Mekor Baruch 2.4

Mekor Baruch also spelled Makor Baruch, is a neighborhood in Jerusalem. The neighborhood is bordered by Malkhei Yisrael Street to the north, Sarei Yisrael Street to the west, Jaffa Road to the south, and the Zikhron Moshe neighborhood to the east.HistoryMekor Baruch was founded in 1924 on land purchased from the Schneller Orphanage by the Jerusalem-American Land Company, a consortium of Jerusalem and American investors. The name of the neighborhood was based on the words Yehi mekorkha baruch ("Let your fountain be blessed") in Proverbs 5:18. Differing sources place the beneficiary of the name as Boris (Baruch) Hershenov, one of the investors, or Baruch Aharanoff, an American philanthropist. The consortium mapped out 207 lots, but due to the economic downturn of 1927 - 1930, construction did not get underway until the 1930s, by which time the consortium had been liquidated.To the southeast lay an adjacent neighborhood called Ruchama, founded in 1921. This neighborhood was absorbed into Mekor Baruch after 1948.GeographyMekor Baruch is located above sea level. The area lies at the head of the Ben-Hinnom Valley, a -long valley that winds down Jaffa Road to Independence Park and Mamilla Pool until it intersects with the Kidron Valley.The main street of the neighborhood is Rashi Street. In the northwest quadrant, a group of streets are named after heroes of the Hanukkah story, Yehuda Hamaccabee, Shimon Hamaccabee, and Elazar Hamaccabee; these streets intersect HaHashmonaim (The Hasmoneans) Street.