International Press Club to be Established in Jerusalem

The Jerusalem International Press Club, the first of its kind in Israel, will be established within the Mishkenot Sha’ananim complex thanks to a $2,860,000 gift from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to The Jerusalem Foundation.

The Jerusalem International Press Club will be a resource for foreign journalists, the 250 who are currently stationed in Israel and the thousands more who arrive to cover breaking stories. The facility will be equipped with modern day tools – from print to television to much needed social media tools – and is expected to be completed in March/April 2013, at which time the Jerusalem International Press Club will “officially” open its doors.

The Jerusalem International Press Club will help pave the way for journalists to secure meetings with high ranking politicians, diplomats and decision-makers, giving them an in depth understanding of life in Israel, beyond their daily ‘beat.’

Mishkenot Sha’ananim, a more than 150 year old neighborhood outside the Old City Walls, was built by Sir Moses Montefiore of Britain as the first Jewish neighborhood in modern day Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Foundation renovated the facility and it is now a vibrant conference center and guest house for world-leading artists, writers and scholars and hosts hundreds of events every year.