A new view of Tel Aviv

The students from Dormition returned to Jerusalem on Thursday the 13th and we were invited to travel with them because room in the bus allowed. All five volunteers went with and we met up with Mustaffa, a regular at Tabgha (he was with the Arab group a couple weeks back where I was a dancing queen). He took us out to a discoteka (dance club) in the New City. I am not very familiar with the style of “House” music but we danced our hinnies off till 4am, places do not get busy until midnight or 1am.


The next day we headed off to Tel Aviv. I have only been to the airport in Tel Aviv. If you remember, my first impression was of pollution and odor. Everything deserves a second chance.

On the side of a skyscraper in Tel Aviv

If Jerusalem is where one goes to pray for the forgiveness of their sins, they were probably in Tel Aviv the prior week. You can get and do anything you want there.

It is a very attractive city to the young population. It is busy yet laid back. It offers a university and many opportunities to work. The Mediterranean is right there with of restaurants, pubs, stores, parks, and beaches to capture your money, time, and attention.

Home away from home

The five of us exited the bus station while Martin and I, equipped with our German and English tour books, hurriedly searched for our position relative to our hostel. Much to my relief Martin found a street in his book and then on a more detailed map in mine.

We made it to the hostel after I led us on the scenic route. I turned onto a street just because I recognized it on my map, luckily I realized my blunder and we backtracked.

I am hitting myself for not taking other pictures as we walked from the bus station. This one is not as beautiful as my memory of the other ones

Let me do my best to describe the streets we walked on our journey. The part of Tel Aviv we toured by foot can be likened to the parts of Portland I’ve visited (ask my parents for the names, I only remember the sights) and the St. Paul area along Summit Avenue and near the Grand and Victoria intersection. The streets were narrow and busy with cars, mo-peds, and bicyclers. The sidewalks had trees planted about every ten paces, which then towered over the street. On the sidewalk people strolled from store to store.

Walking to the beach

We walked past a large outdoor market whose inhabitants I would guess fit in well with the freethinking, cool, loose-clothes wearing hippies of my generation. There were a lot of stands selling items varying from books to food to clothes and I confidentially wanted to stop, but knew the boys were tired from walking and just wanted to get to our room before sundown so we pressed on.

When a credible travel book says “possibly the best hostel in the country” ask yourself why on earth did you pick the one that says “shabby” in its description. I have no idea why I chose the second hostel; it was not any cheaper. I think I was sucked into the “smack in the middle of things” line. Next time I will walk the few blocks to get “smack in the middle of things” and stay at “possibly the best hostel in the country”.

November 15th on the beach in Tel Aviv

The boys could have given me a lot of flack for our room and board but were too kind and refrained. Our sheets were thin, ragged, and old. Our beds were fit for 12 year-olds. We had three bunk beds in the space of a one person prison cell and our “continental breakfast” was a couple slices of toast and instant coffee.

Kite-surfers

A surprising addition to our accommodations was that we were encouraged to go to the roof and enjoy the view. We headed up there to enjoy a cold beer after supper one night and as we were talking we all heard this thumping, like a drum beat played through speakers. As we looked over the rail down to the small side street that came to a “T-intersection” with the large busy street we saw a white van creeping along with young males dancing around it.

We all started laughing at the sight and came to the conclusion, pretty quickly, that it was Hebrew dance music. The boys on the roof joked about dancing with them and I said “Yeah, I’m gonna do it”. Surrendering to the urge I ran down to the street. The van had rounded the corner and was heading for the beach but I caught up to them very quickly as it was only traveling 5 mph. The dancers saw me coming and smiled and laughed and we all danced to our own style for a couple blocks. I realized I didn’t want to get too far from home without knowing where I was so I stopped but as I left the driver gave me a card, much resembling a baseball card but only with a picture of a Rabbi on it. I returned to the hostel and asked the clerk behind the counter what the card read and he told me it was hard to explain but it had to do with Judaism.

Sail boats were out on the sea

We spent most of Saturday on the beach. November 15th; I was lying on the beach in the sun and swimming in the Mediterranean. I’ve got it tough. It was “cold” by the native standards and we were told that the beach would be packed if it were 10 degrees warmer. There were already a lot of people there playing paddle ball, sunbathing, running, playing with dogs, and swimming so I am glad it was not too much warmer or we might not have had space on the beach.

After a late lunch at a seaside bar we strolled south along the beach toward Jaffa, the old city of Tel Aviv. Its about a three kilometer walk but we were entertained along the way by about 20 kite surfers of various skill and just by the sheer wonder of being in a new atmosphere our heads were on swivels. Jaffa is slightly elevated and as I looked back down onto Tel Aviv at sunset I was able to snap a couple pictures with the huge skyscrapers hugging the sea and the powerful kites flying high, as if they were lions being held at bay by their masters’ leashes stretched to capacity. It was a serene moment.

This is Tel Aviv from the hilltop of Jaffa

Richard came from Jerusalem Saturday night. He is well over six feet tall and his bed made him seem like a giant. Again, take the travel book for its word. The people get paid to investigate.

Both nights we hit up a nearby pool hall and played a couple rounds of pool and darts before heading out to inspect the town. The hall was large, dark, played loud American music, and allowed smoking. I also happened to notice a cockroach the size of a pack of bubble gum scurry across the floor as I lined up a billiard shot. As disgusting as this description sounds of the place, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I felt relaxed, worry-free, and in the moment as we all conversed with opinions and observations of our journey.

Found this painting outside the Church in Jaffa, I took a liking to it

Sunday morning we all hopped a bus to Tel Aviv University to tour the Diaspora Museum. Diaspora is the term given to the dispersion of the Jewish people throughout history. The museum held an endless amount of information and we only had the short morning so we all quickly toured the three-level complex after the brief introductory movie.

After viewing something like this it is easy to maintain humble. Many times I try to justify, validate, or rationalize how so much pain can be inflicted on a population by another in the name of God. Someone just isn’t getting the picture here.

This is the sunset looking toward Jaffa