Jerusalem, in English – A notebook from the Holy City

When an Indian journalist lands up in Jerusalem, the first disorienting thing about it is how quiet it is. There are no honking, no jaywalking. For someone used to writing pieces from Delhi and Mumbai, Jerusalem is like turning the volume knob from 10 to 3.

The second disorienting thing is that – everyone speaks English

I came here to figure out why Jerusalem is the New York for an English-speaking Jew making Aliyah. The answer does not lie in guidebooks, but in its neighborhoods.

In India, we too have unspoken maps. Bandra is not just a suburb of Mumbai, it’s a community. Koramangala is not just a pin code for Bangalore. Jerusalem, similarly, has its own neighborhoods with their own ethos. Here’s what they’re like:

1. German Colony – the Bandra of Jerusalem

Imagine Bandra, but with Jerusalem-stone houses and plane trees instead of Portuguese bungalows – and that’s pretty much what the German Colony (or Moshava Germanit) is.

Beautiful, old-world, expensive and effortlessly cool. The main street, Emek Refaim (Carter Road equivalent) has cafes, artisan bakeries, boutique bookshops, jewelers, people who sit for hours over one coffee.

It’s the heart of the Anglo Modern Orthodox world. Families, professionals, retirees who need instant community live here. You hear English at every second table, and there are synagogues for every shade of observance and a shiur happening somewhere every hour.

A warning: like our Metro work in Mumbai, Emek Refaim is dug up (for Jerusalem’s light rail). Jerusalem’s light rail is expanding through here, and construction will go on till end of 2028. Inconvenience today, priceless tomorrow.

2. Baka – the Jayanagar/Alaknanda of Jerusalem

Just south of German Colony (across the old railway tracks) begins Baka. If German Colony is Bandra, Baka is Jayanagar in Bangalore, or Alaknanda in Delhi – solid, family-first and green.

This, locals told me, is arguably the best Anglo family neighborhood in the city. Reason: schools. Like us, the Jews too go where the good schools are, with the added bonus of an old-fashioned neighborhood feeling, where neighbors know each other’s kids and all.

But you still have access to Emek Refaim (and hence the commercial hubs of Derech Beit Lechem and Derech Hevron) and hence are never too far away from the action, but can retreat.

3. Rehavia & Talbiyah – the Lutyens’ Delhi

Walk into Rehavia and Talbiyah, and the atmosphere changes. This is the Lutyens’ Delhi of Jerusalem.

Wide, tree-lined avenues, homes, embassies, professors, judges, old Jerusalem families. It’s been the address of choice of Jerusalem’s intelligentsia since before Independence – both theirs and ours.

Unlike the southern neighborhoods which are Anglo bubbles, Rehavia is mixed with Hebrew and English being heard. It’s walkable to downtown, museums, government offices – and for an Indian who wants to integrate into Israeli society, and not just live in an English enclave, this is the sweet spot. Think of it as shifting from Gurgaon to Chanakyapuri – you’re in the center of things.

4. Old Katamon – the Shahpur Jat of Jerusalem

My personal favorite. Old Katamon is the Shahpur Jat of old, with old character, new energy – and rapidly becoming the place to be.

You have old-timers who have lived here for 40 years, Anglo young families, students, artists, professionals. One street is 100% Israeli, the next has English speakers, synagogues from every tradition sitting next to each other.

The many olim I met said that this is the most balanced landing. You get English support, but are forced to order your coffee in Hebrew. Like us, it’s that little push that makes you a local.

5. Arnona, Talpiot, Armon HaNatziv – the New Gurgaon

Finally, drive south-east to Arnona, Talpiot and Armon HaNatziv. If German Colony is South Mumbai, this is New Gurgaon or Whitefield – newer buildings, slightly cheaper, younger families.

These are the growth engines – apartments here are what Indian builders now call “spec” – garden flats, rooftop access, underground parking, storage room, and critically, a mamad (in-apartment safe room). It’s standard in all new construction, something we in India are only now thinking about with earthquake safety, but it’s non-negotiable here.

Talpiot itself is interesting. There is residential Talpiot (quiet and family-friendly) and old industrial Talpiot, which is being turned into a high-rise mixed-use district. Much like our mill compounds in Lower Parel became malls and towers.

So, where would you live?

This was the most surprising thing about Jerusalem. You don’t ask “what is your budget?” in Jerusalem as you would in Mumbai or Delhi. You ask “what is your community?”

The city does not have one right answer for English speakers, but has five different answers, for five different Indians.

If you want charm and cafe culture, it’s German Colony.

If you want schools and community, it’s Baka.

If you want history and centrality, it’s Rehavia.

If you want character and a mix, it’s Old Katamon.

If you want new, practical and value, it’s Arnona.

My advice, as an outsider who has walked from Colaba to Civil Lines, is to do what we do in India when we house-hunt. Don’t just see the flat. Spend a Friday evening there, go to Shabbat, sit in the park. Listen to what language the children are playing in.

Because in the end, Jerusalem is not just a city you move to. Like Varanasi or Amritsar, it’s a city you learn to belong to.