{"id":83479,"date":"2025-06-24T18:30:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T15:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/?p=83479"},"modified":"2025-06-24T02:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T23:18:36","slug":"bet-hakerems-last-stand-in-a-changing-jerusalem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/bet-hakerems-last-stand-in-a-changing-jerusalem\/","title":{"rendered":"Bet HaKerem\u2019s Last Stand in a Changing Jerusalem"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a hot Sunday afternoon in Jerusalem, reality came knocking on the quiet streets of Bet HaKerem. A peaceful protest outside a cabinet minister\u2019s home, the sudden detention of a respected local academic, and claims of humiliation inside a police station \u2014 all unfolding against the backdrop of a national war<\/p>\n

The line between civil dissent and state enforcement blurred quickly<\/p>\n

On June 22, a group of residents \u2014 mostly retirees, parents, and children \u2014 gathered on HaMeyasdim Street. Their target: Economy Minister Nir Barkat, who lives in the neighborhood. Protesters held signs and sang, calling on him \u201cnot to forget the hostages in Gaza<\/em><\/p>\n

(A Piano in Jerusalem Waits: Alon Ohel Still Missing<\/a>)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Then came the incident
Dr. Renana Keidar, an academic and longtime neighborhood resident, was reportedly not participating in the protest but simply standing nearby. She was detained by Jerusalem District police. Later, she described the experience using one word: humiliation<\/p>\n

But this incident is only a symptom
The real story is much older \u2014 and harder to reverse<\/p>\n

One Neighborhood Against an Entire City<\/h3>\n

Founded in 1922, Bet HaKerem was once the model of secular Zionist urbanism: stone houses, tree-lined sidewalks, high academic values. Professors, authors, public intellectuals \u2014 the neighborhood represented Jerusalem\u2019s liberal Ashkenazi identity<\/p>\n

But Jerusalem changed
And Bet HaKerem was left behind<\/p>\n

(Jerusalem Residents Demand Action Against Muezzin Noise<\/a>)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Battle for the City Was Lost Quietly<\/h3>\n

Demographically, Jerusalem no longer belongs to the old elite. Each election confirms the trend: the city\u2019s ultra-Orthodox and religious-nationalist populations continue to grow, while secular residents decline both in influence and in number<\/p>\n

From Givat Shaul to Ramot, from Har Nof to Pisgat Ze\u2019ev \u2014 the city transforms. Slowly, but irreversibly. Bet HaKerem, meanwhile, remains a kind of enclave. Its struggle to maintain a secular character now borders on tragic \u2014 and often feels disconnected from political reality<\/p>\n

Researchers Warn: The Tipping Point Has Passed<\/h3>\n

Multiple studies from the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, Israel\u2019s Central Bureau of Statistics, and independent academic centers all point to the same trajectory: Jerusalem is becoming a religious-majority city \u2014 and fast<\/p>\n

The ultra-Orthodox population maintains one of the highest birthrates in Israel, while secular families face low birthrates and high rates of out-migration. Each year, thousands of secular Jews leave the city, while roughly the same number of religious and Haredi families arrive<\/p>\n

By 2030, Haredim are projected to become the city\u2019s largest demographic. In the public education system, secular enrollment has already fallen below 20%<\/p>\n

(Suspected Arson Arrest Deepens Fear in Jerusalem<\/a>)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As researchers conclude: the cultural contest for Jerusalem is not ongoing \u2014 it\u2019s over. Today, neighborhoods like Bet HaKerem, Rehavia, the German Colony and Talpiot stand as cultural relics, surrounded by a rapidly changing urban landscape<\/p>\n

Barkat Was Just the Spark<\/h3>\n

Minister Nir Barkat \u2014 a former mayor of Jerusalem \u2014 symbolizes much of this shift. He was the first to brand the city as \u201cunited\u201d and to promote policies that subtly but steadily deepened the religious-nationalist character of public life<\/p>\n

For residents of Bet HaKerem, the protest outside his home was more than a political message. It was a moment of deep alienation. A protest not just against a minister \u2014 but against a future already set in motion<\/p>\n

The Street Sign Still Stands<\/h3>\n

In the photo attached to this story, a simple sign reads \u201cBet HaKerem.\u201d It stands quietly by a bike rental station, under a shaded tree, lit by the last of the afternoon sun<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a reminder of history \u2014 of a neighborhood that helped shape the identity of a city now slipping from its hands<\/p>\n

The sign remains.
But fewer people are asking where it points.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The detention of Dr. Renana Keidar reveals how Bet HaKerem is losing its place in the city\u2019s future<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":83480,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Bet HaKerem\u2019s Last Stand in a Changing Jerusalem","_seopress_titles_desc":"The detention of Dr. Renana Keidar reveals how Bet HaKerem is losing its place in the city\u2019s future","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[184],"tags":[9925,8747],"class_list":{"0":"post-83479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-184","8":"tag-israeli-politics-en","9":"tag-jerusalem-en"},"acf":{"subtitle":"The detention of Dr. Renana Keidar reveals how Bet HaKerem is losing its place in the city\u2019s future"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}