Sunday, June 28

Shalom friends,
Today I would like to dedicate the post to the old architecture of Tel-Aviv Jaffe.
Tel-Aviv is celebrating this year her 100th birthday. Tel-Aviv (Spring Hill) is the first modern Jewish city. I always loved the architectural beauty of this city and as a kid I always wished and dreamed of buying one of these beautiful buildings, renovate it and make it my home and studio. Life ended up leading me in a total different direction and today you have to have several millions of dollars to be able to buy just one little apartment…where do the Israelis find the money to buy them?... I have no idea!
To give you an example of how beautiful they renovate some of the old buildings in Tel-Aviv, here is a picture of before (took in 2006) and after of a building in Nachalat Binyamin street.

Before

After

And here is the whole building. I just love it! I tried to find some history about this building but I came empty handed.

This is another beautiful door from the same street that has not yet renovated.

This is a mural on the old building of "Hadassah" Hospital at Nachalat Binyamin St.

This is another beautiful building in Nachalat Binyamin.

Every Tuesdays and Fridays Nachalat Binyamin Street turns to a festival of arts, crafts, pottery, and street performances. Artists display their merchandise on little tables along the paved street. You can shop for jewelry, painted ceramics, special toys, lampshades, Judaica and many more objects; there is quite a selection. Nachalat Binyamin is also known to be the street to buy fabrics. It's lined with store after store of fabrics. I used to shop there for fabrics with my mom when I was younger.

This is a beautiful gate in Jaffa

Some of the few beautiful buildings in Jaffa
A little history about Jaffa (Yafo) some believes that the name derives from the Hebrew word "Yofi" –beauty on the other hand according to Christian legend, Jaffa was named afther Noah's son, Japhet(Yeffet), who built it after the flood. Jaffa existed as a port city some 4,000 years ago, serving Egyptian and Phoenician sailors in their sea voyages. Jaffa is mentioned several times in the old and new testimony.
Old Jaffa has since become one of Israel's tourist attractions. It's filled with artists' quarters, studios and art galleries (I would love to have one there). Shops for Judaica, archaeology, jewelry, art, line its narrow alleys which are named after the signs of the Zodiac.
For more reading about Tel- Aviv architectural I found this lovely blog that you can visit, http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/tel-aviv-jewish-princess .
For now I hope you enjoyed the small glimpse of Tel–Aviv, Jaffa's architectural. Maybe now you'll understand how much my art influence by it and how much I love and feel so lucky to be born and raised in this city.
We extended our visit for one more week since my father needs to be admitted tomorrow to the hospital for treatments. With G-d willing everything will be OK!
Shalom for now,




4 comments:

  1. As always Efrat, beautiful post. Gorgeous pix of magnificent architecture!!

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  2. Thank you SO much for the delightful 'tour' you took all of us on, Efrat! Your photographs are incredible.... I could almost smell the air and walk the streets with you. Just lovely. The architectural details are so beautiful, and the restoration of the first building you showed is remarkable. Isn't it wonderful that they went to the trouble of restoring it and preserving the history, instead of demolishing it? How interesting.... thank you for sharing it all!
    xoxo
    Karen

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  3. So wonderful Efrat!!!
    Beautiful buildings!!!

    Happy 4th to you and your family:)

    Blessings,
    kayellen

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  4. I loved it all. I almost hope they do not restore the old synagogue, at least not modernize it. Maybe just retore it to be as it once was. So beautiful.
    Hope your dad is okay.
    Hugs,
    Lynn (Leah)

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