MAY 16; Go to new musical comedy entitled 'Oh Jerusalem' at Beit Shmuel just a couple of blocks away. It was very funny with good singing, dancing and just fun. In English of course

May 19: Go to Tel Aviv area for the day. Take bus to Central Bus Station in Tev Aviv #405 only 50 minutes away. Then walk to area we have not been to before called Neve Tzedek about a mile away. Walked thru area with many Africans who live and work in this area then thru the Levinsky marketarea with colorful spice shops. Neve Tzedek was the first area outside the walls of Jaffa to be built by Jews. The history of how things get done is usually the history of one outstanding family and that is the case here too. The Rokach Family was the  outstanding family here.

The materal grandfather came to Palestine in 1832 from Ukraine and started a printing press in Safat in the north. he supported 30 families working here. In 1834 Druze riots destroyed the press.The Egyptians then ruled here  and Ibrahim Pasha to put the riots who pillaged Safat. He got malaria and the grandfather a holy Rabbi and printer cured him. In return the grandfather Rabbi got a land on Mt. Meron  on which he became the first Jewish farmer in modern times. He raised goats and herbs aand got other Jews from noe deserted Safat to start farming too.  These were the 'First Pioneers' and in 1836 he restarted the printing in Safat.  Good luck was very short lived as the big earthquake of 1837  destroyed the town. In 1841 he Turks take over again and cancelled his land lease, so the family moved to Jerusalem and started the print press business there. they published a newspaper for 41 years the Hachgvetzelet', the Hasidic Journal.  His son did well and his son Shimon was sent in 1880's to Jaffa to start a system of collecting tolls  on the jaffa -Jerusalem road which took 12 hours by carriage.

 Jaffa was so crowded and unhealthy Shimon decided to build a new community outside the walls of Jaffa. He bought some sand dunes and drew lots from among eager buyers for the first 10 lots. Each winner had to remove 100 buckets of sand , dirt rocks each night!! these were hardy men. They designed the streets very narrow as in the old style but added very modern features with a privy  and kitchen in each courtyard instead of  having both communal  as was the custom at that time.  Construction in 1887. The men had to protect their homes from the Arabs from start of construction.

Tel Aviv started in 1906 further north and away from Jaffa after they saw how successful a new community could be.  They changed the style to bigger homes, wider streets and with more park areas partly due to safety issuses less  critical now.

Shimon and family formed the first Jewish Fruit business breaking the Arab monopoly on fruit exporting by winning a contract with British shipping company. Shimon's son   Israel Kokach became Mayor of Tel Aviv from 1937 to 1953 very important years for the cities growth.

Meanwhile ahead to the the 60 or 70's the area is now in total  disrepair because the narrow streets and poor people let the place deteriate. Now grandaughter Leo Majaro-Mintz aa well known artist see her old grandpas house in near ruins, decides to fix it up her self and next thing the whole area is fixed up and is beautiful with really unique narrow streets , old trees and quaint houses.

She is  885 and lives in the third floor and he art work is allover. They put now plays on the 2 nd floor about the  time of 1900's in song. A very interesting home and neighborhood.  The Gutman Museum was closed though guide book said it open. The Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre is a few blocks away and is on the grounds of an old school. It is very pretty area but we couldn't see any of the theatres and any rehearsals. A block away was Suzanna restaurant where we had a nice lunch under a big tree.

We then walked toward Jaffa along the boardwalk and came to the Etzel Museum.This building is on the ruins of a building that Etzel used to attack and rescue Jaffa in the Independence war of 1948. Etzel was a separate fighting force that  fought against the British previously  with terror tactics. But here they fought very bravely and ignored their commander orders to retreat but instead attacked and eventually won  by going thru the walls of homes from one to  the next instead of fighting out in the open house to house. The overall battle was very important as if the Arabs controlled Jaffa and its port the Egyptian could resupply their troops and attack Tel Aviv basically 1 mole away. The museum building has the destroyed bottom half and glass as the main part of the building. It is very interesting and the museum discuss the Altelena affair  where Begin who was head of Etzel at that time refuses to give the order top fight back when the regular army under Ben Gurion has his men fire on the ship loaded with munitions and causes 9 Etzel men  to die.  Yet Begin said this was the hardest thing he ever had to do but his most important as he was not going to have Jew fighting Jew no matter what. The captain of the ship Abe Fine was described by Begin in his autobiography as the bravest man he ever new, had to leave Israel after the wart as all Etzel were on the wrong side, went to Chicago became me a lawyer and his widow and son live in our area and we know the as part of the Russian River Jewish be belong to.

We walked around Jaffa, saw some neat art in old buildings and then took #18 bus from Jaffa all the way thru the Tel Aviv  to the Arlozloff bus terminal for quick ride on #480 to Jerualem and in 1.5 hr.  we walked into our door.
What a great day