The First Boulevard
The cultural season is upon us and Tel Aviv is abuzz with people scurrying from one exhibition to another and in vast numbers. I missed the 'Fresh Paint' exhibition at the newly opened Hangar 1 at Jaffa Port but joined what seemed like thousands of people wandering aroundthe city yesterday and today clutching the catalogue of Open House weekend, known locally as Houses from Within . Yesterday we joined an eye-opening tour along Jerusalem Boulevard (sderot yerushalayim) in Yaffo. The photo above will give you an idea of what it looked like in the 1930s under the British Mandate when most of its population was Palestinian. This will give you an idea of what it looks like today. Sderot Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Boulevard) started life as Jamal Pasha Boulevard after the Ottomon ruler of Syria and Palestine. In 1914 Jamal appointed Hassan Bek to run Yaffo. In the spirit of the Young Turks, the latter set about adapting the ancient city to the modern age. Work started on Jamal ...