Last week, I requested (and received) three days off in a row so I could go to Tel Aviv. There were some places I have wanted to see since before I arrived in Israel last January, and this was my opportunity to go. I spent two nights at Beit Immanuel (the CMJ guest house in Jaffa) and three days walking all over the twin cities.
My adventure began with a very early alarm Monday morning--5:15am!!! Yuck . . . but I wanted to make the most of my days, so I caught the 7:00 bus out of the Central Bus Station, arrived in Tel Aviv a little after 8, walked to Beit Immanuel to drop off my bag, and then headed out for day number one at 9:00am.
Tel Aviv has a fascinating history. As Jewish immigration to the land increased around the beginning of the 20th century, there was a desire to build a Hebrew urban center north of Jaffa. Twelve acres of dune land were purchased in 1908, and in April 1909, 66 Jewish families gathered on a sand dune for a "sea shell lottery." The family names were written on white shells and the land plot numbers on dark shells. Houses were built on this sand dune, and the road became known as Rothschild Boulevard. The name "Tel Aviv" was adopted on May 21, 1910, and it is quite a poignant name. Aviv is the Hebrew word for "spring" symbolizing what is new, and "tel" usually refers to an archaeological mound of many layers of ancient civilizations. The land of Israel really is a mix of old and new. Tel Aviv was designed to be a modern city with street lights, wide streets, and running water in each house.
Rothschild Boulevard looking west
Founders Square on Rothschild Boulevard
My first stop was Independence Hall, 16 Rothschild Boulevard (about a half hour's walk). The weather was beautiful--blue, sunny skies and warm enough I didn't need a jacket.
Independence Hall building--it once was the home of Tel Aviv's mayor, Meir Dizengoff. He later gave it to the city to become an art museum, and then it became the most important location in Israel the afternoon of May 14, 1948.
Independence Hall itself
With the British Mandate set to end on May 15, 1948, the Jewish leaders voted to declare an independent Jewish State before Shabbat began the evening of May 14th. The draft of the Declaration of Independence was only approved one hour before the ceremony was slated to begin. Three hundred fifty invited guests began arriving at 3:30 and at 4:00, this hall was packed. At the time, this building was the Tel Aviv Art Museum, but it was chosen for its security--a room built underground with thick walls and small windows. Remember, this took place in the middle of a war. The chairs, carpets, flags, and microphones were all borrowed last minute. Leaders had hoped to hold this ceremony in Jerusalem, but that was impossible as Jerusalem was heavily besieged at the time.
Invitation for the ceremony
Before Ben-Gurion could read the document (which was plainly typed on three pages of paper at that point), those gathered spontaneously began singing Hatikvah (the song that would later become Israel's national anthem). David Ben-Gurion then read the declaration (in Hebrew), and 25 people signed the bottom of a blank scroll (there hadn't been time to actually write it on the official paper yet). Twelve more signed later; these were those unable to come due to the war. The entire ceremony lasted all of thirty-two minutes. Three hours later, Egypt bombed Tel Aviv. Eight hours later, the British army left. Eight hours and one minute later, Arab nations invaded the country from all sides.
Israel's Declaration of Independence
This of course escalated the already in progress War of Independence which lasted one year, three months, and ten days. The history of the modern state of Israel is fascinating and polarizing--way too much to even summarize here.
I really enjoyed my time at Independence Hall, but all good things must come to an end. My next visit was to the Hagana museum, just up the road. That museum was quite well done and fascinating. It did a fantastic job of tracing the history of Jewish defenders from the first Aliyah (end of 19th century) through the years it had to go underground as Jewish defense of any kind was prohibited (1930s and 40s) until it became the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). I learned a lot from the exhibits here.
The Hagana was the first of three military museums I visited that day, making it a "military museum Monday." I also visited the IDF History museum and the ETZEL museum. The Hagana museum remained my favorite, although the ETZEL museum was quite well done and informative as well. The IDF history museum was not my cup of tea--it consisted largely of equipment (tanks, pistols, antiaircraft weapons, etc).
After the Hagana museum, I stopped at Shalom Tower where one could supposedly go up to the top floor for a spectacular view. Unfortunately, the top eight floors were closed. I rode the elevator as far up as I could and did enjoy the one-way view of the coastline.
(Looking west)
(Looking southwest, the land jutting out is old Jaffa)
After the tower, I set out in the direction of the IDF History Museum. This one was quite difficult to find, and I had to stop and ask for directions at four different places! In the meanwhile, I stumbled across the Carmel Market--a large open air shopping mall. I shelved the museum plans for a moment and walked the opposite way through this taste of culture. Here are a few of the things I saw for sale (unfortunately, I can't include the sounds and smells . . .)
The beginning of the Carmel market
LARGE selection of candies!
A store full of earrings--my dream store! :-) Although you will all be surprised that despite examining the racks quite thoroughly, I left the store without a single pair . . .
Fruits and vegetables . . .
Lots of cheese . . .
Nice fresh fish (remember, Tel Aviv is a coastal city, so fish are a local commodity) . . .
Toys . . .
More mounds of candy . . .
. . . and spices.
After the Carmel Market walk, I made my way back to its beginning point and eventually found the IDF History museum and the ETZEL museum. By that point, I had been walking all over Tel Aviv for seven hours and was ready to go "home" for the night. I walked back to Beit Immanuel and officially checked in. After dropping my stuff in my room, I went up to the roof for some great scenery. The sun was setting and it was quiet and peaceful above the bustle of the city streets.
Looking north at the Tel Aviv skyline
Looking west at the Mediterranean
Looking south at the Jaffa skyline
Looking southwest--the colors were breathtaking!
And so went my first day sight seeing in Tel Aviv--full but so enjoyable. Frankly, the whole trip was quite eye-opening to me. I was completely out of my normal comfort zone--here I was planning my own 3-day itinerary in an unfamiliar city, actually going to this unfamiliar city by myself, and then following the itinerary using only a map. I have no idea when I became so independent and adventurous, but I really enjoyed exploring and finding my way and seeing these places I really wanted to!
Tel Aviv part two to come later this week . . .
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