Tel Aviv is turning 100!

In an hour or so, the official opening of the celebrations of Tel Aviv's centennial anniversary will start at Rabin Square.
This is going to be one hell of a year, with more-than-usual cultural and other events to commemorate this fascinating city's birthday.
If you have never visited the most exciting city in the middle east, this year is probably the best time to do it.
Welcome all of you out there and come feel the rythme.

Not only in Jerusalem...

I was born in Tel Aviv and have been living in it for more than 40 years. Yet, only today I found out, by accident, while looking for some information on this city which I love so much, that even though Tel Aviv is maybe the most secular city in Israel, there are (in the greater Tel Aviv area) approximately 500 synagogues. I have to admit it is an amazing figure.
Anyway, as I usually do on Saturdays, I took my camera today and went around my neighborhood taking some photos. I have decided that this photo is most suitable for this post and immediately gave it the above title: "Not only in Jerusalem"...

The name Tel Aviv comes from...

Tel Aviv will celebrate its 100th. birthday on April 2009. In fact, celebrations are planned to take place throughout the whole year (2009).

In the coming months, our posts will be mainly dedicated to news and updates regarding the various projects and preparations related to these developments and celebrations.

Although this blog has been going on for some time, we have not told you yet the story about how Tel Aviv has become to be called Tel Aviv.

So the story goes....

Tel Aviv has probably had more names than any other city in the world.
It all began with the House-Builders Association that decided to build a new Jewish neighborhood outside Yafo. Later the association changed its name to Ahuzat Bait. Half a year after the establishment of the new neighborhood at the end of 1909, fierce arguments arose regarding the name of the new Hebrew neighborhood. Various names had been suggested: New Yafo, Neve Yafo, Aviva, Yefefiya (Hebrew: beautiful), and Sha'anana (Hebrew: calm & secure).

Herzliya, in commemoration of Theodor Herzl (founder of political Zionism), was favored by many. Finally, Menachem Sheinkin suggested Tel Aviv. Sheinkin had in mind Nahum Sokolov's Hebrew translation of the title of Herzl's book "Altnueland". Sheinkin was not aware of the fact that there was already a neighborhood of that name in Ness Tziona. The name Tel Aviv was eventually decided on by majority vote, scoring 20 votes compared to 15 that had been cast in favor of Neve Yafo. When the founders of Tel Aviv chose the name, they were not aware that it was mentioned in the Bible. Sokolov once explained that he found Tel Aviv to be a faithful translation from German of "Altneuland" (meaning: the old new land). Like the German term, it involves a play of words between "old" and "new". In Hebrew, "tel" means a mound of ancient ruins and "aviv" means spring. Thus "Tel Aviv" balances a sense of the new (renewed) with a sense of heritage (ancient).

Life on the border: impossible reality

During the last three week a special exhibition has been going on in Tel Aviv. It is an outdoor exhibition on Chen Boulevard. If you stroll along this street, just turn your head up and you'll see drawings on boards tied to the streets from both sides. These drawings were made by junior high school students from the city of Kiryat shmona which is located in the North of Israel on the Lebanese border. During the 2006 Lebanese War which took place during 33 days, between mid July and mid August 2006, a total of 1012 Katyusha rockets hit Kiryat Shmona. Approximately half of its residents left the area during that time and those who remained stayed in bomb shelters. I went to see these youngsters' drawings and I was trying to feel and understand what it means to be 14 years old boy or a girl living in such a horrifying reality. I bring to you here several photos of their drawings, which I think speak for themselves.

Raphael (Rafi) Perez, gay artist

Raphael Perez was born in 1965 and raised in Jerusalem. He currently resides and works in Tel-Aviv. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem school of Visual Arts (1988-1992).Perez`s creations deal with the subject of homosexuality. He puts a strong emphasis on single-sex families, pride parades, soldiers, male birth giving, portraits, and male nudity, as well as male, female and heterosexual couples. His paintings put to test the boundaries between eroticism and art, while characterizing gay relationships and love as they are expressed in everyday life.
Two primary styles dominate the Raphael Perez paintings:Naïve Style which has been influenced by his experience of working with children and the Realistic Style, in which red is the dominant color.

Tel Aviv is featured in several Raphael Perez's paintings, especially those in the Naive Style. We chose this photo of one of his works featuring the promenade along Tel Aviv's coast line.

Rafi Perez's works in more detail can be found in:
http://www.artgallery18.com/?doc=150105 as well as in http://www.art4collector.com/.

Leasure feline life in Tel Aviv

It's Saturday again and I went to check out how cats manage in this city. Apparently, they are doing great...at least those I have met on my way. So, if you wish to be a city cat, Tel Aviv is probably quite a good choice...

Gay artist in Tel Aviv

We have already mentioned that Tel Aviv is the largest center of commercial and cultural life in Israel. In this post we wish to introduce to you one (out of several) gay artists who live and create in Tel Aviv.

IRIT RABINOWITS was born in 1969 and is a graduate of the Be'er-Sheva College of Visual Arts, where she studied from 1989 through 1992.
She worked as an art instructor for children and as a book illustrator, publishing two children books with her illustrations (1992, 2003).

Irit took part in the several group exhibitions in addition to three solo exhibitions.

Taken from the artist's web site home page is the following information:

"Irit Rabinowits'art deals with the process of defining a sexual identity, starting with early adolescence in the blue painting series, which are painted in cold and reserved colors conveying a sensation of detachment and isolation;

Through the revelation and enjoyment derived from the beauty and sexuality of the female body in the wood painting series, which are warm-color paintings drawn on wood;

And finally in the Naive painting series which simply celebrates love within an intimate relationship in a colorful and joyful manner.

We love Irit's art very much and it was very hard to choose one painting among all her works, so we have finally picked the one above, at the top of this post, which we hope will make you curious to learn more about this artist. It is one of her Naive Painting Series and its titled: Couple on a sofa / 2003.

More about the artists in: http://www.lesbianpaintings.com/