The secret nightlife of Jerusalem’s old market
Ultra-Orthodox leaders are fighting to keep the old Jerusalem market of Mahane Yehuda from slipping further into a hot nightspot.
Jerusalem’s iconic Mahane Yehuda Market has undergone a dramatic change over the past six years. During the day it’s a colorful market with stalls selling vegetables, spices, fish and nuts. At night it turns into a focal point of the area’s entertainment scene. When the sun goes down and the stalls are shuttered, dozens of bars and restaurants open their doors and the owners put out chairs for the hundreds of Jerusalemites and tourists who flock to the place. On Thursday nights (the start of the Israeli weekend) the market area becomes one huge party.
The market straddles the boundary between ultra-Orthodox and secular Jerusalem and symbolizes the struggle over the city’s character. While the ultra-Orthodox are fighting to preserve a spiritual-conservative Jerusalem, Mayor Nir Barkat has worked to turn Jerusalem into a pluralistic, Western-style city
