbs. As residents and businesses streamed to new, more accessible neighborhoods, poverty began to set in and crime became rampant. During the second intifada, terror attacks transformed the area into a virtual ghost town. .
The Lev Ha'ir area – the heart of the City Center –- was one of the first neighborhoods to be build outside the Old City Walls. It is home to some 30,000 residents of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds and houses Mahane Yehuda, the country's largest open market.
Diverse rehabilitation projects and social services undertaken by the Lev Ha’ir Community Administration, established by neighborhood residents and tradesmen at the initiative of Keren Hayesod, have begun to reverse the process of decline and restore the vibrancy to the heart of Jerusalem. Central to this effort is the process of community empowerment and the cultivation of strong populations to serve as agents of change.
The Lev Ha'ir project has been used as a model for community action in other inner city areas in the world. Unfortunately, lack of funding is now threatening the continuation of many Lev Ha'ir programs.
The Keren Hayesod Family and Child Center offers professional childcare, allowing impoverished mothers to go to work. A donation of US$9,000 will provide enrichment programs for a group of 60 children.
The prize-winning "Basket Kids" program offers educational opportunity for Arab children working in the market. A donation of US$920 will provide educational and recreational activities for one child.
Various programs offer activities and support for the neighborhood's impoverished elderly population. A donation of US$11,500 will provide support for 250 elderly households.
SUPPORT LEV HA'IR
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