Tel Aviv

History & Background

Tel Aviv is the largest city in Israel, a primarily secular city with a history going back just over 100 years - as opposed to most other places in Israel that are known for their long and colorful histories and significance to multiple world religions.

The City of Tel Aviv was originally founded in the 1880s by Jewish immigrants as an alternative to the expensive neighbouring, historic town of Yafo. The two towns became united in the single municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel. Tel Aviv is today viewed by many as Israel's economic capital (Jerusalem is the official capital) and the city lies in the area known internationally as Silicon Wadi. Tel Aviv is also viewed by many to be the country's cultural capital with a vibrant, European style feel, and a UNESCO World Heritage Status for its Bauhaus architecture (Tel Aviv is also known as "The White City", though unfortunately the white has quickly become more of a dingy brown).

Culture & People

Tel Aviv has an extensive art and culture scene, and some of the best restaurants in the world. It is the type of city where there is something going on, literally, 24/7 - restaurants are open as long as there is a clientele, pubs and bars don't even get going until well into the night.

The beach is Tel Aviv's most dominant feature, and various water sports have gained tremendous popularity in recent years: from scuba diving to underwater fishing to sea kayakking to kite surfing and everything in between.

Another interesting feature is the juxtapositon of the ancient arabic city of Yafo with the modern city of Tel Aviv. A few minutes walk can take you from a Turkish hamam to an oxygen bar, or from a crusader fortress to techno club. Sometimes there are techno parties in crusader fortresses :-)

Tel Aviv is also an extremely diverse city - native Christian, Jewish and Moslem population (of Mid-Eastern and Eastern European descent) have been augmented by mass immigration from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and with migrant workers (both legal and illegal) from other parts of Africa, SE Asia, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. In the past two years, for example, a large number of French Jews has arrived in Tel Aviv, and you can now see storefronts with signs in French. Add that to the Hebrew, English, Arabic and Russian already common here, and you begin to get the idea.

Language

Hebrew is the most commonly spoken of the official languages of Israel, but you can easily get along here in English.

Getting Around

There is pretty good public transportation here, though it can be confusing if you don't speak the language. However, the truth is that most places in Tel Aviv are within walking distance, and taxis are not expensive.

Make sure you ask the taxi driver to put on the meter - if you agree to a fixed price you may be getting "taken for a ride".

Culture and Events

Tel Aviv is the cultural capital of Israel, and with many events every day to choose from. Here are some useful links:

• Tel Aviv City website [1]
• Lior's calender [2]

• • • • Page under construction - more to come ****