Through the Holy Land by Tram

A view of Gorny Monastery.

At the beginning of the 20th century this land that was called “Jerusalem Moscovia” used to almost completely belong to the Russian Orthodox Church and to the private patrons. However, now the title to the land is in chaos, because the ownership rights documentation was lost before the establishment of Israel as an independent sovereign country. This allows Jerusalem authorities to also claim ownership rights to the land and to proceed with the tramway project enforcement, ignoring the requests of the Mission to relocate the tramway. REM legal counsel, nun Anna tells about the events around the monastery.

Nun Anna: There have been trams in Jerusalem for many years and now the city authorities are actively pursuing new routes development. In particular there were tramways built near our Ecclesiastical Mission in the past. The Transportation Company assured us that the tram does not create noise as it is made in accordance with the latest technological standards and would not disturb the sisters. In reality it didn’t turn out that way. Now the sisters wake up to the constant grinding noise and the tram driver’s horn rather than to the church bells.

Does the government want to extend the existing tram route?

Nun Anna: The decision regarding the new tramways should be endorsed by the Jerusalem City Hall after it is approved by several other government bodies. It will come into force after the approval of a certain city-building document with respect to transport communications, which might happen in the nearest future.

The most upsetting thing about it is that the route will lie on our land five to fifteen meters away from our fence, which is where the sisters’ cells are. Sisters do not leave the walls of the monastery as their primary goal is to pray. Imagine the possibility of praying while there is a constant noise right outside.

We in turn are trying to register the ownership rights of the Church to the lands of our monastery. We have enough documents in our hands that show that the land intended for the tramway building belongs to us.

The situation is complicated by the fact that under Israeli law "any land can be acquired and used for public needs”. This can justify the construction of the tramways. Nevertheless, the authorities are able to make concessions, and they are made when, for example, synagogues are built.

Could there be an option to build the tramway without using the monastery land? Whose help but God’s can you hope for?

Nun Anna: Patriarch Kirill is coming to visit us in November, but it may be too late by that time and the tramway construction might have already begun. We are counting on Russian government for help in defending our monastery that has a very long history, and defending the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. There should be an explanation from the Israeli authorities why it is necessary to use monastery land for the construction while there is a far more practical option. For example, there is the large and populous district of Ora on the other side of the mountain which is a short distance away. But instead of tramways being built there the construction is planned on practically empty lands. We also fear another problem that we told the local authorities about. Religious Jewish teens have an extremely negative attitude towards our faith and our Church. When they see orthodox Christians, especially monks, they can throw stones at them, spit or curse. We can expect just about anything from them. Who would guarantee that a person like that wouldn’t take a tram and throw a bottle of gasoline in a cell window as a tram passes the monastery walls? This issue should be solved in its initial state. Unfortunately, Russian Ecclesiastical Mission cannot help the situation on its own.

Other sisters of the monastery have noted, however, that in general, the local people settled around the monastery have always lived amiably with their Orthodox Christian monastic neighbors. "We have never had any conflicts with the people near us, be they Jew or Arab," said one sister who lived in Gorny Monastery for ten years.

Gorny Monastery is located 4 kilometers south-west of Jerusalem and it is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate. The plot for the monastery—the plantation of olive trees—was bought by the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin) in 1871 from the dragoman French Consulate in Jerusalem, Hannah Dzhilyada for 55,000 francs. In 1874, the women's community established on its territory received its charter and was approved as a convent. The main church of the monastery is home to a venerated icon of the Kazan Mother of God.

Translated by Ksenia Dolgova
for OrthoChristian.com