The sprawling and densely populated neighborhood of Neve Yaakov is little-known outside Jerusalem, but has a rich history that dates back to before the founding of the State. Now Neve Yaakov is one of the most diverse areas of the city, combining an ultra-Orthodox population with secular Israelis, as well as Ethiopian and Russian immigrants. An hour from the city center by bus, this neighborhood is a many-flavored cocktail that is vintage Jerusalem. Before it was a neighborhood on the northeastern tip of modern Jerusalem, Neve Yaakov was a Jewish settlement.
The land was purchased by Jews from the Arabs of Beit Haninah in 1924. At the time it was one of only two settlements north of the Old City, where most of the Jewish population lived. An economic backwater, the settlement didn't have electricity until 1939. The impetus for the founding of Neve Yaakov was religious: Its original settlers were followers of Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Reines. These followers consisted of about 150 families. When the Jordanians marched on Jerusalem from the north, the residents of Neve Yaakov fled, fearing an attack.
The area remained empty of Jews and was occupied by the Jordanians until the conclusion of the Six Day War in 1967. Today the neighborhood of Neve Yaakov is a popular destination both for new immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia, as well as for ultra-Orthodox families. A new housing development called Kiryat Kamenetz has become a thriving community for young ultra-Orthodox couples. Once a thrifty destination for people who could not afford the more central areas of Jerusalem, Neve Yaakov has in recent years been transformed into one of the more sought after areas of Jerusalem for its religious Jewish community. But it is still sufficiently on the fringes as to remain an economically sound alternative to other areas of the city.
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