Batei Varsha Street

The low stone houses of Batei Varsha are defined by their enclosed central courtyard, a design intended to create a defensible, private space for the immigrant families who built it in the late nineteenth century. Established by Jews from Warsaw, the neighborhood functioned as a self-contained community for those arriving in Jerusalem with very little money. A local baker once kept the communal oven burning here, and residents recall children playing in the tight, shaded square while their parents bartered for supplies.