Winds of Change at This Time of Year, with Pesach Knocking on  Our Front Doors, We Become Fixated Upon Removing Flour from Within Our Midst

In this week’s Parashah of Vayikra, we read about a number of different sacrifices, amongst which we find the Korban Minchah. This was prepared using ‘fine flour’. This week’s NLI resource features a photograph of the Montefiore Windmill in Jerusalem’s Yemin Moshe neighbourhood. Winds of Change At this time of year, with Pesach knocking on our front doors, we become fixated upon removing flour from within our midst. For this reason, together with the fact that fine flour is mentioned six times in this week’s Parashah, I present to you an NLI resource focussing on the Montefiore Windmill which stands proudly guarding the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Originally built in 1857, the Windmill and its surrounding new neighbourhood of Mishkenot Sha’ananim, were funded by the British Jewish banker and philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore. Montefiore (1784-1885), from Ramsgate in Kent, was devoted to Jerusalem and travelled there a number of times in his lifetime. His intention was to enable the poor Jews of Palestine to become self-supporting, also building a textiles factory and a printing press. The Windmill’s walls were 3 feet thick at the base and almost 50 feet high. Some say that Montefiore Windmill the mill was not successful due to a lack of in 1935 and now, 2017 wind – and it shut down after just eighteen years. Others claim that it remained operational until the late 1800s when it broke and was too expensive to repair. Activities: Something to discuss Why do you think we are not allowed to eat flour and other Having been phased out as a flour mill by the 1890s, the Windmill became Chametz from the abandoned and neglected. In the 1930’s, it received a cosmetic day leading up to facelift, restored by the British Mandate authorities together with the Pro- Pesach, rather than What do you think when Jerusalem Society. During this restoration, decorative non-functional fixed sails starting on Pesach you read about the British were placed at the top of the Windmill. itself? soldiers who ‘happened’ to During the 1948 War of Independence, the Windmill be from Ramsgate (see was used by the Haganah fighters as an observation opposite, ‘A Second Wind’). tower. In an effort to hinder their activities, the British authorities ordered the Windmill to be blown up. As it happened, the unit ordered to destroy the Windmill happened to be from Ramsgate, home to Montefiore. When the soldiers observed the name of their hometown next to Montefiore's on a plaque displayed Try creating the on the building, they "re-interpreted" their orders and Jerusalem blew up only the observation post at the top of the Windmill using Try to draw the Jerusalem tower, rather than the entire structure. the tube from the skyline. Don’t forget to In 2012 , more than 150 years after it was originally built, the Montefiore Windmill centre of kitchen include the Windmill! was completely restored to full working order using the original 1850s plans - paper (or loo which were located in the British Library - as a guide. The Jerusalem Windmill roll), card and th once again began turning on 6 August 2012 and the first bag of flour was popsicle sticks. ground in May 2013. To watch Have fun! the story of the Montefiore To read “This windmill has never ground flour, Windmill It has ground holy air… It has ground more about (inc some words and ground time…” the subtitles): Montefiore From “Windmill Of Yemin Moshe” Windmill: by Yehuda Amitai Spot the Windmill! .

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