First there were the new neighborhood signs that sprung up
all over the city. Now there is talk – though the Jerusalem Municipality has
yet to confirm these rumors – that Jerusalem’s street signs are about to get a major
face lift. Ynet has reported that all of the capital’s streets named after
famous and historical figures will soon carry pictures and short biographies of
their namesakes. One side of the sign will keep the standard name – in English,
Arabic and Hebrew – and the person’s picture, while the other side will include
birth and death dates, and a brief biography of the person for whom the street
is named.
The idea apparently originated with Zion Turjeman, Director-General
of the Ariel Company, which works closely with the Jerusalem Municipality.
Apparently, Mayor Nir Barakat is also a history buff, and was immediately taken
with the idea, though when we spoke to our contacts at the Mayor’s Office, all
they could tell us was that this was a proposal they were looking into, but no final
decisions have been made regarding its execution.
Ynet claims opposition from the ultra-Orthodox – who made it
clear this election season that they do not approve of public photographs of
women’s faces – may scuttle the idea, though this too is unconfirmed by
Municipality sources.
If the idea does go through, it will be good news for Jerusalem residents who always wanted to know exactly who Rehavia’s
Dunash Bin Labrat (Spanish poet, commentator and grammarian 920-990) or East Talpiot’s Mordechai Elkachi (Irgun fighter executed
by the British in 1947) streets were named for. With the new street signs, this
information will be available any time you walk or drive by – though hopefully
drivers will still manage to keep their eyes on the road, not the road signs.
So while Israelis may continue to call America’s 16th President Abraham Lincolin, with the new signage at least they will know that
he freed the slaves and lived in the 1800s.
Photo of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda
