Tel Aviv - Ten More

The seafront, Tel-Aviv

Almost two years ago, I wrote here about my favourite places in my favourite city. Two years is a long time in Tel-Aviv and some of the places I listed back then have disappeared whilst many new ones have appeared. Having just returned from a month in Tel-Aviv, it is timely to update my choices and to list ten more.

Starting with food (of course), Cafe Idelson at 117 Dizengoff and the vegetarian Mezze restaurant on Ahad Ha'am are sadly no more, but I have some new favourites that more than make up for this. My first choice is Delicatessen at 79/81 Yehuda HaLevi which combines a successful restaurant/ cafe with a stunning food emporium offering high quality cheeses, breads, vegetables and other deli fare. You can choose to eat upstairs inside, or on the pavement cafe (my preference). There are some excellent salads and lunchtime offers as well as some extremely tempting patisserie cunningly displayed in the window behind the cafe tables. I ate there three times during my recent stay, returning for the great food and the friendly and helpful service. A bonus is that Delicatessen is located in a restored Bauhaus building dating from 1938 and designed by Yitzhak Rapaport who also designed the French Ambassadors house in Jaffa.

Delicatessen, Yehuda HaLevi Street

Still with food, I have two new cafe favourites. Nachat sits right on the corner of Kikar Dizengoff and Raynes street (the address is Raynes 1). It is small but cosy with a few indoor tables, a work bench for those who can't be parted from their laptop and several outdoor seats. The coffee is taken very seriously with information about the different beans on display. Good sandwiches (I like the tomato, mozzarella and pesto) are available but for me the star of the show is the cheesecake which was both delicious and light - every time I had it! 

Da Da and Da on the ground floor of the Institut Francais at Rothschild 7 is another new favourite and my third choice in my new top ten. I visited this place several times each week on my recent trip as it was my coffee stop during the break from my Hebrew classes at the nearby Ulpan Neveh-Tzedek. The coffee is great and there is a good range of pastries to help you keep your strength up! My favourite was the apple pastry the sweetness of which complements the strength of my taste in coffee. The staff here are superb. After my first few visits I no longer needed to give them my name or tell them how I liked my coffee. That's what I call service. I also ate lunch here twice and enjoyed some very tasty salads. A real find.

Milk Bakery, Beit Eshel Street

I am going to indulge myself (which I did throughout my trip) by including a another cafe/ bakery. The Milk Bakery at 5 Beit Eshel Street in Jaffa's flea market was another place where I spent a lot of time during my trip. The bakery is a tiny walk-in space tucked neatly into the corner of the Market House Hotel. There are a couple of tables inside and some pavement seating as well as a takeaway service. The coffee is good, but the various pastries and patisseries are what kept me returning. The owner trained in patisserie in Paris and it shows. This is another place for great cheesecake but my favourite was the cassata which included sponge, ricotta, orange rind and other goodies encased in green marzipan. Reader, I ate the lot. It's a great place for a coffee and cake stop if you are visiting the market as well as somewhere to stock up on treats to take home. They make good bread too!

Four choices already made and I'm still on food. My fifth choice, still in that category is  Shuk Lewinsky, a market in Lewinsky Street in south Tel-Aviv. This is the place to come for spices and other culinary treats. A stroll through the shuk will stimulate your sense of taste and smell as well as being a delight for the eyes with the colourful mounds of herbs, spices, nuts, teas and coffees.

The shuk was established in the 1930's, primarily by a group of Greek Jews from Salonika. It expanded following independence in 1948 with Turkish, Iranian and Bulgarian Jews also establishing stalls here. Many of the shops are long established and have loyal customers, whilst the shuk has also become part of the itinerary of more informed tourists. The Yom Tov delicatessen was founded by the family of the same name in 1967 when they arrived in Israel from Istanbul. The shop is famous for its halva but people also come for the jams, speciality cheeses and spiced salads. Holocaust survivor Chaim Raphael came to Israel from Salonika in 1958 and founded the shop that still bears his name today. Here you can find great olives, cheeses and meats and there are special weekend treats including stuffed vegetables and leek patties.

