Community gardening is blossoming in Jerusalem
While many Jerusalemites count themselves as green thumbs, the city's densely packed urban environment doesn't always allow for apartment dwellers to hone their gardening skills. But the recent spread of community gardens, plots of land set aside for all the area's denizens to participate in planting and cultivating gardens, is giving Jerusalem residents a chance to get back to their agrarian roots.
There are over 40 community gardens around Jerusalem, in neighborhoods from the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, to Neve Yaakov, downtown and Ein Kerem (a full list can be seen here at the Jerusalem Green Map site). In many cases the gardens are created over vacant lots or other such urban blight.
"Gardens are a source of pleasure for the entire population, can teach about the environmental and strengthen the relationship between people and their community," notes a city government spokesperson. "Fostering community gardens and urban sites by the community lets us deal with the problem of neglected public areas, and helps cultivate the appearance of the city. Around communal gardens a rich and perse community life is emerging."
The gardens are part of a global drive by city dwellers to get back to the earth. While some settle for harvesting virtual beets on Facebook's FarmVille, others are getting outside, hoe in hand, to try and make the world a nicer, and greener, place. As early adopters of green programs, not to mention plans that foster social and community action, it is no surprise that Jerusalemites have taken to community gardening like ducks to water.
And what better proof of the community gardening trend in Jerusalem than a conference dedicated to that subject? In the coming days, for the second year in a row, community gardeners, activists, experts, city and government officials and others will gather at the David Yellin school for a meet about community gardening. On tap are lectures, activities, workshops, presentations and a community garden tour.
Some of the city's most popular community gardens double as cultural institutions of their own, with complete schedules of events ranging from lectures to art exhibits and movie screenings.
There's even an exciting initiative to bring live arts performances to Jerusalem's community gardens throughout November.
"The gardens contribute to the unification of the community, creating a meeting place of young and old, immigrants and veterans, and even different religions," says Deputy Mayor Noami Tzur, city hall's green guru. "The municipality continues to constantly expand the project wherever possible to establish community gardens and sees it as one of the most blessed city initiatives."
Photo courtesy of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
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