Machane Yehuda market is a unique mix of the old and the new. A vibrant bustling marketplace and a neighborhood which incorporates food, drink, shopping, bars, restaurants. The shuk retains its most important characteristics and whilst it has become fashionable it maintains it core function, with all its flavors and aromas, colours and of course the traders’ interaction with the crowds.
Machane Yehuda is widely recognized as a symbol of the Jerusalem/ Jerusalemites see it as a place that represents them, symbolizes them, and gives a unique identity to the wider Israeli social context. Nicknamed “MachneYuda,” which is also the name of one of the finest Israeli restaurants located in the market. But this name has something inexpressible to language. It is beyond words, because it reminds Jerusalemites of themselves, their childhoods, and the Jerusalem they love. Even though Jerusalem today has many shopping and entertainment centers, there is something about the Machane Yehuda market that attracts people, even without a shopping list. Perhaps it is the ability to simply be who we are–people who love life and who love Jerusalem.