Tel Aviv Fact Sheet
September 10, 2009 – 12:00 pm
Tel Aviv street fair
With the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) showcasing films set in Tel Aviv, we thought it would be a good time to share this excellent round-up of facts about the city:
- Sexy, secular and sassy, Tel Aviv is modest Jerusalem’s rebellious younger sibling, a city of night-time hedonists and daytime sun-worshippers. A thriving metropolis of cutting-edge café culture has blossomed where once there were only sand dunes.
- The city was founded in 1909 on desert sand dunes north of Jaffa by a group of Jewish families from Jaffa, and it means “Spring Hill.” In Hebrew, “Tel” does not simply mean “hill,” but a man made hill covering the remains of an ancient ruins. The word aviv means “spring”, so “Tel Aviv” stands for a link between old and new; antiquity rejuvenated.
- The Jews were the only people to be expelled from Tel Aviv – this happened in March of 1917 when they were evicted by the Ottoman rulers. Its residents only returned eight months later when the British Mandate began.
- Over the next couple of decades the population of Tel Aviv grew exponentially, from 11,000 in 1914 to 45,000 in 1931 and 145,000 in 1941. During this time the city saw massive development, evolving in finance, industry and culture, setting the ground for the city it is today.
- By 1950 the ancient port city of Jaffa and the bustling metropolis of Tel Aviv were amalgamated into one city known as Tel Aviv-Jaffa. The co-existence among Jews and Arabs in Jaffa is renowned.
- Tel Aviv was declared a cultural UNESCO World Heritage site in July of 2003 for the many “international” style, also known as Bauhaus buildings, after the German school it originated from, built in the city from the 1930’s to 1950’s. The style emphasized simplicity and the white colour, so Tel Aviv is often known as the White City. Since 2003 Tel Aviv hosts an annual White Night Festival to celebrate the city’s proclamation as a World Cultural Heritage Site. During the “White Night” cultural institutions, as well as commercial ones, are open all night long.
- Today Tel Aviv-Jaffa represents the heart of a thriving Israeli city – the greater metropolitan area comprises a number of municipalities with approximately 3.1 million people living in a 25 km long sprawl along the Mediterranean coast.
- Tel Aviv continues to be Israel’s economic and cultural centre, known as the “the city that doesn’t stop!” It is not unusual to see crowds strolling along the boardwalk at 4 am, and the clubs and bars only pick up around midnight until morning, giving Tel Aviv a well deserved reputation of being a party town. It is the pinnacle of secular life in Israel.
- Docaviv is the city’s annual International Documentary Film Festival. The festival presents the most innovative, provocative and important documentary films of the year from the around the world.
- Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival celebrates gender diversity and happens every June.
- Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival is one of the world’s most important student film festivals, and happens late May each year.
- Beyond the city’s beaches lies a city of great culture and history. In the north end one can glimpse 3,000 years of Jewish life at the Jewish Diaspora Museum then understand the modern Israel at the Azrieli Observatory atop the country’s highest skyscraper. A look at the city’s history can be found on a stroll through Neve Tzedek’s narrow streets or a snack can be had at the vibrant Shuk HaCarmel Market.
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