A city born at a seashell lottery
Last year, the Israel Post Office, issued a new stamp with a composition about the famous seashells lottery of 1909. The lottery was held on the second day of Passover, April 11th 1909 in the afternoon. The participants (150 man, woman and children) gathered on the sand dunes, 3 kilometers north of Yafo. Arieh Akiva Weis, chairman of the lottery commitee, gathered 60 grey and 60 white shells. He wrote the name of the participants on the white shells, and the plot numbers on the grey shells. He paired a white and grey shell, assigning each family a plot. After the lottery, Avraham Soskin, took his famous photo. … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, stamps
‘I will build thee, and thou shalt be build…’
In 1949 a memorial was build for the 66 founding families of Tel Aviv on Rothschild Boulevard (between Herzl- and Allenbey Street), called: Founders Square. The inscription on the memorial says: “I will build thee, and thou shalt be build, oh virgin of Israel” … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, history, life
Mayor Ron Huldai in ‘Meet the Press’
HOT NEWS: I just watched, a few minutes ago on Channel 22 (17:45 – 18:30) mayor Ron Huldai in ‘Meet the Press’. Some main points: On the question how he feels today (Ron was born in kibbutz Hulda, near Rehovot): “I always be proud to be born in kibbutz Hulda, but today I am a Telavivian.” About the large budget for the Centennial celebrations and the expensive show on Rabin-Square, April 4th: “There was a free entrance on Rabin Square; more then 200.000 people were there that evening…that is NIS 20.- a person…so what’s the problem??” About Yafo: “I see it as one of my main task, to bring Tel Aviv and Yafo more close together in all different ways” About, that he made Tel Aviv a place only for the rich: “Not true, only 7% of … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, future, life
Tel Aviv Centennial Picture – part 3
The surrounding festivities at the old ‘Manshia’ train station today, April 17th, were just wonderful. Actors were dressed-up in clothes of the beginning of 1900, there were free ‘Gazoos‘ drinks (soda with a very sweet syrup), old Jazz music and of course a speech by mayor Ron Huldai. Also good-old ‘Chich‘ (Shlomo Lahat) was at the party. He was mayor of Tel Aviv from 1974 until 1993. … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, history, life, photography
Tel Aviv Centennial Picture – part 2
Abraham Soskin‘s photo, which documented the famous seashell lottery on April 11th,1909, has become an emblem of Tel Aviv’s mythology and history. It was wonderful to see today, April 17th,2009, all the descendants families, some nearly 90 years old, some still small babies. Everywhere people took group pictures and the largest descendants family came to the old Yafo train-station with 135 family-members!! Some families had pictures on them from their great-grandparents (the founders) some made special T-shirts (of the famous Gymnasium Herzliya). [edit: The Tel Aviv Centennial Photo Series are here: (1, 2 & 3)] … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, history, life, photography
Tel Aviv Centennial Picture – part 1
Today, April 17th, thousands of descendants of the 66 family-founders of Tel-Aviv (1909) flocked the old ‘Manisha’ train-station, built at the end of the 19th century on the border of Neve-Tsedek (it connected Yafo with Jerusalem). Today the site comprises more then 20 renovated buildings surrounded by landscaped lawns, and will include boutique shops, cafes and restaurants. One of the descendants of the Sirkis-family showed me a rare object: an invitation from March 1959 for the 50 year celebration of Tel Aviv, his grandfather (one of the founders of Tel Aviv) received from the municipality. Within the invitation was a copy of the original picture, taken by Avraham Soskin on April 11th 1909 (the sea-shell lottery) and two entry-tickets for the celebration. His grandfather didn’t visit the evening, because the entry-strips … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, history, life, photography
Meir Dizengoff: first mayor of Tel-Aviv
“The houses, streets and parks are merely the city’s facade. But its soul and spirit, character and nature, lie within its citizens’ aspirations to build and create, their love and freedom and their great faith in the future of the nation. These are the virtues that encouraged and drove the first founders of Tel Aviv to create a city in the Land of Israel” Meir Dizengoff, first mayor of Tel-Aviv: 1922-1925 1929-1936 … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, future, life, stamps
‘Tel-Aviv, then and now’
The famous ‘seashell’ lottery on April 11th 1909 has became an emblem of Tel Aviv’s mythology and history and the picture that was made about this event by Avraham Soskin. On April 17, next week, the descendants of the founders will gather in the ‘Charles Clore Park’ (see below) to reenact this famous photograph, together with descendants of the city builders and prominent figures alongside thousands of residents. On of the decedants of the founders (his grandparents) is Jeremy Ben-Ami, living today in Washington. So next week, Jeremy will come to Tel Aviv to take part in this photo shoot. In the ‘International Herald Tribune’ of today, April 10, Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote an article under the headline: “Tel-Aviv, Then and Now”. [edit: The location for the Centennial Photo has been changed. The NEW LOCATION … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, events, history, photography, TA Fever
‘The Beauty of Tel-Aviv’
Today, April 8, Ha’aretz Online, published a nice commentary about Tel Aviv: ‘The Beauty of Tel-Aviv’: “…Ever since its beginnings as Ahuzat Bayit on the coastal sands, the city has been a symbol of modernity, openness and freedom. That is how it’s seen by tourists and locals alike. There ‘s a good reason it’s called the ‘nonstop city’. Tel Aviv breathes, shakes and buzzes 24 hours of every day of the year. Even its name has become synonymous with an informal, easygoing atmosphere. Over the years, Tel Aviv has been lucky enough to have some gifted planners and successful mayors who shaped impressive features in the city…..Even the derogatory nickname which has been applied to Tel Aviv, “the bubble”, need not offend the city. Bubbles too are sometimes necessary for countries … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, life, TA Fever
The ‘hidden city’ exhibit
One of the more ambitious undertakings for the ‘centennial’ is the ‘hidden city’ exhibit. Thousands of historical photographs acquired from private collections have been ‘blown up’ to magnificent proportions, then hung over main throughfares and drapped over 50 city buildings. One you will find hung over the ‘Hornstein’ House, a Bauhaus-building designed in 1937 by Ze’ev Haller on the corner of Dizengoff- and King George Street. The bulk of the photographs will be on display at 10 community centers throughout the city. … Read entire article »
Filed under: architecture, centennial, history, photography
100 Years of Love: Amishalom Gilutz
“I was born in 1910 in Ahuzat Bayit, at 24 Ahad Ha’am Street. I was one of the first kids born in Tel Aviv and the oldest of five siblings, children of Menhaem and Dvora Gilutz, who were among the founders of the city. I have a strong love and admiration for the people who came together and build Tel Aviv. I studied in the Gymnasium Herzliya and joined the Hagana. Since 1952 I’ve lived in the neighborhood of Tzahalah. I have three children and nine grandchildren. I find it unfortunate that the city has changed much. The founders of the city were devoted to education and work in a way that is hard to find today. However, there is still a lot of the original beauty left in Tel-Aviv. As … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, history, life
YouTube footage of Centennial Celebration at Kikar Rabin
[thanks NaCcache100] … Read entire article »
Filed under: centennial, dance, events, music
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