(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The cornerstone for a Y.M.C.A. building in Jerusalem. the erection of which will cost about £150,000. was laid here yesterday with impressive ceremonies in the presence of the High Commissioner Lord Plumer, the heads of the various communities, government officials and foreign Consuls.
A distinctive feature of the exercise was the reading of Psalms in the Hebrew text and the recital of a chapter from the Gospel according to Mathew in Aramaic. Biblical texts were also read in Syrian and in Arabic. The ceremonies were opened with a prayer by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. Rev. Bridgeman read the English text and Rev. Salem Saba read the Arabic text.
Almost the entire amount of £150,000 was donated by Americans. The sum of £10,000 was raised in England. The building will be ready about Easter time, 1930. Three hundred workers including Jews will be employed in its construction.
The High Commissioner in his address, declared that the new building will be one of the most distinctive features of Jerusalem. The youth of all creeds will come to the Y.M.C.A. building for study and recreation and to learn there the spirit of brotherhood, which will “solve Palestine’s problems.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
