Street Art in Tel Aviv: Part 9

Eveyone get excited for the ninth edition of Street Art in Tel Aviv. I am excited and so should you. If you are not familiar with my other posts the graffiti in Tel Aviv varies from tagging, to stencil tags, to actual murals, and political  graffiti. Here is the ninth installment, enjoy!

Sderot

As part of Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, as participants we learn about Israel hands on with trips around the country learning about the various places and issues they face. On this trip, we went down south to the town of Sderot. If you have heard about Sderot, its probably because it was on the news. It was on the news because Sderot has been the victim of rocket attacks from terrorists within the Gaza Strip. The town itself is about 840 meters away from the border of the Gaza Strip. This makes it extremely susceptible to rocket attacks which are launched within the borders of the Gaza Strip. Due to the likeliness of being victim to rocket attacks, the town has bomb shelters everywhere. When the Tzeva Adom(Red Alert) goes off indicating an incoming rocket, citizens of Sderot have about 15-17 seconds to take shelter. When there are constant rocket attacks coming from Gaza, the town's administration goes underground to a bomb shelter facility where the municipality, the police, and the army work. We had the opportunity to meet with one person who works in this underground facility. We learned about the history of Sderot and its challenges being close to the border of Gaza. Before the disengagement from Gaza, many of the citizens of Sderot would go into the Gaza Strip to shop and eat in Gaza. They made friends and such which would seem to be a great thing. This however stopped from happening since the disengagement from Gaza in 2005. Many of the Israelis from Sderot had to stop contact with their friends in Gaza due to fear of being called a collaborator by Hamas. We also learned that the town has become a shelter town. Everywhere you go you will find a bomb shelter.The bus station on the main road of Sderot has a bomb shelter so that if a Tzeva Adom( Red Alert) goes off, people waiting for the bus have a place to take shelter. Schools are also shelters in Sderot. We passed a school and saw that in the school yard there were many shelters so that if the children are outside playing when a Tzeva Adom goes off they can easily run into the shelters. Many people that live in Sderot have experienced extreme trauma and stress due to the rocket attacks. This trauma and stress can be seen in the final scores of students from Sderot on their Bagrut(matriculation exams). We also met with a member of Migvan, an urban kibbutz in Sderot. The idea is that everyone that is part of kibbutz lives within a certain area of the city and works to within the city. It is a great idea that could be the next step within the overall kibbutz movement in Israel. We also got to talk with a former settler of Gaza or what is also known as Gush Khatif. We learned about the disengagement from Gaza and the aftermath of it. We learned that the settler movement in Gaza was purely agrarian. That they turned sand dunes into viable land for produce and flowers. After the disengagement from Gaza, we learned that the government did not handle the relocation of the members of Gush Khatif correctly. Many of the members were stuck in hotels for months after and some are still living in temporary housing. It was a very informative tour day and I was glad to learn about what is going on down south. It is essential to understand the story of Sderot to understand the developments within the conflict today. If you do not understand the story of Sderot, than you will not understand the IDF's operations in Gaza since the disengagement in 2005. Most citizens of Sderot want peace with their neighbors in Gaza. With that yearning for peace, they also want security. Without security they believe that peace for both people will be hard to achieve. This is what I believe in as well. If there is to be a lasting peace, there needs to be security not just for Israelis, but for Palestinians as well.

Street Art in Sderot by Artists 4 Israel

Views from Sderot overlooking the Gaza Strip

bomb shelters in the school yard

Rockets fired from the Gaza Strip that landed in Sderot

Street Art in Tel Aviv: Part 8

I hope you are ready for the eighth installment of Street Art in Tel Aviv. If you are not familiar with my other posts the graffiti in Tel Aviv varies from tagging, to stencil tags, to actual murals, and political graffiti. Here is the eighth installment, enjoy!

Mealtime: Tony Vespa

I have a sneaky suspicion that certain international foods such as pizza for instance, can be delicious anywhere in the world if made properly. I have had pizza in almost every single place I have been in the world, and I have had delicious pizza in all of them. That is not to say that the pizza was comparable to pizza made in New York. Pizza does not have to imitate New York to be delicious. This brings me to Tony Vespa. Tony Vespa is a Tel Aviv pizzeria that is unique in that they serve a selection of square pan pizzas. Do not be afraid by the term pan pizza. This pizza has a delightfully thin but not too thin crust. You choose the size of your slice and they weigh your piece of pizza to determine how much it costs. Tony Vespa is not a sit down pizzeria. They do have so stools inside, but it is usually crowded with hungry trying to get their pizza fix. There are benches outside of the restaurant and if need be there are benches close by on Rothschild and near the Habima. The atmosphere is pretty interesting as many of the employees look like young skaters and loud punk and hard rock play in the background. There is a location on Rothschild near the Habima, and there is another location on Dizengoff. When I went I had to revert to my favorite pizza from home, pepperoni. There are other toppings however to the pizzas at Tony Vespa. While I was there I saw a zucchini pizza, an olive pizza, a white pizza, and a pizza with tomatoes and onions. I highly recommend having the pizza warmed in the oven. They will ask you if you want it anyways so just say yes. If you are craving pizza in Tel Aviv, give Tony Vespa a try. With the variety of pizzas they offer, I am sure you will find something delicious. Enjoy!

Tel Aviv Jazz Fest

This past week from May 29th to May 31st, the municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa sponsored a Jazz Festival at the Cinematheque. Usually,  I would not get excited about a Jazz Festival. This however was worth it because it was free admission. It was an outdoor concert at the plaza right outside of the Cinematheque. It was an interesting vibe the night I went with a few of my friends on my program. The artist was a Colombian artist alongside a few Israelis. It was a project that the Colombian artist was starting. It was fantastic music with a very distinct Latin flare. Overall it was a good choice to check it out. It was a free show, so if you did not  like the music you could easily leave without the guilt of having spent money for entry.

Mealtime: Abu Jamil

Hummus is an obsession in Israel and within the region. It is very interesting to taste the hummus all of over Israel because each region has its own distinct taste. That means every restaurant's hummus will be slightly different. This means that there are an abundant amount of restaurants serving the hummus which might look the same, but are different in taste. In the pursuit of trying the most ethereal hummus in Israel, my stomach was led to Abu Jamil in Jaffa at the intersection of Yefet and Dr Ehrlich.  It was there that I had one of my favorite plates of hummus. I ordered the hummus with ground meat. That might sound to the average person odd and strange. Trust me, this plate of hummus was one of the best I have had. I liked the presence of the cooked and spiced ground meat. It was delicious with the creamy texture of the hummus. Even though my friend and I just ordered hummus, we got a bunch of salads, falafel, and french fries as well with our hummus. It was an epic meal because we just ordered the hummus and got a lot more food without the employee even telling us he was giving us the salad, falafel, and french fries. Abu Jamil in my mind is one of the better places in Jaffa for hummus. If you are tired of Abu Hassan or any of the other hummus eateries in Jaffa, try Abu Jamil. Enjoy!