Cherish the Old but Keep the New: The Jerusalem Challenge

BY MATT WILLIAMS | 3 min read

Modern Jerusalem is facing a crisis. Twelve years ago, young Jewish students and professionals began leaving the city in large numbers. In 2009 alone, 7000 people relocated, 60% of which were Jewish young-adults and families. To make matters worse, the majority of these people were modern Orthodox or secular citizens, leading many to fear that the city's dynamic, tolerant and pluralistic nature is being threatened.

Because of this trend, in 2003, five Hebrew University students and business representatives came together to form an organization dedicated to maintaining the plurality of their city. Known as "New Spirit" (Ruach Hadasha in Hebrew), they have spent over a decade looking for ways to encourage the youth of the city to stay, seek out opportunities locally, and help preserve the city's diverse and dynamic character.

As it stands, many modern and secular Jewish residents are concerned about changing face of Jerusalem. As young professionals continue to leave - the people who are central to the city's economic infrastructure and development - the population becomes increasingly homogenous, older, and ultra-Orthodox in nature. This process, known as "haredization" is something that New Spirit hopes to stem.

New Spirit began as an effort on behalf of five university students to maintain the pluralistic nature of their city. Credit: HeroX

Their mission began in part because of renewed tensions between Israel and the Palestinian authority in 2003. With conflict erupting nearby in the West Bank, many of Jerusalem's younger people began to feel unsafe and started moving away. This process has remained in effect ever since, and has led to the stagnation of many communities, with its infrastructure becoming increasingly rundown and its residents increasingly radicalized.

As it states on their website:"New Spirit was founded in the footsteps of the Second Intifada. After the darkness that befell the city, a negative migration of young-adults from Jerusalem began. Five Hebrew University students looked around themselves in 2003, and decided to make a change, to revitalize Jerusalem... In this effort, New Spirit is fostering and mobilizing a community of young adults who are taking responsibility for the place in which they live and who are a driving force in effecting change in the cultural life of the city."

And what began as an effort by five students has since grown into a city-wide effort of 25,000 people working with local communities and other organizations - such as The Jerusalem Foundation - to create communities that settle young people in various areas of the city, create internship programs for students that lead to full employment, and run programs that allow cultural talent to stay within the city. Or as they sum it up with their motto, they are looking to keep the ancient city "thousands of years young."

The 2014 Olive Harvest in Ein Yael. Credit: The Jerusalem Foundation

Towards this end, they have also partnered with HeroX to launch the Jerusalem Challenge, an incentive-based competition designed to spur ideas as to how the city can be improved. With an emphasis on empowering the "creative class", the challenge will award $5000 to anyone who can show how the interests of any one of these fields can be helped forward.

As Ariel Markose, a member of New Spirit and the creator of the Challenge, explains: "New Spirit is in the midst of a huge process to empower the creative class in Jerusalem which is the engine of economic growth for the city. We feel that the best initiatives come from the ground, from the street, from the people. So we asked them, what do they need? What do they want to see happen in the city? The HeroX platform is the opportunity to bring all of those great ideas to life."

The competition, which runs from April 15th to April 30th, 2015, is open to anyone who has a groundbreaking idea that will change the face of Jerusalem. A reward of $5000 will be given to whichever individual or group submits an idea that meets the challenge criteria. Basically, New Spirit is looking for proposals that are original, implementable, and that will have a viable impact on the social, cultural, artistic and economic life of the city.

"There is an incredibly active civil society in Jerusalem but they are disorganized and sporadic," Markose adds, "we hope that this challenge will spur more creativity, get more people thinking and dreaming together for the city and will partner with us in our mission. It could be anything, from an installation in the public space to a social venture for a more pluralistic society, anything goes!"

The Challenge is currently in the pre-resigration phase and anyone interested is encouraged to register now. And be sure to check out this video from the Jerusalem Foundation of New Spirit founder Yakir Segev explaining his organization's mission:

Top photo: East Jerusalem, showing the Dome of the Rock and the wall surrounding the Old City. Credit: Berthold Werner/Public Domain

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