Jerusalem as Modern City: A Virtual Tour of the German Colony and Baka

When someone thinks of Jerusalem, they usually imagine the holy sites. Yet, Jerusalem is also a living modern city, with all its challenges and beauties. We invite you on a virtual walk starting from the middle of the 19th century, when the first residents of the Old City left its medieval alleys and settled outside of the walls, and newcomers came and brought a modern and new way of life. This process of modernization, stretching through different political landscapes and an ever-changing human mosaic of religions, ethnic identities and languages, has been going on since then. We will dive into two iconic neighborhoods to discover some of the characteristics of this process more in-depth, through stories and personal impressions.

About Eszter

Eszter Koranyi was born in Budapest, Hungary. After completing her MA in International Relations, and working in an NGO, she decided to set out to explore alternative ways of human cooperation. This led her to kibbutz Neot Semadar, in the middle of the Negev desert in Israel. After three years, she wanted to understand more about the complexity of the country and, therefore, moved to Jerusalem.

She has been living there for the last 8 years, where she works for Combatants for Peace, an NGO promoting cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians for peace and justice. She is also a co-founder of Freedom School, a study program on peace activism for young Israeli Jews and Palestinians. She is about to complete her studies as an official tour guide.