בריכת ירושלים, Swimming center in German Colony, Jerusalem, Israel
Jerusalem Pool opened in 1958 on the lot between Emek Refaim and HaRakevet streets in the German Colony, where a luna park had stood. Its 50-metre pool, a 7-metre diving board and a round shallow children's pool made it the largest in Israel; grass areas and a large snack bar surrounded the water. In the 1980s a three-storey commercial building, underground car park and new changing rooms were added, and the old pool was demolished in 2018.
Jerusalem Pool was built from late 1957 on a vacant lot in the German Colony where a Luna Park had operated, initiated by businessman Haim Schiff. The cornerstone was laid on 21 January 1958, and Haredi groups protested mixed bathing; a February demonstration in Mea Shearim drew about 2,000 people, earning it the name "Pool of Dispute." It opened on 28 July 1958 under the management of Moshav Shoresh and Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim, and closed on 31 October 2017.
The pool earned the nickname "Pool of the Quarrel" (Brikhat HaMeriva) after about 2,000 people demonstrated in Mea Shearim on 13 February 1958 against mixed bathing, and ultra-Orthodox groups kept protesting into 1960. Investors led by Haim Schiff refused to sell unless the kashrut certificates for his President and Orgil hotels were restored.
The original 50-metre pool, with its 7-metre diving board, stood on the plot between Emek Refaim Street and HaRakevet Street, with lawns and a large snack bar around it. It closed on 31 October 2017 and was demolished in 2018; the replacement indoor pool, topped by a 45-unit residential building with a commercial floor, gym and sports club, was inaugurated in September 2023.
The original 50-metre pool, the only one of Olympic length in Jerusalem, had a 7-metre diving board and a round shallow children's pool. Ultra-Orthodox groups protested its mixed bathing; a February 1958 demonstration in Mea Shearim drew about 2,000 people, and the press called it the "Pool of Strife".
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,659 contributors worldwide.