At Kilometer 110: The Final Stop on the Pilgrimage Way to Jerusalem Is Unveiled

In a ceremonial event held on the eighth night of Hanukkah, the final stage of the “Pilgrimage Way to Jerusalem” project was completed—a 111-kilometer walking journey connecting the ancient port of Jaffa with Jaffa Gate. The initiative revives an ancient tradition of arriving in Jerusalem on foot.

“How can it be that there is no pilgrimage route to Jerusalem—on foot? ”This question was the first step taken a little over three years ago by Golan Rice and Yael Tarasiuk on the path toward establishing what would become the Pilgrimage Way to Jerusalem project (and later, an association).

The initiative is a large-scale cultural and social project that seeks to revive one of the deepest human and historical phenomena connected to the city: walking to Jerusalem. Not as a hike, not as a guided tour, but as a slow, mindful, and meaningful journey both personal and communal.“The Way to Jerusalem is not measured by its length,” explain Rice and Tarasiuk, “but by its substance, its depth, the communities along the way, and the human encounters it creates. There is a place on this path for everyone. It is measured by the meaningful destination at its end. And when we ascend to Jerusalem on foot, touching the ‘Jerusalem below’ with our weary feet, the ‘Jerusalem above’ is revealed.”

The Pilgrimage Way to Jerusalem, which connects the ancient port of Jaffa to Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem along a 111-kilometer walking route, marked a significant milestone this week in the revival of the tradition of walking to Jerusalem not as a conventional tourist experience, but as a personal, communal, and cultural journey that weaves together past, present, and identity.

The project was led by City Council member Yael Biton de-Lange (Jerusalem Unity), holder of the tourism portfolio and Chair of the Municipal Tourism Committee, in collaboration with municipal, community, and professional partners. The initiative was previously accompanied by the late Eyal Haimovsky, former CEO of the Jerusalem Development Authority, and continues to receive strong support under the leadership of the Authority’s current CEO, Tzachi Namir.

The inauguration of the final kilometer took place on the eighth night of Hanukkah and began at the Muslala complex in Clal Center— the last stopping point before entering the walls of the Old City. The location was chosen for its historical and symbolic significance: Clal Center lies along the historic Jaffa Road axis, at the place where pilgrims in the past would first glimpse Jerusalem after crossing the ridge line. From there, participants set out on a shared and uplifting walk toward Jaffa Gate and the Tower of David.

Among the participants were Deputy Mayor Yossi Havilio, Yael Biton de-Lange, Steven Rubin, Head of Tourism at the Jerusalem Development Authority, representatives of the Rimon Forum for Tourism and Culture, city council members, and the project’s leaders. The walk was led by the project’s guiding teacher, Avi Friedman, together with the pioneer pilgrim groups and representatives of the communities accompanying the Way.

The event concluded with a ceremonial lighting of the eighth Hanukkah candle in the courtyard of the Tower of David Citadel. The candle was lit by Yitzhak Albachari, founder and initiator of the Pioneer Groups to Jerusalem, in a gesture symbolizing the living connection between the pilgrimage tradition of the past and the future of the city’s tourism and cultural life.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said:“Jerusalem has always been, and will always remain, a destination of ascent in spirit, in heart, and on foot. The Pilgrimage Way connects past and present, communities and people, and strengthens Jerusalem’s position as a city of culture, identity, tourism, and openness. The Jerusalem Municipality will continue to support initiatives that connect people to the city and to the profound meaning of arriving in Jerusalem.”

Biton de-Lange said:“Intensive, focused groundwork—carried out in close cooperation among all professional levels of the municipality, and with the support of the Mayor and the Head of the Jerusalem Development Authority—culminated in a spiritual, moving, and beautiful event. Jerusalem is finally gaining its own Way, for in the end, all roads lead to the ‘navel of the world’—Jerusalem.”

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Photos: Neta Avital