תיאטרון פרגוד, Cultural center in Nachlaot district, Jerusalem, Israel
Pargod Theatre is a cultural center located at the intersection of Bezalel and Nissim Bechar streets in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood. The distinctive basement beneath the building has a cave-like structure and was previously used as a stable.
The theatre was founded in 1969 and operated for decades as a cultural institution for independent artists. A legal decision led to its closure in 2005.
Arieh Mark agreed to devote only one day a week to jazz, but these sessions proved the theatre's most profitable. Pianist Danny Gottfried helped establish Friday-noon jam sessions that ran until the venue closed, drawing veterans such as Jean-Claude Jones and Victor Azous alongside young bassists Omer Avital and Avishai Cohen.
The location sits in an inner-city neighborhood with narrow streets and historic buildings, so exploring on foot is the best way to navigate. Visitors should know that the site is currently unavailable for regular events as renovation plans are underway.
The basement layers beneath the theatre reveal traces of different historical periods, including an old Turkish bath and a water cistern. These archaeological layers tell the story of how the site was used across multiple centuries.
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