It’s easy to forget that Abu Tor is a mixed neighborhood. You look out over the panorama of Jerusalem, with the golden Dome of the Rock shining in the distance, and it’s almost impossible to imagine that you are on the very edge of one community and looking into the heart of another. Abu Tor is a place where history, religion, and cultures have met for centuries, creating a unique tapestry of life. Before we stand here, on a hill overlooking Jerusalem, Abu Tor, a name that means “Father of the Bull,” was the site of a Byzantine church dedicated to St Mark. Legend tells that this was the same church where Judas betrayed Jesus, making it the “Hill of Evil Counsel.” This is the same hill where later, in the 19th century, wealthy Arab families built elegant homes escaping the hustle of the Old City. The Jewish community also established a neighborhood, Beit Yosef, but it was abandoned in the 1929 riots that took place in Mandatory Palestine. You can still see some of the old houses, and it is easy to imagine the families living there, their lives forever changed by the conflict. Today, the neighborhood is home to a mix of both Jewish and Arab families, creating a unique atmosphere. It’s a microcosm of Jerusalem itself, a city where history, religion, and culture meet at every corner.
Yeusefiya Cemetery
Were these once vibrant lives, now commemorated beneath our feet? We stand before the Yeusefiya Cemetery, a place where history