Jun 15 2011
10 Amazing Facts ABout Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv has an interesting story to tell. While it is a fairly new city, established in just 1909, the history behind how it came to be and its current state of affairs is one that is most intriguing. Located along the Mediterranean coast, Tel Aviv follows only Jerusalem in population. Tel Aviv lies on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa. However, to see the city today, one would not guess that there is much historical connotation to the area. Here are some interesting facts about this unique city.
1) After much dispute, the city was finally given the name of Tel Aviv at its founding in 1909. The name dates back to the book of Ezekiel where Tel-abib is mentioned. Abib or aviv means spring in Hebrew, which is the symbol of newness or renewal. A tel in the Hebrew language is a site where there are numerous civilizations built upon each other, layer by layer, over thousands of years.
2) Sixty-six Jewish families used seashells for a type of lottery, to barter off the land, in April of 1909. Names of the families were written on white shells and different land plots were written on gray shells. All plots were located along the northern section of Jaffa and each family was assigned their own portion. These families worked together and by the end of the first year, they each had their own home with a water system in place and streets throughout the area.
3) One of the main purposes of this section of the city was to built a garden suburb along the perimeter of Jaffa. Their motto was to build a “Hebrew urban center in a healthy environment, planned according to the rules of aesthetics and modern hygiene.” Ahuzat Bayit was the first mayor of Tel Aviv and his main goal for the city was to be able to live peacefully with the Arabs.
4) Due to the Jaffa Riots in 1921, many Jews left Jaffa and fled to Tel Aviv. This increased the population from 2,000 in 1920 to 34,000 by 1925. Tel Aviv began to prosper financially while Jaffa’s welfare slowly began to decline. In 1948, the government attempted to separate the two cities in order to end disputes. Intead, the two cities were unified under the name Tel Aviv-Yafo, to preserve the historical name of Jaffa.
5) Because the two cities are together, it would appear that they would be similar. Jaffa is a very ancient, historical city with roots dating back to the times of the Bible. On the other hand, Tel Aviv is a liberal city with liberal ideas. Tel Aviv’s goal has always been to practice tolerance in hopes of maintaining peace with their enemies.
6) Tel Aviv’s main highway is the Ayalon Highway which leads right into the city. Along this highway, there are four train stations in the city. In the southern part of the city, there is also a bus station. The Ben Gurion International Airport is located nine miles southeast of Tel Aviv. Those taking a Christian tour to Israel will most likely come in at the Ben Gurion and then travel to Tel Aviv before beginning their tour in Israel.
7) Tel Aviv has been compared to Sydney and San Francisco because of its acceptance of all people. One magazine called it the “gay capital of the Middle East” because the city is so liberal minded. The city has experienced some violence in the city, including 2 murders, due to the LGBT community and events.
For those going on one of the many Israel tours, it will be the older sections of Tel Aviv, specifically Jaffa that will be visited. Also, most of these tours go through sections of Israel that are devoted to sites from the Bible or that are related to the Christian point of view.
9) Old Jaffa is one of the most active tourist areas because it is in the oldest section of Tel Aviv-Yafo and highlights much of the older feel of historical Israel. Tourists are especially attracted to the churches, synagogues and shops in this area of the city.
10) The modern city of Tel Aviv is known for its beautiful sky scrapers, huge shopping malls and astounding sculptures. In 2009, Tel Aviv celebrated its centennial and well known architects and developers such as Donald Trump, Richard Meier and I.M. Pei visited the city to help create landmarks that would symbolize the culture of the city.
You will catch a glimpse of the modern Israel by visiting Tel Aviv. In fact, the contrast between Tel Aviv and the older, biblical cities of the area is amazing. A combination of the old and new will be seen here, giving one a complete picture of life in Israel today.
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