Many people from overseas have bought luxurious Jerusalem residences in David’s Village, King David’s Court, King David’s Crown, and King David’s Residences, to name but a few David projects. Prices for these homes range from $10,000 to an astounding $25,000 per square meter. Well, I must let you in on a little secret: King David never lived at any of these locations, although these beautiful projects are built to exacting specifications, fit for a king. Permit me to tell you about the real village of David.

Ir David (City of David), where King David built his palace and established his capital, is the oldest settled neighborhood of Jerusalem and a major archaeological site. Located just south of the Old City’s Sha’arHa’ashpot, Ir David is home to a Jewish community of 70 families comprised of over 500 people, with nurseries, a shul, a kollel and other communal institutions. The residents are a mixture of students, teachers, business people and professionals. The community is unique in that all the homes are owned by the Ir David Foundation, which rents out the homes to the residents.

The community is comprised primarily of young pioneering couples and families. The children in the community go to pre-school in the neighborhood, and the older children primarily go to school in the Old City’s Jewish Quarter (the Rova). Unlike many of the apartments in the King David developments listed above, these homes don’t sit vacant much of the year. In fact, there is a long waiting list of applicants who want to move into the community, as life there is infused with a sense of purpose: resettling an area that has played a major role in Jewish history.

Ir David has emerged as one of the most significant archaeological excavations in the world. There are many exciting archaeological sites that have been unearthed, including King David’s palace, where actual ruins from David’s 3,000 year old palace have been uncovered; the Shiloach pool, a one-acre mikvah which was used by Olei Regel (pilgrims) during the time of the BeitHamikdash (First and Second Temples); the Herodian Thoroughfare that was used by millions of Jews who walked from the Shiloach mikvah to the Beit Hamikdash; and Chizkiyahu’s Tunnel, a water supply system through which the waters of the ancient Gichon Spring still flow, and visitors can wade through.

Touring Ir David helped me acquire a better understanding of the period of the Beit Hamikdash. And I couldn’t stop admiring the exceptional residents of Ir David who have brought this ancient city back to life.

Gedaliah Borvick made aliyah from Bergenfield in 2003. He is the founder of My Israel Home, a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick_gmail.com. Please visit his blog at www.myisraelhome.com.

By Gedaliah Borvick