Museum of Tolerance halves building plan

by Dan Slobodkin

A Museum of Tolerance will open in Mamilla within four years, though at half the size and cost previously planned, Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told the Los Angeles Jewish Journal on Sunday.

“While it seemed perfectly possible in 2002 to raise the money, by 2009 we were forced to reconsider in light of the declining economy,” he said by phone from Independence Park in Jerusalem, where he is currently staying to attend a granddaughter’s wedding.

Last week, celebrated architect Frank Gehry announced he was stepping down from the controversial project. His design called for eight separate buildings at an estimated cost of $250 million. The plan has been scaled down to one large building  at an estimated cost of under $100 million.

Hier said four Israeli architects have been invited to submit designs for the Mamilla site.

Gehry’s plan had been embroiled in controversy from the start in 2002. According to a Jewish Journal article one year ago, some critics said it smacked of “American cultural imperialism” imposed on historic Jerusalem. The project also drew criticism for its design – a futuristic mix of titanium, glass and stone – which many Jerusalem residents consider inappropriate architectural elements in stark contrast to the surrounding historic cityscape.

Since then the site has been plagued by legal holdups following claims the site for the museum lies partly on an ancient Muslim cemetery, but two weeks ago the High Court rejected a petition to reopen the case and fined the plaintiffs.

Rabbi Hier said the global economy, not political pressure, eventually led to the reduction from 240,000 square feet to 120,000 square feet.

Tags: Jerusalem, Mamilla, Marvin Hier, Museum of Tolerance