Getting Oriented

Getting Oriented

The hilly city of Jerusalem has two centers of gravity—the culturally diverse, historical, walled Old City, on the east side of town; and the more modern downtown triangle of King George, Ben- Yehuda, and Jaffa streets on the west. Jerusalem is Israel's capital, and home to its national institutions, most in the Givat Ram area of Jewish West Jerusalem. East Jerusalem, including the Old City, is substantially (but by no means entirely) Arab. The two communities tend to keep to themselves, an observation verified in the Old City by stepping between the Arab souk and the Jewish Quarter.