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Beit Hanina Community Center and Pool

2026

Public spaces have the power to shape the character of a neighborhood. They become places where children gain confidence, young people find purpose, families spend time together, and communities grow stronger through everyday encounters. The Jerusalem Foundation’s vision for East Jerusalem recognizes that investing in this kind of civic infrastructure is an investment not only in recreation, but in the long-term vitality and resilience of the city itself.

closing the gap

Jerusalem is home to at least fifteen public swimming centers spread across the city, with additional facilities planned in various neighborhoods. Yet none are located in East Jerusalem. For hundreds of thousands of residents, access to these spaces—so central to urban life elsewhere in the city—remains limited, often requiring long travel times and navigating social and geographic barriers. The absence is not only physical, but civic, reflecting a broader gap in shared infrastructure and opportunity.

Community sports, fitness, and swimming centers are more than recreational amenities. They function as anchors of everyday life, places where routine and encounter intersect. Children learn to swim, teenagers gather after school, families spend time together, and informal networks take shape. Such spaces have been shown to contribute to improved public health, stronger social cohesion, and increased civic engagement, while also offering structured environments that can help reduce antisocial behavior.

access for all

The Jerusalem Foundation has identified this gap as a priority within its vision for the future, seeking to expand access to high-quality public spaces across all parts of the city. The planned establishment of community sports, fitness, and swimming centers in East Jerusalem reflects both a practical need and a broader commitment to civic equality. It is an effort to ensure that residents across the city can take part in the same basic opportunities for health, leisure, and community life.

The first of these centers is in Beit Hanina, a large neighborhood in northern East Jerusalem, approximately eight kilometers from the city center and stretching over roughly 1,500 acres. Home to more than 35,000 residents, the area is defined by a young population, with over half under the age of twenty-five. Around ninety percent of residents are Muslim and ten percent are Christian. The neighborhood is supported by active and committed local leadership, as well as existing educational, social, and community frameworks that serve a wider population of approximately 55,000 people in the surrounding area. Despite this, there are currently no swimming or sports facilities available locally.

recreation in beit hanina

Designed as an ambitious, state-of-the-art complex of approximately 3,600 square meters, the center, set to open in August 2026, includes a fully equipped indoor sports, fitness, and swimming facility. Future stages envision a broader campus, with a sports hall, outdoor courts, activity spaces for youth and the elderly, and an office building with income-generating commercial space, alongside adequate parking. Its location adjacent to the Jerusalem Light Rail makes it highly accessible, positioning it as a central meeting point for the surrounding community. The complex has been designed according to Israel’s latest green building standards, combining contemporary sustainable construction with references to local architectural forms.

A second center is envisioned for Sur Baher, in southern Jerusalem, a neighborhood characterized by lower socio-economic indicators but with existing infrastructure that can support and complement the new development. Local schools and a community center already serve residents, creating a strong foundation upon which the new sports center can build. As in Beit Hanina, the aim is not only to provide facilities, but to create a place that becomes part of daily life—one that draws people in, supports regular activity, and strengthens community ties over time. With all plans and permits secured, the Foundation is working on securing funding for the important project.

investing in jerusalem

Together, these initiatives respond to a clear and longstanding need. By extending access to sports, fitness, and swimming facilities into East Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Foundation is working to close a significant gap in the city’s public infrastructure. In doing so, it is helping to create more equal conditions for health, recreation, and community life, ensuring that more residents can take part in the shared spaces that support a stronger and more connected Jerusalem.

