Tel Aviv

It is hard to believe that this vivacious, sophisticated Mediterranean city has not yet celebrated its first centenary. Born out of the sands, the modern metropolis of Tel Aviv was founded in 1909, when a small group of Jewish families moved from the overcrowded, insanitary and hostile Arab town of Jaffa to a selected desert spot where the construction of Tel Aviv began. Since then, the city has sprung up beside the Mediterranean coast at a dizzying speed – its first-generation residents are as old as the city itself. Younger generations compare their hometown grandly to New York. The ceaseless energy and enterprise, the lively avenues, big squares and buzzing nightlife all excuse this exaggerated comparison. However, the noisy, extrovert way of life, the miles of utilitarian modern apartments and the warm humid climate – with temperatures up to of 34°C (94°F) in the summer (when humidity also tends to peak) and 20°C (68°F) in the winter – all place Tel Aviv firmly in its East Mediterranean setting.

The initial impression of many visitors upon arrival is that Tel Aviv is brash, soulless and hedonistic. Outlying areas on the approach roads in particular seem tacky and drab, however, those who are willing to explore further than their first impressions cannot fail to be moved by the idealism that has created this largest Jewish city ever to exist. In a short time, Tel Aviv has absorbed tens of thousands of refugees from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America and turned them into free citizens in their own homeland – 45,000 new immigrants have settled here in the last year alone.

In fact, Tel Aviv is named after the Hebrew title of Theodor Herzl’s inspirational Zionist novel Altneuland (Old New Land). The Hebrew, ‘Tel Aviv’, combines the ideas of antiquitiy (tel, an ancient site) and radiant newness (aviv, springtime). Tel Aviv’s astonishing diversity is shown in the array of distinct neighbourhoods merging together but also in these extremes of ‘old’ and ‘new’. The elderly relaxing on the beach promenade and chatting in a multitude of languages, next to the younger generation shouting in Hebrew and playing beach sports on the sand; the high culture and the noisy discos; the modern shopping malls and the packed street market.

The sheer dynamism and determination of the place makes Tel Aviv seem vastly bigger than it really is. In fact, the city is smaller in area than Haifa or Jerusalem, but over one-third of Israel’s population live in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. For round-the-clock entertainment and sheer vigour, there is nowhere in Israel like it – the city offers an abundance of bars, restaurants, entertainment and nightlife within walking distance from one another.

Above all, Tel Aviv is a beach city. A broad expanse of fine sand extends more than ten kilometres (six miles) along the seashore. City residents pour onto the beach for air, space and relaxation every weekend and at any opportunity during the day. Its wide promenade is a magnificent sight and runs for miles all the way from the port in north Tel Aviv to the old quarter of Jaffa – which, incidentally, has ceased to be a hostile Arab town and has become a popular waterside dining and leisure district of Tel Aviv.