Tel Aviv, Israel 06/30/06

Tel Aviv, Israel lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea with a population of 375,000. It was founded in 1909 at first as a new neighborhood as an answer to the poor living conditions of Yafo. Tel Aviv means Hill of Spring. The official name is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Yafo in the Bible is Joppa, where Peter had a vision before talking to the gentiles. Tel Aviv-Yafo is part of the larger metropolitan area which comprises a number of separate municipalities with around 2.5 million Jews. There are three big universities, a large number of high-tech companies, several art museums, exhibition halls and performance centers, as well as beautiful beaches. It temporarily served as the capital of Israel. When Jerusalem was proclaimed the capital, the embassies stayed in the Tel Aviv. This was their political way for countries to remain neutral on the Arab-Israeli conflict in their claim for Jerusalem.

When I lived in Israel, I hardly went to Tel Aviv. The few times we were there was to go to the embassies and to run some other errands. We did go to the Tel Aviv beach once, but the Herzlia beaches were our preference. I stayed in a small hotel called Gordon Inn. I have had the opportunity to drive and walk around these beautiful streets during the day and night. Dizengoff street is one of the more popular streets. I enjoyed the beach, regardless of my incident with the jellyfish. The jellyfish are here for the first two weeks of July. Tel Aviv is not a very religious city. Although there is a difference in Shabbat, many minor businesses remain open.

Herzlia, Israel 07/01/06

Herzlia, Israel is a small town 20 minutes north of Tel Aviv with a population of 73,000. Named after the father of Zionism, Theodore Herzl, Herzlia was founded in 1924 by pioneers. It is divided in two by the Tel Aviv-Haifa Highway. On the West side of the highway lies Herzlia Pituach. This side of the city kisses the Mediterranean Sea and it houses the many diplomat families and the more blessed Israeli families with its beautiful and large mansions. It has sandy beaches, sports facilities, and state-of-the-art marina, historical sites and many 5 star hotels. On the East side of the highway lies Herzlia City with its modern hi-tech industrial center surrounded by shopping malls and gourmet restaurants. It is then a tourist as well as a business hot spot. At its bossom is a small upscale village called Kfar Shmaryahu, which is where the American International School is found. This was my high school in the 1980's. My High School Reunion was being held partly because it was about time to have one and also because the building will be torn down and built somewhere else. This was the last opportunity for me to see it for the last time.