In the 1930s, a Jewish family visited Jerusalem and filmed what they saw, in color, with a 16mm camera. Isaac Tessler reports that, as part of a larger project, the amateur movie has been restored and made publicly available. (A 5-minute video and pictures can be found at the link below.)

The rare documentation includes footage of Old City alleys, the Mount Scopus Hebrew University, and above all, the Western Wall, long before the modern-day plaza existed, when only a narrow path separated it from the Moroccan Quarter. . . . The highly prized material was transferred to the Jerusalem Cinematheque Archive, which digitized it and made it accessible to the public.

Photos [from the archive] show ḥaredi Jews from the Old Yishuv, Muslims wearing traditional garb, women in elaborate hats, camels, donkeys, and beggars on street corners. The few cars in the streets belong to people who served in administrative positions.

In his inauguration speech, Donald Trump put forth ambitious goals for his first days in office. An additional item that should be on the agenda of his administration, and also that of the 119th Congress, should be defunding, and ideally dismantling, UNRWA. The UN Relief and Works Organization for Palestine Refugees—to give its full name—is deeply enmeshed with Hamas in Gaza, has inculcated generations of young Palestinians with anti-Semitism, and exists primarily to perpetuate the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Robert Satloff explains what must be done.

[T]here is an inherent contradiction in support for UNRWA (given its anti-resettlement posture) and support for a two-state solution (or any negotiated resolution) to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Providing relief to millions of Palestinians based on the argument that their legitimate, rightful home lies inside Israel is deeply counterproductive to the search for peace.

Last October, the Israeli parliament voted overwhelmingly to pass two laws that will come into effect January 30: a ban on UNRWA operations in Israeli sovereign territory and the severing of all Israeli ties with the agency. This includes cancellation of a post-1967 agreement that allowed UNRWA to operate freely in what was then newly occupied territory.

A more ambitious U.S. approach could score a win-win achievement that advances American interests in Middle East peace while saving millions of taxpayer dollars. Namely, Washington could take advantage of Israel’s new laws to create an alternative support mechanism that eases UNRWA out of Gaza. This would entail raising the stakes with other specialized UN agencies operating in the area. Instead of politely asking them if they can assume UNRWA’s job in Gaza, the Trump administration should put them on notice that continued U.S. funding of their own global operations is contingent on their taking over those tasks. Only such a dramatic step is likely to produce results.