מקור ברוך

Have you ever wondered why a Jerusalem neighborhood is named for a blessed fountain? This street is Rashi Street in Mekor Baruch, meaning “Blessed Source” in Hebrew. Mekor Baruch, was founded in 1924 on land purchased from the Schneller Orphanage by the Jerusalem-American Land Company, a consortium of Jerusalem and American investors. The name comes from the passage in Proverbs 5:18, “Let your fountain be blessed”. Some say it honors Boris (Baruch) Hershenov, one of the investors, while others believe it is a tribute to Baruch Aharanoff, an American philanthropist. The neighborhood was planned with 207 lots, but due to an economic downturn in the late 1920s construction didn’t begin until the 1930s. Imagine, a neighborhood built on the promise of prosperity and named for a blessed wellspring, but the original investors were unable to see their vision fulfilled before the economic crisis hit. Today, Mekor Baruch is a Haredi neighborhood, a center of ultra-orthodoxy, a far cry from its original aspirations. The historic buildings, which are mostly 2-3 stories high, are reminiscent of the 1920s and 30s, and many of them have been renovated to serve the needs of the Haredi community. Walk along Rashi Street and you’ll see the street is full of life, bustling with people going about their days. The street is lined with shops and restaurants, and the aroma of fresh bread and warm spices fills the air as you walk along. But Mekor Baruch is not just an “old-world” neighborhood. Within its boundaries is a modern medical center, a reminder of the neighborhood’s adaptive spirit. Mekor Baruch, a place where past, present, and future are all intertwined, continues to tell its story through its people, its buildings, and its enduring sense of community.