East Jerusalem opens first public swimming pool with $20 million fitness center

East Jerusalem residents have their first public swimming pool, following the opening of a $20 million 5,000-square-meter community sports center in the northern neighborhood of Beit Hanina last week.

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Sports Center includes gyms, fitness studios and communal spaces, providing greater access to sports activities and recreational programs in the area, the Jerusalem municipality said.

The new facility will help narrow the gap between the city’s eastern and western neighborhoods, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said at a launch ceremony last week.

Infrastructure development in East Jerusalem, whose population is mostly Arab, is far below that in Jewish parts of the city, activists say.

“For the first time, residents of East Jerusalem will be able to enjoy a public swimming pool and an advanced community sports center right near their homes,” he said. “For thousands of children, teenagers and families, this is real news and a significant improvement in their quality of life.”

The inauguration is part of a wider push to expand public infrastructure in East Jerusalem, the municipality said. Other recent projects include a new educational campus in Shuafat, providing facilities from preschool through high school; the 30-dunam Kidron Valley Park in Sheikh Jarrah, with sports courts and fitness facilities; and a large welfare center in Wadi al-Joz.

Jerusalem has about a dozen public pools in Jewish and mixed neighborhoods around the city, along with several associated with private institutions. While there are no restrictions on who can join, pools typically reflect local demographics, including separate-gender swimming hours in Haredi-majority neighborhoods. Due to a very low pool-to-resident ratio, the facilities are often overcrowded, and access can be expensive, residents say.

The Beit Hanina project was initiated by the municipality in partnership with the Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition Ministry, the Israel Lottery (Mifal Hapais) and the Jerusalem Foundation, with support from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and additional donors.

Representatives of the neighborhood were involved in the planning of the new center, which will create dozens of new local jobs, the municipality noted.

“The opening of the sports and swimming center addresses a real need among residents, one that had not been met in this area until now,” said Wassim al-Hajj, director of the Beit Hanina community administration.