Cafe Atlas, Shuk Lewinsky

Regular readers know I have a passion for strong coffee. And cake. Look no further than Cafe Atlas, founded in 1924, again by Greek Jews from Salonika. Like most of the shops on Lewinsky, Atlas is open to the street and the aromas of strong coffee, spiced teas and other goodies float out to draw you in. You can have your coffee beans ground here and Atlas is famous for its Golda Coffee - a very strong blend named after former Prime Minister Golda Meir who used to drink it at the cafe's Ramat Aviv coffee shop. I drank gallons of this stuff during my recent trip and brought 300 grams home with me to keep me going! Cafe Atlas isn't strictly speaking a cafe - they don't serve drinks here, but buy yourself some Golda, pick up some baklava from the Nazareth based Baklava Mahrum across the road, then go home and enjoy! Like all of the stores on Lewinsky, expert advice is available and a warm, friendly service is provided by Juliet and David Raphael.

The market is not without its oddities. You can find a coffee shop that serves from a window and has an outdoor seating area - in the back of a van with a couple of interesting mannequins on top. Only in Tel Aviv. Guided tours of the market including tasting tours can be arranged. You can find the details here.

Street cafe, Shuk Lewinsky

Coffee and cake is not my only passion. I also love jazz and Tel-Aviv has a thriving jazz scene that includes world class musicians and young, emerging artists with something to hear almost every night of the week. The Tel-Aviv jazz scene is my sixth choice. During my four weeks in Tel-Aviv I managed to see Omer Avital play at Zappa, Daniel Zamir  (supported by Tomer and Sam Bar no less) at Levontin 7 and a group of young musicians at Beit Ha'amudim. The latter is a relative newcomer to the scene, housed in an eclectic style building in the Nachalat Binyamin area close to Shuk HaCarmel. There are gigs almost every night and big names including Aaron Goldberg, Yuval Cohen and Gilad Abro have appeared here. As well as a busy bar, there is a kitchen serving light meals. Best Ha'amudim has a busy, friendly atmosphere and attracts a much younger audience that most jazz clubs - possibly because entry is free! The Shablul club at the port also hosts jazz concerts including leading Israeli and international artists. Sadly I just missed one of my favourites - pianist Ari Erev who launched his new album Flow there on the day I came home. Bad timing on my part.

I can't complete my list without some examples of Tel-Aviv's wonderful architecture. The city is known for its more than 4000 Bauhaus style buildings constructed in the late 1920's and throughout the 1930's, designed primarily by Jewish refugees fleeing Germany, Austria and the then Czechoslovakia. In 2003 this built heritage earned Tel-Aviv UNESCO World Heritage status. On each visit I discover examples of the style that I haven't seen before or that have been restored. I am going to be greedy and include three of them as part of my seventh choice - Bauhaus architecture. 

56 Lavandah Street

1 Montefiore Street

As well as drawing on Bauhaus influences, some of Tel-Aviv's modernist architecture displays elements of the art deco style, including nautical references with portholes and curves resembling the bow of a ship. There is even an apartment building widely known as the "Ship House". Number 56 Lavandah Street (real name Shimon Levi House), was completed in 1935, designed by Arieh Cohen. It is a long, thin building with a beautiful curved bow that gives it its nickname. The house is a little off the main tourist trail in south Tel-Aviv, close to the Central Bus Station but could be combined with a visit to the edgy Levontin district which includes Shuk Lewinsky, Levontin 7 and several small galleries and design shops.

Number one Montefiore Street is another building displaying nautical features. Built in the 1920's for the Havoinik family, the original design work was carried out by Yehuda Magidovitch who was responsible for many of the city's architectural landmarks. However,  the triangular structure you see today was constructed to the final designs of Isaac Schwartz. Originally a residential building, it now serves as the headquarters of an accountancy organisation. The upper floors are not original but were added as part of the 2011 restoration works in a style sympathetic to Schwartz's designs.This approach is sometimes taken as a means of financing the restoration necessary to preserve these buildings.