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Shai Doron Leadership Fellows
The Bastion of Time: A Journey Through Jerusalem at the Tower of David The Khan Theater 28 Community Centers Mitchell Park and Gardens – Hinnom Valley Jerusalem Music Center Mishkenot Natural History Museum Paley Center Hurva Synagogue Jerusalem Print Workshop Wohl Rose Park Artists’ Studios Merrill Hassenfeld Amphitheater, Sultan’s Pool Beit Tamar – Ilan Byer Home for the Aged Jerusalem Botanical Gardens Ein Yael Living Museum Naggar Musrara School of Photography – Art and Society Walter and Elise Haas Promenade and Richard and Rhoda Goldman Promenade The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School Simon Rothschild Ben-Yehuda School for Special Education Teddy Stadium Bloomfield Science Museum Safra Square Modi’in Scouts Club Museum on the Seam Via Dolorosa Restoration and Accessibility Al Jabsha Elderly Center in Christian Quarter The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School for Jewish-Arab Education Israel Asper Community Action Center in Ramot The Kangaroo Family Center Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva Restoration of Montefiore Windmill to working mill Canada House – Morasha Community HaMiffal Israel Gottesman Aquarium Jerusalem Arts Campus Hassenfeld Family Wadi Joz Youth Center Kayma, the George Pinto Jerusalem Doctoral Fellows Culture Series (Sidratarbut) Misgav LeKashish Elderly Day Center Shanti House Well Baby Centers – Renovations Shai Doron Leadership Fellows Beit Hanina Community Center and Pool
Jerusalem Gardens National Park ringing Old City Walls Harry Wilf Independence Park Mishkenot Sha’ananim Cultural Center and Guesthouse Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna Liberty Bell Park Jerusalem Cinematheque Train Theater The Hattie Friedland School for the Deaf School of Visual Theater The Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Civic Center Beit Sherman – Beit Buria The Djanogly Visual Arts Centre Tisch Family Zoological Gardens Joseph Meyerhoff Youth Center for Advanced Science Studies Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Gazelle Valley Urban Wildlife Park Jerusalem Scholarship Fund for Higher Education Jerusalem Resilience Center – Shaare Nefesh
The Bastion of Time: A Journey Through Jerusalem at the Tower of David 1970 Jerusalem Gardens National Park ringing Old City Walls 1970 The Khan Theater 1972 Harry Wilf Independence Park 1972 28 Community Centers 1972 Mitchell Park and Gardens – Hinnom Valley 1973 Mishkenot Sha’ananim Cultural Center and Guesthouse 1973 Jerusalem Music Center Mishkenot 1973 Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna 1973 Natural History Museum 1976 Paley Center 1977 Hurva Synagogue 1978 Liberty Bell Park 1978 Jerusalem Print Workshop 1978 Wohl Rose Park 1981 Jerusalem Cinematheque 1981 Artists’ Studios 1981 Train Theater 1981 Merrill Hassenfeld Amphitheater, Sultan’s Pool 1981 The Hattie Friedland School for the Deaf 1981 Beit Tamar – Ilan 1982 Byer Home for the Aged 1983 Jerusalem Botanical Gardens 1985 Ein Yael Living Museum 1986 School of Visual Theater 1986 Naggar Musrara School of Photography – Art and Society 1986 Walter and Elise Haas Promenade and Richard and Rhoda Goldman Promenade 1987 The Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Civic Center 1987 The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School 1989 Beit Sherman – Beit Buria 1989 Simon Rothschild Ben-Yehuda School for Special Education 1990 Teddy Stadium 1991 The Djanogly Visual Arts Centre 1991 Bloomfield Science Museum 1992 Safra Square 1993 Tisch Family Zoological Gardens 1993 Modi’in Scouts Club 1997 Museum on the Seam 1999 Via Dolorosa Restoration and Accessibility 2000 Joseph Meyerhoff Youth Center for Advanced Science Studies 2000 Al Jabsha Elderly Center in Christian Quarter 2000 The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School for Jewish-Arab Education 2007 Israel Asper Community Action Center in Ramot 2008 The Kangaroo Family Center 2010 Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva 2011 Restoration of Montefiore Windmill to working mill 2012 Canada House – Morasha Community 2013 HaMiffal 2015 Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Gazelle Valley Urban Wildlife Park 2015 Israel Gottesman Aquarium 2017 Jerusalem Scholarship Fund for Higher Education 2017 Jerusalem Arts Campus 2018 Hassenfeld Family Wadi Joz Youth Center 2019 Kayma, the George Pinto Jerusalem Doctoral Fellows 2020 Culture Series (Sidratarbut) 2021 Misgav LeKashish Elderly Day Center 2023 Shanti House 2024 Jerusalem Resilience Center – Shaare Nefesh 2024 Well Baby Centers – Renovations 2024 Shai Doron Leadership Fellows 2025 Beit Hanina Community Center and Pool 2026