Ben Yehuda Street (Jerusalem)

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Ben Yehuda Street at night.

Ben Yehuda Street (Hebrew: רחוב בן יהודה‎), known as the "Midrachov" (Hebrew: מדרחוב‎) is a major street in downtown Jerusalem, Israel. It joins with Jaffa Road and King George Street to form the Downtown Triangle central business district. It is now a pedestrian mall and closed to vehicular traffic. The street runs from the intersection of King George Street to Zion Square and Jaffa Road. The street is named after the founder of Modern Hebrew, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.

History

Ben Yehuda Street by day.

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Ben Yehuda Street on Shabbat, when businesses are closed (view from Zion Square).

Ben Yehuda Street was a main street in Jerusalem even before the founding of the state. As a busy thoroughfare, it has been a prime target for terrorist bombings.

In 1983, the street was closed to automobile traffic. In Hebrew it is called a midrachov (pedestrian mall – a Hebrew neologism formed from the words "midracha" [sidewalk] and "rechov" [street]. Many of the businesses cater to tourists. The street is lined with souvenir and Judaica shops and sidewalk cafes, and street musicians play there throughout the day. It was long considered the "secular heart of Jerusalem," but since the 2000s, disaffected Orthodox Jewish youth have joined the mix of tourists and locals.

The comedy club Off the Wall Comedy Empire (also known as Off the Wall Comedy Basement) is located in the basement at 34 Ben Yehuda Street.

See also

• Ben Yehuda Street bombings