My third example of Tel-Aviv Bauhaus is number 56 Mazeh Street. This is probably my favourite building in the whole city. Completed 1934 and designed by Joseph and Ze'ev Berlin, it was originally the print works of the Ha'aretz newspaper. Today it is used as an office building and has no connection to the newspaper. It's pristine white cement cladding, beautiful balcony and glass framed stairwell ensure that this relatively small building stands out despite the much larger modern block behind it. Gorgeous.

You can find out more about Tel-Aviv's Bauhaus architecture you in the Bauhaus Center at 99 Dizengoff where there are books, postcards, posters and exhibitions that focus on this subject. The Center also offers guided tours of some of the key Bauhaus buildings.

56 Mazeh Street

Beit Bialik

Beit Bialik is my eighth choice for my new top ten. This very beautiful eclectic style building at number 22 Bialik Street was once home to the national poet Chaim Nachman Bialik. Completed in 1924 and designed by architect Joseph Minor, the house is a Levantine version of the eclectic style with some art nouveau influences. The ground floor rooms are a riot of color with deep blues, reds, greens and yellows punctuated with beautiful Bezalel tiles designed by Ze'ev Raban, showing scenes from the Bible and the symbols of the Twelve tribes of Israel. During the 1920's the house became a cultural focal point for the city as well as a place where people went to get advice. Eventually there were so many visitors that Bialik had to post a notice saying "Ch. N. Bialik receives requests at his residence on Mondays and Thursdays only from 5-7 in the evening". Visits to the house are much less restricted these days and can be combined with a visit to the City Museum and to the Reuven Rubin Museum, both of which are in the same street.

Beit Bialik

Beit Bialik

Tel-Aviv has many other museums including several of international standard. My previous top ten included the still magnificent Eretz Israel Museum, whilst Beit Hatfutsot, the Diaspora Museum has seen major improvements in recent years. However, the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art is a truly world class museum with outstanding collections of Israeli and European art. These include works by Klimt, Kandinsky, Chagall, Archipenko, Bonnard and van Gogh as well as leading Israeli artists such as Reuben, Gutman, Mane-Katz, Zaritsky and Janco. There are also strong contemporary collections and excellent temporary exhibitions that include photography, drawing and sculpture as well as painting. A new wing was added to the museum a few years ago and has been used to showcase Israeli art from the pre-state years to today. The exhibition is changed from time to time but includes some wonderful items from the early years of the Bezalel school of art as well as more challenging contemporary pieces. The museum also stages concerts and lectures, has a good gift shop and a cafe for occasional coffee stops when admiring the collections. It is my ninth choice for my updated top ten.

New wing, Tel-Aviv Museum of Art

Ben-Gurion returns, Tel-Aviv beach

My tenth and final choice for my new list is my beloved promenade that runs along the sea front linking Tel-Aviv to Jaffa. The promenade is busy all day and late into the evening with people strolling, jogging, cycling, roller-skating, busking or just sitting and relaxing. I like to go there on shabbat afternoons, sometimes to walk on the shore, other times to sit and read and always to enjoy the music of a small group of older gentlemen who play the violin to entertain passers-by. I love to walk all the way to Jaffa, occasionally stopping for something to eat at Goldman's cafe and always to admire the view of Jaffa's old city perched on the hillside as the sun begins to go down in the late afternoon. Like everything else in this most exciting of cities, the promenade is always changing. At the moment there are major works being carried out to provide more shelter from the summer sun plus stepped, open air seating facing the sea. It already looks good and its going to be even better when its finished. New palm trees have been introduced planted to provide more shade and David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister appears to have returned, doing his famous headstand on the beach. I can't wait to go back, which I will. In September!

Shabbat serenade, the promenade, Tel-Aviv

Sun-down and old Jaffa

Picture post 52 - Modernism on Massada Street

Haifa is Israel's third largest city (after Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv) and is the main centre in the north of the country. Like Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, Haifa has many modernist buildings spread throughout the city. I have written previously those in the heart of the Hadar district where there are many examples of this style, including residential and commercial premises and at least one former cinema.

