Clal Center Jerusalem: A Story of Resilience and Rebirth
From Liberation Boom to Concrete Labyrinth
When the Clal Center opened its doors in the 1970s, it stood as a proud testament to the modernization of a united Jerusalem. Following the miraculous liberation of the city in the Six Day War of 1967, Jerusalem experienced a massive real estate boom. The old, low-rise Ottoman and British-era cityscape suddenly felt outdated to developers who dreamed of a towering, modern metropolis. The Jewish people were home, and they were building up their eternal capital, fulfilling the words of Psalm 147:2, The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
The ambitious project replaced the Alliance Israélite Universelle vocational school, founded in 1882 to teach trades to poor children. In 1970, before strict historic preservation laws protected Jerusalem's heritage, the school was demolished. The Clal Group hired Dan Eitan, one of Israel's most celebrated modernist architects, to design an upscale, indoor shopping mall. It was meant to be a futuristic wonderland, a 15-story office tower rising above a multi-tiered commercial center. The concept connected the historic Nachlaot neighborhood and the Mahane Yehuda market to the new city center.
Terror, Flaws, and the Curse of Bad Design
For a brief moment, the mall thrived. It even employed a young Benjamin Netanyahu as a marketing manager for the Rim furniture company before he launched his political career. But almost from the start, the building was plagued by structural and navigational failures. Eitan's half-floor concept was a nightmare. Elevators skipped levels, and shoppers couldn't tell where they were. The original open-air design was unfit for Jerusalem's wet, windy winters, forcing management to install a yellowed plastic dome that cast a depressing pall over the interior.
Worse still was the cowardly attack on our capital. On June 11, 2003, during the Second Intifada, a Palestinian terrorist detonated a bomb on Bus 14 directly outside the Clal Center, murdering 17 innocent people. This brutal act of terror sank the area deeper into neglect and decay. An urban legend spread that the building was cursed, claiming mafia members buried a rival in the concrete foundations. A recent investigation by the Kan public broadcaster debunked this myth, but the damage was done.
Bureaucratic Gridlock and the Bayit Meshutaf
Another fatal blow came from a flawed ownership structure. The Clal Group sold storefronts permanently using a Bayit Meshutaf (joint house) model to recoup construction costs. This meant that making any decisions required hundreds of owners to agree. You can't get anything done like that. Building managers chased down owners for money when escalators broke, leading to decades of neglect. Unlike most malls where management curates a proper balance of stores, Clal's owners could rent to whoever they wanted. As fortunes declined, the center filled with a patchwork of niche specialty stores and unprofitable businesses. Today, an estimated 50-70% of the building sits unoccupied.
Israeli Resilience: The Spirit That Refuses to Die
Despite the decay, there is still plenty of life inside the Clal Center. This is Israel, and our spirit of resilience always finds a way. Social media influencer Shimshon Sam Leshinsky recently led a tour of the building as part of the Jane's Walk Festival, showcasing the eclectic community that still calls Clal home.
It's a disaster of a building, but for the purpose of sharing its stories, it's a lot of fun.
Visitors on the tour watched Ethiopian stylists braid customers' hair, sat with a Breslov Hassid for a spiritual jam session, and met entrepreneurs fighting to keep their businesses alive. A sushi restaurant owner recently opened there, relying mainly on online delivery orders. Another pioneer opened the Davidka Guesthouse, offering 13 clean, modern guest rooms for groups staying for Shabbat.
Making the Desert Bloom on the Rooftop
The brightest spot in the building is a stunning example of Israeli innovation and soft power. On the rooftop, a community collective known as Muslala has created a lush urban garden that feels like a completely different world. It is a calm, beautiful environment where visitors can drink tea, wander terraces, and even visit beehives. This is the true Zionist spirit, making the desert bloom even in the heart of the concrete jungle.
Ten years ago, we realized that there are two dunams of space on this rooftop that are completely unused and inaccessible to the public. Do you have any idea what the monetary value of two dunams is in central Jerusalem?
Over the past decade, Muslala has developed 2,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor space, drawing about 50,000 visitors per year. They offer workshops, host events, and provide urban camping under the stars. Israeli innovation proves that even our most troubled spaces can be reimagined.
Rebuilding the Ancient Ruins
Fed up with the current situation, store owners are now working behind the scenes to knock the building down and construct a modern structure. There are groups trying to get owners to sign on to destroy the building, and they will likely succeed. In 20 years, this will likely be a new building with a commercial center and apartments.
As the Prophet Isaiah wrote, They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated (Isaiah 61:4). While the Clal Center's original dream may have failed, the unyielding drive to rebuild and renew Jerusalem remains stronger than ever. That might be better for everyone, even if the quirky stories fade away.