Jerusalem Metropolitan Park - A Green Lung for Israel's Capital

Anyone who has driven along the Tel Aviv – Jerusalem highway has seen the picturesque landscape of Arazim Valley to the north of the road, just below the entrance to the city. The entire base of the valley and most of the supporting slopes are free of construction. Some areas have been planted; others are covered by farming terraces; and others still are covered with typical native shrubs. The distinction between this open, pastoral landscape and the nearby urban landscape is sharp and impressive.

The main entrances to the park will be situated close to Motsa interchange and alongside Golda interchange (the Ramot road). A network of paved park roads and bicycle trails will ensure easy access by motor vehicle, bicycle, and on foot to the various attractions and facilities, and will provide access from Lifta, Ramot, and Mevasseret Yerushalayim.

Forestry activity in the park will include restoring and planting orchards, and maintaining existing forests and woods including ancient cedar and olive groves. Indigenous broad-leafed tree species will be planted.

Arazim River is a dry streambed. Its flow channel will be rehabilitated and two water-based activity bases are planned. The "Meadow" is an intensive recreation area enjoying artesian water sources that emerged to the surface following development work. The water will be channeled into a pool and aqueduct, creating wading pools for children, lawns, and shaded corners. At the Einot Telem Springs the ancient terrace agriculture typical of the area with its irrigation system, will be recreated.

At Einot Telem are remains of a small Jewish settlement – Bet Talma. The land (60 acres, 23 hectares) was purchased in 1906 and a building intended for a soap and oil factory was erected. The two-storey structure (whose remains can be seen at the site) was never completed, and the site was eventually abandoned.

In 1922 five Jewish families settled at Einot Telem, naming their settlement Emek HaArazim. The site was abandoned during the 1929 Arab Riots, and further settlement attempts were unsuccessful.

Park entrances will be developed at Old Motsa in the north, near the ancient synagogue and historic Yelin House, and from Kerem intersection in the south. Development at the southern entrance will include a café, information desk, car park, and restrooms. The main park route, including the main bicycle trail, will begin at this entrance and continue north along Sorek River. The Bet Zayit Reservoir will be a focal point for tours, offering opportunities to observe plant and wildlife. Development includes activity points, informational and directional signs, and long-term maintenance.

The park includes two additional recreational hubs:

- A small lake above the Bet Zayit Reservoir, in the heart of the park. Facilities will include a restaurant, water-based recreation, sports and active recreation facilities, picnic areas, lawns, parking, footpaths and bicycle trails.

- A broad three-kilometer long promenade will connect the northern and southern entrances, including a four-meter wide footpath with seating areas, a bicycle trail, and shaded lookouts along the lake.

On the forested slopes minimal-impact development will create a green area connecting the western neighborhoods of Jerusalem, nearby communities, and the core area of the park. Existing groves and forests will be tended (including supplementary planting) and forest paths improved with shaded seating areas. In some cases new paths will be developed.

The archeological remnants from the Biblical and Second Temple periods and abundant water sources near the ancient Motsa Synagogue support the assumption that this was the location of the Biblical city of Motsa. The synagogue was in active use until the riots of 1929, but was later abandoned until 1961, when the first families moved into the new community of Lower Motsa.

Yelin House was the first house established in Motsa, the first Jewish farming settlement established outside city walls in modern times. Yehoshua Yelin built his family home close to a Crusader farmhouse that served as an inn for travelers on the road to Jerusalem. Yelin House, located near the old synagogue has been renovated.

Jerusalem Ring Route

After a complex process of selecting a location for the memorial and obtaining the necessary permits for the installation, it was decided that the site should be next to the portal of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv express train. The site was also approved by the green organizations and, after an additional million dollars were fundraised, construction work began. The memorial was constructed within an almost impossible time frame and was completed a few hours before the guests arrived for the dedication ceremony.

The memorial for those who perished in the Twin Towers was symbolically positioned directly in view of Har Hamenuhot, the main cemetery of Jerusalem. After walking down a few stairs one can view the memorial with the surrounding landscape in the background, and then, after walking all the way down the stairs to the lower level, one communes with the monument and the sky and there is a sense of convergence and power.

The monument was designed in bronze and aluminum, and it was inspired by an image of the American flag waving in the wind and resembling a memorial flame six meters high that reaches for the sky. The pedestal of the monument contains a piece of molten steel from the remains of the frame of the collapsed edifice, which can be viewed through a glass pane. The names of all the people who perished are engraved in large letters that recall typography from the last century. One name follows another in a list that never seems to end. The site is wheelchair accessible.

Walking and Cycling Trails

In June 2011, the new walking and cycling trails completed by KKL JNF for the benefit of the residents of the Ramot neighborhood were inaugurated. The trails are marked in blue, black, red and green, and their total length is about ten kilometers. The routes in the park were planned with attention to nature and especially to the wildlife prevalent in the area. Residents of the Ramot neighborhood will enjoy having direct access to one of the largest green lungs of Jerusalem.

The Ramot Forest, which is located southwest of the Ramot neighborhood, has become a starting point for footpaths and bike paths. There is also a Twins Trail, which goes from the forest to Emek Ha’arazim and on to Einot Telem. Of the four new footpaths, two were also made suitable for bicycles—the blue trail, which follows the length of the Promenade Route via Hedgehog Park and the Zion Levy Picnic Area, and the black trail, which follows the length of the Mitzpe Naftoah ridge and encompasses the municipal park. The two footpaths to be inaugurated are the red trail, which starts at Hedgehog Park and follows the circular Deer Route, and the green trail, which also begins at Hedgehog Park and descends to Emek Ha’arazim.