37 Massada Street

37 Massada Street

A little further up Mount Carmel, Massada Street is well known for its cafes, bars and vintage shops that have sprung up over the last decade. It is also home to a collection of extremely attractive modernist buildings completed in the 1930s. Some of these treasures are difficult to see due to the mature trees in front of, or around them, and of course views of some of them are obscured by the ubiquitous wires, poles and parked cars that feature in most of my photographs below! However, it its well worth looking past these little annoyances to enjoy the architecture. I have not been able to secure details of the architects and date of construction for all of the buildings featured in this post and welcome any information that readers may have. Similarly it has proved difficult to find detailed information about the architects that I have identified so again all information is welcome! 

Perhaps the most imposing modernist structure on Massada Street is the apartment building at number 37. Completed in 1935 it was designed by David Wittmann. It is in need of some restoration but is still an striking building with its glazed "ladder"on the stairwell, art deco style portholes at the summit and rooftop terrace. The gardens in front of the building are overgrown but it is possible to walk up the steps from the pavement to the raised platform on which the house stands, look up, and appreciate this very large structure.The building's facade also features curved balconies with views over the city whilst it is also worth picking your way through the overgrown gardens to the side of the building to see more balconies, almost completely hidden from the street. Wittmann was also responsible for a modernist building at 35 Moriah Avenue further up the Carmel.

37 Massada Street

35 Massada Street

42 Massada Street

The corner building across the street, number 42 Massada was designed by the Hungarian born architect Leon Vamos and completed in 1936. Another apartment building, it too has a roof terrace and glazed stairwell but unfortunately some of the balconies have been enclosed - something that has happened to many of Israel's modernist buildings, in a bid to acquire extra internal space, often for growing families.

42 Massada Street

Number 33 is also worth a look, particularly for its glazed stairwell. Some of the panes are missing today but look up to see the impressive sweep of this cement clad and rectangular glazed section. The architect responsible for this building was Bruno Kalitzki. Born in Chemnitz in 1890, he graduated from the city's Royal Gymnasium in 1906 and went on to study architecture at the University of Charlottenburg in Berlin.  Kalitzki served in the German army during the First World War before going on to establish his own architectural practice with one Walter Naumann. He designed a couple of cinemas in Chemnitz but his promising career in Germany came to an end in 1933 following the election of the Nazis when together with his non-Jewish wife he left the country to live and work in Haifa until his death in 1953. His cinemas in Chemnitz were destroyed in bombing raids during the War.

33 Massada Street

Number 43 is a beautiful apartment building with a cafe on the ground floor and residential premises above. Unfortunately the details of the architect are unknown but it is probably safe to assume that it was built around the same time as the neighbouring modernist structures. I particularly like the two balconies, the upper one topped by a "lid". Note the red flag on the first floor balcony - its actually the flag of China!

43 Massada Street

43 Massada Street

Facing number 43 on the opposite side of the street, there is another beautiful modernist building. Dating from 1936 this apartment block is an interesting combination of styles. The small rounded balconies on the facade topped with a shelf to protect residents from the sun are modernist and many similar examples can be found in the city. The unclad stone around the communal entrance reflects the approach to modernism in Jerusalem and in other parts of Haifa and contrasts with the cement covered facade. However, the shape of the house and the taller middle section make mild references to some of the Arab architecture in the city. 

I was charmed by this building (which is again undergoing some kind of restoration) but it is a shame that those spectacularly ugly air conditioning units have been placed above the entrance, not to mention the prison style bars on the window at first floor level. On a more positive note, those curtains hanging outside the first floor windows are a photographer's dream! The exterior wall bears a plaque explaining that the house was restored in 2001 and won second prize in a competition to improve the look of the city whilst a further plaque names the "engineer" responsible for the building as one S. Rimon.

