The alleyway derives its name from the yeshivah of Rabbi Chaim ben Attar, who was known as the “Or Hachayim.” On May 13, 1948, a British officer led a column of soldiers on their way out of the Jewish Quarter of the Old Cit.\u00a0The officer stopped at the house of Mordechai Weingarten, and presented him with the ceremonial key to the city. The key to the Zion Gate was rusted and a foot in length.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cFrom the year 70 A.D. until today, a key to the gates of Jerusalem has never been in Jewish hands,\u201d the British officer said.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the first time in eighteen centuries that your people have been so privileged.\u201d Weingarten held out his trembling hand, mumbled the blessing of \u201cShe\u2019hechiyanu\u201d and added, \u201cI accept the key on behalf of my nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0The British officer handed Weingarten a Sten gun and a clip of ammo, and wished him all the best in the looming war, which was bound to come after the British withdrawal from the Land of Israel. He and his soldiers hurried along the alleyway on their way to the Jaffa Gate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The alleyway derives its name from the yeshivah of Rabbi Chaim ben Attar, who was known as the “Or Hachayim.” On May 13, 1948, a British officer led a column […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n