Talk:Rehavia

Scope of Rehavia

I believe that the article previously defined Rehavia much too large. It read: "...neighborhood bordered by Nahlaot to the north, Talbiya and Katamon to the south, Shaarei Chesed to the west, and the Old City to the east."

1) By making the Old City the eastern border of Rehavia, one includes in Rehavia the pre-existing neighborhoods of Yemin Moshe, Mamilla, and Nahalat Shiva.

2) This large size also brings into Rehavia huge commercial sections of the city, which are clearly not in keeping with the character of traditional Rehavia.

3) The Streetwise Jerusalem map (ISBN 1886705232), which is highly detailed, places the southern boundary of Rehavia at Aza (Gaza) Street/Ben Maimon Street. There is also an official Rehavia sign at the corner of Ha'Ari Street and Aza Street, as one enters Rehavia from the south.

4) The article states that Nahlaot is north of Rehavia, but Rehavia's northern boundary is a little further south than the area traditionally regarded as Nahlaot. There is an official Rehavia sign at corner of Ussishkin Street and Keren Kayemet Street, as one enters Rehavia from the north.

5) A strongly defining characteristic of the streets in Rehavia is that they are named after important figures in the Spanish Jewish Golden Age. There are only two streets in the area not named for Spanish Jews: Ussishkin Street and Keren Kayemet Street. However, the Haaretz newspaper article cited as the source for the Rehavia entry explains that both streets used to be named for an important Spanish Jew until Ussishkin himself had them changed. Moreover, in Talbiya, the streets are named after (eastern European) Hebrew language authors, including Smolenskin, Ahad Ha'am, Nahum Sokolov, and Shalom Aleichem. There is a pattern at work.

6) On the west side of Karen Hayesod Street, right near the corner of Smolenskin, is an official Talbiya sign.

In the article as previously written, the following specific landmarks were erroneously cited as being in Rehavia: the prime minister's residence, Jabotinsky Street, the YMCA, the King David Hotel, and the U.S. Consulate.

1) The prime minister's residence is on Smoleskin Street, which is south of Aza-Ben Maimon and, therefore, in Talbiya, as explained above.

2) Jabotinsky Street, which is even further south, is definitely in Talbiya.

3) I have never known anyone to include the King David Hotel in Rehavia. It is much too far east.

4) As for the U.S. Consulate and the YMCA -- in the area bounded by Agron, Keren Hayesod, and King David Streets: if the streets to the west of Keren Kayesod (Smolenskin, Ha'am, Sokolov, Aleichem) are already in Talbiya, and if Aza is the southern boundary of Rehavia, then the area around the YMCA and U.S. Consulate cannot be in Rehavia.

Personally, I think the only unclarity over Rehavia's boundaries is the northern boundary, specifically issue of Keren Kayemet Street. There is no doubt that in the northwest of the neighborhood Keren Kayemet Street forms the northern boundary, with the south side of the street inside the district. The official sign at the corner of Keren Kayemet and Ussishkin Streets settles that. However, further east, it would seem that both sides of Keren Kayemet Street are inside of Rehavia. The official Rehavia post office is located at 8 Keren Kayemet, on the north side of the street. Additionally, the Rehavia Gymnasium is on the north side of the street. Plus, the Ratisbonne (or Ratisbon) Monastery is north of Keren Kayemet. Poldy Bloom (talk) 14:09, 13 September 2008 (UTC)