You can find out about the many other modernist buildings in Haifa from the recently published book "Carmel - The International Style in Haifa". The book is authored by Ines Sonder and features the photographs of Stephanie Kloss. You can buy a copy in most branches of Steimatzky or at Tel-Aviv's Bauhaus Center at 99 Dizengoff.

All of the buildings featured in this post are close together and can be seen in a leisurely 20 minutes visit. Massada is one of the stations on the Carmelit - Haifa's underground funicular railway and so it is easy to combine a stop here with visits to the attractions further up the Carmel or lower down the mountain in the Down Town area, German Colony or Hadar. There are also several good cafes on Massada Street where you can stop for a refuel before continuing to explore the city.

44 Massada Street

44 Massada Street

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Modernism restored - Poliashuk and Recanati, Tel-Aviv architectural icons

Tel Aviv is home to the world's greatest collection of modernist buildings with over 4,000 examples of the style having been constructed during the late 1920's and throughout the 1930's. They were designed primarily by Jewish architects driven out of Europe in the lead up to the Second World War with such luminaries as Arieh Sharon, Dov Carmi, Genia Averbuch, Ze'ev Haller and Arieh Cohen all leaving their mark on the city. This unique built heritage led to the city securing UNESCO World Heritage site status in 2003, which in turn helped provide both a measure of protection and the impetus for restoration and preservation.

On my recent visit to Tel Aviv I was delighted to see so many buildings both in the modernist/ Bauhaus styles and also the earlier eclectic style either under restoration or with work already completed. Two of my favourite buildings are looking especially grand having benefited from restoration and so reassuming much of their original glory. Both occupy corner locations at busy junctions and both were designed by the same architectural team - Solomon Liaskowksy and Jacov Ornstein. 

The Poliashuk House at number 1 Nachalat Binyamin Street holds a commanding position at the junction with Allenby. Both were formerly very grand streets and this spot remains one of the focal points of Tel-Aviv due to the weekend art and crafts market, the Shuk Ha-Carmel with its fresh fruit, vegetables and spices (and lots more) and the lively cafe and bar scene in the area. For many years the house was in a poor state, covered in graffiti, its original sparkle lost to decades of grime. Construction was completed in 1934 with offices on the upper floors and retail below. Owner Yehdua Polashiuk filled the building with 50 offices and 15 shops including the former Naalei Pil (Elephant shoe shop) on the corner. The shop had legendary status amongst the city's children as it was the first store in Tel-Aviv to give balloons and yo-yo's to its young customers. In addition to this, the building housed a clandestine Etzel printing press, producing flyers and papers agitating for independence during the period of the British Mandate. 

Cleaned of the dirt of decades, it is now possible to get an idea of its original grandeur with its roof top terrace and pergola, art deco portholes, rectangular balconies, streamline design and beautiful corner curve. The exterior walls are covered in beige ceramic tiles, differing from the usual plaster cladding of the period and adding further interest to the design. Unfortunately, some of the original features from the ground floor shops have gone and that wonderful corner is now home to a burger bar, but I suppose you can't have everything. There are several other modernist and eclectic style buildings in Nachalat Binyamin, including the Arieh Cohen designed Shaltiel House at number 3, completed in 1935 and the Dekel House at number 8 designed in the eclectic style by Yehoshua Zvi Tabachnik, completed in 1922. Number 5, opposite, also restored is another of Tabachnik's works.

Architects Liaskowsky and Ornstein worked together on a number of projects. Liaskowsky was born in Zurich and studied at the Technikum in Winterthur, Switzerland, albeit without graduating. He then spent time in both Belgium and Paris, working and studying before winning a commission to build a synagogue in Zurich in 1929. The synagogue was never completed as the Zurich Jewish community, unnerved by the rise of the right in neighbouring Germany, abandoned the project and Liaskowsky left for Eretz Israel. His visit was meant to be brief but having met Jacov Ornstein in Jaffa and being offered a partnership in Ornstein's engineering office, he decided to stay. They then completed several projects together before the Arab riots of 1938 led to Liaskowsky moving on again, this time to Argentina where he had relatives and where he went on to design residential, commercial and industrial buildings as well as to complete projects for the Jewish community.

