Lewinsky – the Man, the Dream and the Market

The first question you might ask is “Is Elhanan Leib Lewinsky the great great grandfather of Monica Lewinsky?”.

I couldn’t find out evidence to support or refute this hyposthesis. So I will let you be the judge. 

Monica is also much more famous than Elhanan, although she doesn’t have a market named after her (one might argue that Monica has Santa Monica, but I would doubt that it is named after her. Her sainthood is also a matter of some debate, I reckon). 

This is the story of Elhanan Leib Lewinsky (1857-1910), a Jewish writer in Hebrew and Yiddish of the late nineteenth century. Probably few people in Israel or elsewhere remember the man or who he was. He came from the Ukraine. 

He wrote light articles called “Feuilletons” and a book about what the State of Israel might look like in the year 2040. This was a whole decade before Herzl wrote “Altneuland” which subsequently became much more famous, presumably because Herzl was more of a politician.

Both Lewinsky and Herzl now have streets named after them here in Tel Aviv. Herzl’s is longer. He is much more famous and has a whole city named after him (Herzliya). But, then again, Herzl doesn’t have his own market. 

You might notice that there are multiple ways of spelling his name in English. That’s because he never spelled his name in English. 

On the other hand no one remembers the man who the market is named after. If you go to the web info on the history of the market, you won’t find a word about our hero. Don’t believe me? Here’s the link: http://www.shuktlv.co.il/en/category/about-levinsky-market

Well, at least he has his name on the market. And it’s a very colorful one indeed. Most of us leave this world, and don’t get anything except a grave and a stone. 

This is Igal. He is an honest man. He once ran after me carrying 50 NIS change which I forgot. If you find his stall, say hello. He roasts his own nuts. Just saying. 

And this is Arieh Habshush. He likes to listen to jazz. He has the best selection of goodies on the market. Nuts, dried fruits, strange herbs and spices. White coffee, green cinnamon, etc. If you come to his store, say hello. But you won’t. He is off to the side and it’s a secret location. If I tell you where it is, he will have too many customers to listen to jazz. 

Don’t forget to have some burekas, and sample the various cheeses, olives and herbs. Drink fresh juice (especially pomegranete juice in season) and pay attention to the smells emanating from every nook, cranny and stall. 

And most importantly. You will be one of the very few people in the market who know who it is named after!!