Montefiore’s Windmill in Mishkenot Sha’ananim is now home to a new display that will tell the story of the development of the Jewish community in Jerusalem, thanks to an initiative of the Jerusalem Foundation, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage and the Jerusalem Municipality.
The display, which will be open to the general public who visit this historic neighborhood, was recently dedicated in a ceremony with Mayor Moshe Lion, President of the Jerusalem Foundation Shai Doron, the Director General of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, and representatives of the Jerusalem Development Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
This new display includes a bronze relief map showing the Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighborhood in 1865, when Jews first left the walls of the Old City and settled in the neighborhood. It also features a miniature model of the windmill itself, which shows the inner workings of the windmill, and a working millstone to demonstrate how wheat was ground to make flour in the early days of the neighborhood.
These additions to this historic and iconic site will enhance the area and educate visitors, and will be accompanied by a photo book which will feature archival photos depicting the story of the windmill – from its early days as a source of livelihood for the Jews who left the Old City walls, through its use as a weapons depot during the British Mandate when it was damaged by an explosion, through to its renewal and restoration by the Jerusalem Foundation in 2012 and ever since.