Confederation House, Jerusalem, Cultural center in central Jerusalem, Israel

Confederation House, named for poet Haim Gouri since 2021, is a cultural center near the Yemin Moshe neighborhood, on a high point overlooking Mount Zion, the Old City walls and the Tower of David. The 19th-century building, called Beit Abdallah, was built by a Muslim landowner on the foundations of an ancient monastery dedicated to Saint George. It holds a concert hall and a permanent exhibit with a kinetic steel sculpture of Gouri's face.

The building was erected in the 19th century by a Muslim landowner on the foundations of an ancient monastery dedicated to Saint George, and was called Beit Abdallah. A fortified kasr outside the Old City walls, it served as a base for overseeing and protecting farmland and as seasonal housing for the landowner. In December 1947 British Mandate police seized it as a strategic point; Arab forces captured it on 10 February 1948 and rolled explosive barrels toward Yemin Moshe. It stood abandoned until the 1970s, when the World Confederation of United Zionists bought it and turned it into a cultural center.

The center's best-known event is the Oud Festival, held every year since 2000, alongside the Singing of the Ushpizin festival during Sukkot, which pays tribute to poets of the world and to Hebrew poetry. It also produces the Metula Poetry Festival and promotes Jewish piyyut through performances, lectures and workshops, and runs school programs in these fields.

The center is easily accessible on foot and sits in an area packed with other attractions, making it simple to explore multiple sites in one visit. It is best to check ahead for upcoming events, as programs vary and some shows can fill up quickly.

The building's 2021 rebranding as the Chaim Gouri Confederation House added a permanent display honouring the Jerusalem poet. Its centrepiece is a kinetic sculpture of uneven steel strips that form a changing image of Gouri's face depending on the viewing angle, inspired by his poem "The One After Me". NFC transmitters beside selected poems let visitors hear them read in Gouri's voice.