Al-Mahaba Kindergarten, or “Kindergarten of Love,” is a ministry of the ELCJHL with nearly 30 years of service to children in Jerusalem. With its bright and well-equipped classrooms, new playground, and quiet location on the crest of the Mount of Olives, Al-Mahaba Kindergarten is a safe, exciting place to learn, offering services and facilities otherwise scarce in East Jerusalem neighborhoods.
Amphitheater (outdoor)
This beautiful outlook to the east offers a spectacular view of the Jordan Valley and a quiet place to gather for worship or educational instruction. A number of local congregations hold Easter sunrise services at this site.
Ascension Church, Tower, and Festival Hall
At 850 meters above sea level and almost 1300 meters above the Dead Sea, the Lutheran Church of the Ascension is one of the highest points in Jerusalem. The tower of the Church of the Ascension provides a breathtaking view of Jerusalem’s Old City and the Judean Desert. From the tower one can view the Dead Sea, the Jordanian mountains, and on a clear day one can even make out the city of Amman.
The church, tower, and festival hall, managed by the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria Foundation, are open Monday to Saturday from 8:30 until 13:00. Tickets to visit the church and climb the tower, which is currently accessible only by foot, cost 5 shekels. Click here to learn more about the KAVF Pilgrim and Tourist ministry and concerts held at the Ascension Church.
Augusta Victoria Hospital provides exemplary specialized medical care to Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. AVH, managed by the Lutheran World Federation, is the first and only hospital to provide radiation therapy for cancer patients in the Palestinian territories and is the only medical facility in the West Bank offering pediatric kidney dialysis. On a daily basis, these and other specialty services touch countless lives, both young and old, from communities across the Palestinian territories.
The Café Auguste Victoria, located opposite the Church of the Ascension, offers an inviting atmosphere for pilgrims, residents, and guests to enjoy a sandwich, a hot cup of soup, or a slice of cake with an Italian coffee specialty such as a latte macchiato, cappuccino, or espresso. The proceeds generated at the café flow into community projects.
The Café Auguste Victoria, managed by the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria Foundation, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 until 16:00.
German Protestant Institute of Archeology
Founded in 1900, the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology is one of the most venerable archaeological institutions in Jerusalem, and together with the Roman Catholic Görres Society, which was founded in 1908, it performs an important role in representing German archaeological research in the world.
Grocery Store
Located just south of the Café Auguste Victoria, this small store, known as “Abu Issa’s store”, offers simple sandwiches, basic groceries such as milk, eggs, yogurt, pita bread, juice and sodas, and ice cream bars.
Jerusalem Office of the Lutheran World Federation World Service Middle East Program
The Jerusalem office of the LWF World Service Middle East Program is located on the west side of the LWF campus, across the street from Augusta Victoria Hospital. Offices of the LWF Regional Representative, the LWF Jerusalem’s CFO, and several financial and administrative staff are located in this building.
The LWF’s 15-room Victoria Guesthouse offers friends of LWF Jerusalem, as well as pilgrims and tourists, a respite from the busy city.
Every October and November, volunteers from Palestine and around the world begin the six-week process of harvesting the hundreds of olive trees that dot the hillsides around Augusta Victoria Hospital on the LWF’s Mount of Olives campus. For centuries the olive harvest has been a source of sustenance for the people of the Holy Land. You can have a taste of this olive oil and also support the Augusta Victoria Hospital’s “Fund for the Poor.” Some of the olive oil also supports the Talitha Kumi Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Jala.
Sports Field
Leveled as a dirt football pitch in 1925, the southwest corner of the Mount of Olives campus has served as a sports field for neighborhood children for decades. In 2012, the LWF, with support from the Islamic Development Bank and the Government of Sweden, upgraded the dirt pitch to a FIFA standard football field, providing an important opportunity for girls and boys in East Jerusalem to play football in a safe and inviting environment.