Phone: 972-2-626-6800 FAX: 972-2-628.5764 ADDRESS: Muristan Rd. P.O. Box 14076 Jerusalem 91140 via Israel
The MLCDC is located next to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City between the Muslim and Christian quarters in a neighborhood with a recent influx of Israeli settlers. This section of East Jerusalem is culturally part of the Palestinian community, now isolated from its educational and employment center in the West Bank.
The mission of the MLCDC is to strengthen the local community by developing the competencies of its clients through providing opportunities for education, recreation, and communication.
The goal of the MLCDC is to provide programs that improve the quality of life for the East Jerusalem community in general and Old City inhabitants in particular. By offering a meeting place, educational center, and recreational facility, it hopes to address the needs of a neighborhood that has limited open spaces, rising unemployment and overcrowding.
With a Christian tradition and outlook, the MLCDC aims to promote peace, non-violence, and dialogue in its unique setting among Jerusalem’s three religious groups; it welcomes all who wish to promote these values. In an urban area experiencing modern social changes, economic problems, and political stress, its programs are designed especially to help those with limited opportunities.
The sports hall, or fitness center, is open six days a week, excluding Sunday, from 8 am-8 pm with special hours reserved only for women from 4:30-6:30 pm. Equipment for use includes a treadmill, a cycling machine, a step machine, a bench press, free weights, and a punching bag. New equipment is added regularly. Showers and lockers are also available to patrons, who subscribe on a monthly basis. For more information, please contact the Office of the Director of Education, ELCJHL at chaddad@elcjhl.org.
A supervised play and activities program takes place once a week in a newly-equipped playroom. Young children engage in structured activities like crafts, cooking, story-telling and games.
An afternoon sports program supervised by a local physical education teacher takes place three times per week at the MLCDC. Children aged from eight to twelve years from the Old City participate in organized sports like football (soccer), basketball, and volleyball.
The courtyard of the Center has a newly resurfaced playground for outdoor sports and games. Toilet facilities have also been constructed adjacent to the playing area, which will soon include equipment for younger children and a small garden where parents, children, and senior citizens can meet and relax. These features will improve the quality of life for visitors to the Center and residents of the Old City, which lacks safe play areas and public gardens.
Five teacher forums sponsored by the MLCDC took place in 2006 and 2007. Teachers from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ramallah participated in demonstrations and discussions on teaching English and techniques to diagnose and help students with learning problems. For more information, please contact the Office of the Director of Education, ELCJHL chaddad@elcjhl.org.
A recent meeting of the MLCDC Advisory Committee has recommended the establishment of a preschool and kindergarten program in the Center for Jerusalem children. A feasibility study and further action will soon follow.