Ornstein was born in Vienna where he studied construction and civil engineering, graduating in 1908. He served in the Austrian army in the First World War before leaving for Eretz Israel in 1920 where his early projects were primarily residential buildings in the eclectic style before moving on to modernism. The British appointed him chief engineer in charge of building Allenby Street where he developed the single paving style that is still in use today. Ornstein married Margalit Oppenheimer, a well-known ballerina and dance teacher and designed a ballet studio on the top floor of the final family home at 42 Ahad Ha'am Street. Their two daughters, Yehudi and Shoshana went on to become successful dancers in the 1950's and 1960's. 

The Recanati House at 35 Menachem Begin Road (formerly Petah Tikveh Road) was completed in 1935 at the request of businessman Leon Recanati. It was designed on a trapezoid plot with residential quarters on the upper level and retail on the ground floor facing the main road. The building is striking for its rounded balconies that sit underneath rounded awnings on Menachem Begin Road, whilst the Mazeh Street side sports square balconies set more widely apart.  The building is very long and with just three stories, the balconies stand out even more than they would on a taller structure. Having fallen into poor condition over several decades, the house was restored by Bar Orian Architects in 2000. The restoration included works to the plaster balconies and wooden windows, whilst the garden in the rear inner courtyard was also reconstructed. Works to a number of buildings have included the addition of extra, discrete storeys but the Recanati House has maintained its original size which in turn has meant it retaining the unique impact of those balconies.

A little further away from the centre of things than the Poliashuk House, the Recanati building is just a short step from my favourite Tel-Aviv building, number 56 Mazeh, designed by Ze'ev Berlin and completed in 1932 as the original printing office for the Ha'aretz newspaper. Liaskowsky and Ornstein worked together for just four short years. Within that time they provided Tel-Aviv with two of its most iconic modernist buildings. What might they have achieved together had Liaskowsky remained in Israel?

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Picture Post 51 - The Bazoza House, beautifully restored Tel-Aviv Bauhaus

I have walked along Tel Aviv's HaNevi'im Street countless times on my way to the Museum of Art, the Cameri Theatre and the Opera House. How can it be that until this week I haven't noticed number 1 Shimshon HaGibor which stands on the corner where that street meets HaNevi'im? Both street names have biblical origins - HaNevi'im means the Prophets, whilst Shimshon HaGibor might be better known to some readers as Samson of Samson and Delilah fame. HaGibor means hero. Well there are a few heroes linked to the beautiful building that stands on this spot - original architects Avraham Berger and Yitzhak Mandelbaum and also Nitza Smuk Architects who were responsible for the building's restoration in 2011.

Built for the Bazoza family and completed in 1935, this three storied building is one of several that Berger and Mandelbaum designed and built during the 1930's. The facade includes a variety of balconies, rectangular and rounded, a range of roof levels, a glazed stairwell and of course, that delicious curve on the junction of the two streets. The rounded balconies on the Shimshon HaGibor end add a touch of drama, protruding from the side of the block and contrasting sharply with their squared-off neighbors. The facade is clad in washed plaster known as waschputz and this was renewed during the 2011 restoration. 

This block benefits from protected building status and was therefore identified for strict preservation. This means that the facade we see today is what the original residents saw back in 1935 with no compromises such as additional floors or other extensions that feature in some Tel Aviv restorations. However, some internal changes were made including the addition of a lift and amendments to the way the apartments are divided. I have not been able to see inside but understand that extensive reconstruction of some of the original decorative features was also carried out, including mosaic surfaces in the stairwells, iron handrails and wooden entrance doors. 

The Szmuk practice that restored the building are specialists in working on heritage buildings. Nita Szmuk was heavily involved in helping Tel-Aviv secure World Heritage status for its Bauhaus buildings, commencing by completing an architectural survey for the municipality in 1989. She headed its conservation department from 1990 to 2002 and authored Dwelling on the Dunes, a survey of the city's Bauhaus buildings, published in 1994. Her book can be purchased at Tel Aviv's wonderful Bauhaus Center at 99 Dizengoff where you can also pick up lots of other books and information on architecture as well as booking a Bauhaus architectural tour every Friday morning.

