Tel Aviv, Israel

Beach Front, Tel Aviv

The opposite end of the Israeli cultural spectrum from Jerusalem is Tel Aviv.  While Jerusalem is ancient, Tel Aviv is new tracing its history back only to 1909 when a number of Jews established a suburb outside the city of Jaffa.  While Jerusalem simmers with religious spirit, Tel Aviv is a secular city of loud music, dancing and liberal ethics.  Jerusalem's devout residents wrap themselves in conservative dress that hasn't changed in centuries.  Tel Aviv's residents wear tight fitting jeans, T-shirts and whatever else is trendy to conceal or reveal whatever is desired.  While Jerusalem's narrow streets wind torturously around arid hills, Tel Aviv has long spacious avenues lined with trees that grow from the rain which falls from the humid sky. While Jerusalem abounds with conflict between Arab and Jew, Muslim and Jew, religious and secular, Tel Aviv is a relatively homogenous city of liberal Jews which is as far from the conflicts of the Middle East as any place can be.  Jerusalem teams with energy, but Tel Aviv is relaxed.

While Jerusalem boasts many historical and religious locations, very little of Tel Aviv has historical meaning until David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of the modern State of Israel here May 14, 1948.  Tel Aviv is not the past.  Tel Aviv is a city of the present, the largest truly Jewish city in the world.  It is Israel's economic and population center.

Officially Tel Aviv is called Tel Aviv-Jaffa recognizing the far older community of Jaffa.  For thousands of years, Jaffa was a port city used by the Egyptians, then later the Phoenicians.  According to Greek mythology here Andromeda was strapped to a rock for sacrifice before she was saved by Perseus.  Jaffa's  importance diminished under Roman rule when Herod the Great built the port of Caesarea farther north.  Jaffa was ruled both by the various Arab dynasties and by the Crusaders.  While the Jewish metropolis grew around it, Jaffa maintained its Arab character.  Jaffa's Arab community attempted to aid the forces opposing Israel in 1948, but the Jewish majority suppressed the revolt, forced many of the resident to flee, and with few exceptions Arab opposition has been limited since to a rare demonstration.

If Jerusalem is the soul of Israel, then Tel Aviv must be its heart.  Most of the major secular political parties maintain their headquarters here.  The Israeli stock exchange is here.   Many corporations have their headquarters, and it cannot be overlooked that Tel Aviv is the population center.  Nearly every highway, train and bus line runs through Tel Aviv, and the only real international airport, Ben Gurion, is located just outside Tel Aviv.

While lacking real historical sites, Tel Aviv has its own attractions, most notably is the beach which is crammed every weekend with bathers enjoying the warm Mediterranean waters and the large beach front promenade.

See Also:

Grand Central Station
	Israel