# 89 – Neve Tzedek

December 15, 2007

Sorry about yet another, but when I’m in ‘schwung’, nothing can stop me. Imagine a 130 kg pendulum, swinging smoothly towards you……

Aviva and I went ‘for a walk’ yesterday. The sun was out; we almost overdressed. We had choices of direction and activity: the boardwalk of the re-vamped port area, the fields north of Tel Aviv, the touristy alleys of Old Jaffa, or just along the Tel Aviv promenade.

We chose Neve Tzedek, the oldest area of Tel Aviv, where, 120 years or so ago, the Jews from Jaffa settled and started the first neighbourhood of the new city. It’s now the trendy area, full of fascinating extremes. Let me take you for a walk…

In these first 2 images, featuring my dear wife, we are standing on the Tel Aviv beach looking south against the sun towards Jaffa (in the background) – and on the promenade, looking north. Behind Aviva are some of Tel Aviv’s sea-front hotels and the Textile Centre. You can now walk from here, perhaps 5 km. to our beach in the northern suburbs and on to Herzlia etc.

This is a part of one of the 3,000 or so Bauhaus-style buildings in Tel Aviv, many of which are in Neve Zedek. Unesco put a heritage stamp on ‘the White City’ a couple of years back, and now these special structures are being slowly and lovingly restored. It’s a problem, because many are owned by the original families. They don’t necessarily have the spare cash – and they certainly don’t want to move.

This recently-restored building is part of a cute little square, which includes a special memorial to the establishment of the quarter.

In the middle of Neve Tzedek is the Suzanne Delall Centre of Performing Arts. Primarily, the home of the Bat Sheva dance company, but home to many cultural events. When I took this picture of a the dog yesterday, people sitting in the cafe house next to me (and next to the centre) complemented me on my vision, and one of them got up a copied me. They weren’t so sure why I was taking pictures up the tree on the other side.

Here you see the old surrounded by the new; the ongoing construction and the work obviously still to be done. The building on the right has fantastic potential.

The left 2 pics are of Beit Rokach, the house of the guy that claims to have been the pioneer of the quarter. An artist took the building over some years ago and now it’s a combination of memories and gallery. Outside, a ‘voluntary’ 2nd-hand book stall, asking people to put the money in the available box.

And here are 2 of the many wine bars / coffee houses / restaurants  all over the area. What’s special, of course, is that the weather permits the fronts to open up and let the feet dangle..Btw, smoking has recently been banned. So most places are going through the ‘throw outside’ or construct separate area process.

The winter sun keeps the flowers strong. This one is from yesterday, in a Neve Zedek garden.

This building displays some of the many crazy designs in the area. These are beach bats – here, the sport is called ‘matkot’. Aviva’s pointing out a door that is not a door, and here’s another entrance that is an entrance.

Come and have a look. I don’t mind going back there if it means spreading the word that this place is OK.