The Bazoza House is featured in the Avner Gicelter's TLV Buildings project which captures images of Tel Aviv's built heritage, repacking them as stylized posters and postcards which can be purchased online if you can't travel to Tel Aviv to see this building for yourself!

Architect Berger was born in the Ukraine, emigrated to Eretz Israel before studying engineering in France and returning to Tel Aviv in 1935 where he went on to develop a successful professional partnership with Mandelbaum. Together they were responsible for a number of buildings in the city including the Landa House on Melchett Street and the Gerber House on Chen Boulevard. The Gerber House is a short walk from Shimshon HaGibor. Even after many years of visiting this wonderful city there are new things to see!

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Exploring Jaffa part one - The Fleamarket

I visit Tel Aviv every year. I always stay in the city centre in my favourite hotel - The Center Chic at Dizengoff Kikar, but this time I am here for a whole month and decided to do something different. I have taken a room in a beautiful old Ottoman building in Ajami, just a short walk from the centre of Jaffa and within easy reach of central Tel Aviv. Of course, I have visited Jaffa many times before, but staying here has given me the chance to really explore this fascinating and rapidly changing part of the city. 

The Fleamarket (Shuk Ha Pishpishim in Hebrew) is Jaffa's commercial heart and the area most visited by tourists and locals alike. Built in the nineteenth century on land belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church, it was once extremely luxurious with wide streets and marble walls. Some of that luxurious feel is returning as the market has changed enormously in recent years. You can find just about anything ranging from second hand clothes to brand new designer items and from cutting edge local design to pots and pans that have passed through many homes as well as eateries that cater to all tastes and wallets. A few steps from the centre of the market you will also find the studios of artists and designers, some of whom sell their work here too. The traders come in all shapes, sizes and ages too and range from a very young, very stylish crowd designing their own goods to elderly women overseeing second hand (or third, or fourth) clothes strewn on the floor for picking through.

I have some favourites. I like eating ice cream and drinking coffee in Shaked on at Yehuda Margorza 8, and I like the chicken livers and lentil dishes at Cafe Pua at Rabbi Yochana 8. On the subject of eating, you can find many cuisines in the market including Greek, Arab, Bulgarian and Italian and also fish, meat or dairy establishments. Several are non-Kosher so  seafood devotees don't need to go hungry and several now stay open on Shabbat. Everyone has their favourite eating place but Doctor Shakshuka at Beit Eshel 3 is a perennial favorite and can attract queues at busy times. Shakshuka is a traditional dish amongst Libyan Jews and consists primarily of tomatoes, eggs, onions, peppers and various spices. The restaurant is owned and run by a family that originates from Tripoli in Libya. Many Libyan Jews once lived here. Proof of this includes the presence of the Libyan synagogue in Jaffa's old city and another Tripolitania restaurant on Jaffa's boulevard, Sderot Jerusalem which will be the subject of a separate post.

I also like spending time browsing the delights of shops such as the concept store In Another Time at Ole Zion 26, where I recently found a Hebrew version of Tom Sawyer from the 1950's, some fantastic metal street advertising signs for Dubek cigarettes from the same period (probably designed by the Shamir brothers) and a great selection of Israeli, French and Turkish film posters. Palestine Eretz Israel at Ole Zion 8 is even more serendipitous and is crammed full of old photographs, postcards, maps, lamps, kitchen equipment and many objects of uncertain use, almost all of which have a story behind them. There is so much stuff in the shop that it can be difficult to move but it's one of the most fascinating places in the market and well worth breathing in whilst you browse. One thing to note, and there is a real note pinned to it to warn you - the vintage motorbike out front is not for sale and is used by the owner. So don't ask. Collection at 19 Yehuda Margoza is a good place to pick up gifts and stocks Israeli designed stationery, soaps, items of clothing and various items for the home. 

