Merkaz Ha‘Ir

Tel Aviv is a relatively new city. Yes, Yafo, Jaffa, is old, really old, but the rest of TA only began to come into existence just over 100 years ago. While Jerusalem leans more religious in character, TA is far more secular in orientation. TA is known for its beaches, and rightly so, but there is more to this city than that.
This post intends to introduce a bit of what's here that makes TA, TA.
The 1st 2 picture are of historical significance to Israel. The 1st picture is Independence Hall, where David Ben Gurion proclaimed the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. The building is currently under renovation. Just in front of the building, in the median of Rothschild Boulevard, is Founders Square, the fountain and monument to those most responsible for the creation of the nation.
The 3rd picture is at Dizengoff Circus, a major traffic rotary and square in the middle of the city. This is the center of the so called White City. The rotary and its Fire and Water fountain anchor this area famous for Bauhaus architecture known for its simple white buildings with curved, undecorated surfaces, ribbon windows, etc. More than 4,000 buildings of this style were built here, and the White City of TA has been recognized by UNESCO.
The 4th picture is in the museum in the home of Reuven Rubin, the artist whose work is displayed here. I was most taken by his work that reflects this city. The painting I chose to include here was painted to capture his sense of the 1st Passover after the creation of the state of Israel. The artist and his family are to the right. The others are Jewish people from many times and places represented in the new city. Especially interesting is his including at the far left of a figure that at least hints at a particular Jew from about 2,000 years ago. I'm told he hesitated to display this work at the time because of that, though ISTM that it makes sense of so much of history. I'll leave it at that.
The 5th picture is in the Carmel (accent on the 2nd syllable in Hebrew for all you folks famliar with Putnam County) Market, a traditional market in TA. It is located at the edge of Neve Tsedek, said to be the oldest neighborhood in TA. The last picture is taken along a street in Neve Tsedek on Saturday afternoon, Shabbat. This is a neighborhood that has redeveloped into an area with lots of small shops and eateries, some but not all of which were open. Not many people on the street as typical for Shabbat, but the eateries were active.Les mer