The LWF, in cooperation with the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria Foundation, carries the responsibility of preserving the historical buildings on the campus and protecting the property as a whole in order to provide humanitarian services, serve people, and promote peace and understanding through a continued international and ecumenical presence.  

Public access to the LWF Mount of Olives Campus is limited during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

People wishing to visit the campus should check with the LWF prior to coming to the campus.

The Lutheran World Federation Mount of Olives Campus

Preserving and Developing the Mount of Olives Property

The LWF, in cooperation with the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria Foundation, carries the responsibility of preserving the historical buildings on the campus and protecting the property as a whole in order to provide humanitarian services, serve people, and promote peace and understanding through a continued international and ecumenical presence.

Over the years, the LWF has completed many projects aimed at protecting the ownership of the property, providing security for its residents and institutions, and developing the property in service of the poor and the oppressed. This has included upgrading AVH medical programs and departments, renovating the LWF Sports Field, preparing for the Elder Care and Palliative Medicine Institute, completing and repairing the boundary walls, maintaining existing buildings and protecting natural resources. 

Mount of Olives Campus
Al-Mahaba Kindergarten

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, 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.

Learn about ELCJHL's Educational Ministries
 
Mount of Olives Campus
Amphitheater

This beautiful outlook to the east offers a spectacular view of the Jordan Valley and a quiet place to gather for outdoor worship or educational instruction. A number of local congregations hold Easter sunrise services at this site.

Mount of Olives Campus
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, were open Monday to Saturday from 8:30 until 13:00 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to confirm opening hours during the pandemic. 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.

Stiftungen der EKD im Heiligen Land
 
Mount of Olives Campus
Augusta Victoria Hospital

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.

Learn more about AVH
 
Mount of Olives Campus
Café Auguste Victoria

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, was open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 until 16:00 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Patrons should call ahead to check on opening hours during the pandemic.

Learn more
 
Mount of Olives Campus
German Protestant Institute of Archeology (DEIAHL)

Founded in 1900, the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology is one of the most venerable archaeological institutions in Jerusalem. Together with the Roman Catholic Görres Society, founded in 1908, it performs an important role in representing German archaeological research in the world.

Learn more about DEIAHL
 
Mount of Olives Campus
Grocery Store - "Abu Issa's 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. A gathering place for doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and the families of patients, Abu Issa's Store is always lively with conversation. 

Mount of Olives Campus
Jerusalem Office of the LWF World Service Jerusalem Program

The Jerusalem office of the LWF World Service Jerusalem Program is located on the west side of the LWF campus, across the street from Augusta Victoria Hospital.  Offices of the LWF Representative, the LWF Jerusalem’s CFO, and several financial and administrative staff are located in this building.

Learn more
 
Mount of Olives Campus
LWF Guesthouse

The LWF’s 15-room Victoria Guesthouse offers friends of LWF Jerusalem, as well as pilgrims and tourists, a respite from the busy city.

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Mount of Olives Campus
Olive Groves

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 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.  With a donation to the Augusta Victoria Hopsital's "Fund for the Poor", you can have a taste of this olive oil in your own kitchen. Olive oil from the grove on the east side of the campus supports the Talitha Kumi Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Jala.

Pick olives on the Mount of Olives!
 
Mount of Olives Campus
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 Governments of Sweden and Turkey, upgraded the dirt pitch to a FIFA standard football field with lighting, providing an important opportunity for girls and boys in East Jerusalem to play football in a safe and inviting environment.

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