Many of the shops and all of the bars and restaurants stay open late into the night and large crowds of younger people gather at the informal eating and drinking places in the market's alleyways. The relatively small size of most of these places and the proximity of vintage furniture and fittings in the market makes for an interesting evening out with a very different atmosphere to some of the more corporate style bars found in big cities all over the world. The recent success of the market appears to be built on the combination of retail and catering - an approach tried and tested elsewhere too.

As well as sampling the food and browsing the shops, I like to wander through the alleyways and streets at the north end of the shuk. There are many artists' and craft workers' studios here and on Friday mornings you can see groups of artists out drawing or painting street scenes. I love the crumbling architecture in this section, especially the buildings with the curved ends that meet at the junction of Yo' Ezer Ish Habra and Rabbi Pinchas Ben Yair streets Pictured at the top of this post). This area is not officially part of the flea market and was originally known as the Greek Market. Founded in 1905 it is bordered by the Clock Tower Square and Beit Eshel the main street of the flea market. This market was built under the direction of Greek Orthodox Patriarch, Avitmos who was also responsible for a similar development in Jerusalem in the same year. There are still Greek letters above one of the entrances to the market. 15-17 Beit Eshel Street is the site of the former Manuli's Khan. Built in the 1860's and named for its original Armenian owner, it became a commercial hub for the expanding Jewish community during the 1880's and guests at the Khan would consult Hebrew newspapers and discuss political issues of the day.

If further proof was needed that the market is changing, you can even find a boutique hotel here.  If you want to stay in the centre of things, the Market House Hotel at Beit Eshel 5, is in a beautifully refurbished Ottoman era building with an elegant lobby where you can also see the archaeological remains of a Byzantine Chapel through a glass section of the floor. Non-guests are welcome to have breakfast at the hotel and it's very good - I know because I've tried it. There is also a small take-away coffee shop and bakery within the hotel where all kinds of treats can be had. Perhaps the best thing about the Fleamarket is the atmosphere and that's best experienced by strolling its streets and alleys at a leisurely pace, listening to the banter of traders with customers and remembering of course to also look up so as not to miss the beautiful balconies and windows of old Jaffa.

 

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Picture Post 50 - I Montefiore Street Tel-Aviv, restored, extended and secured for the future.

The lower end of Montefiore Street in Tel Aviv is probably not on many people's list of places to visit. However it should be, because it has a breathtakingly beautiful and exquisitely restored architectural landmark from the 1920's. Resembling an ocean liner, number one Montefiore was originally designed for the Havoinik family by architectural maestro, Yehuda Magidovitch. Magidovitch was responsible for many eclectic style buildings in Tel Aviv including the nearby Great Synagogue on Allenby Street and the wonderful Cinema Esther (now a hotel) at Kikar Dizengoff. Magidovitch was one of the most important architects during this period but the final design of the Havoinik house was completed instead by Isaac Schwartz. Schwartz was also responsible for designing buildings on Allenby and HaYarkon streets during the same period.

In the 1920's number one Montefiore must have been one of the tallest buildings in this part of the city. Now dwarfed by some of its much less attractive neighbours, it still holds its own with a spectacular rounded and very narrow "bow" looking up Montefiore. This bow also forms the pinnacle of the building's triangular design and includes recessed balconies or loggias. The flat side has protruding balconies with decorative rails which further contribute to the nautical theme. Unfortunately I was not able to see the interior, where the stairs are covered with mosaics and have stylised handrails. 

The building was substantially restored in 2011 when substantial extensions were also made. Three additional floors were added to serve as offices and conference rooms for the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Israel which now has its base here. A basement floor was also added to act as a storage facility for the organisation's publishing house and to be used as a bomb shelter should the need arise. The works were carried out by Amnon Bar Or Architects in 2011. Interestingly, the same company were also detailed to carry out works on Schwarz's Allenby Street building. Purists may object to the remodeling, but the changes are sympathetic to the original design and have helped secure the building's future. 

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