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Hell-Aviv: A city in puberty

Though our course was focused on Jerusalem, we were fortunate enough to be able to travel around Israel a bit in our free time. This mostly means taking the bus Tel Aviv. It is cheap (~30 shekels round trip, which is about $8) and the bus ride is an easy 50 minutes. We went a few times for parties and events like Pride, and I went a couple times for work as well (see my blog post soon to come about visiting tour operators).

Tel Aviv has a rep. If Israel were a high school, Tel Aviv would be that girl with the tattoos that parties a lot. When you tell someone you’re living in Jerusalem for the summer they want to know if you have been to TLV and what you think of it. It is supposed to be alternative and artsy and fun and young. I’ve come to a consensus with several people that what it actually is is dirty and hot and vulgar and immature. As we learned in our seminar, TLV was created as an “anti-Jerusalem,” which, after having lived here for 3 months I can see why this was needed. Jerusalem is intense, visceral, passionate, animalistic. It is difficult to be here nonstop without a little break, a little rest from everything being so important. But, like a preteen rebelling against her parents, the way Tel Aviv achieves this is by being shallow and bratty and not bathing. It is alternative for the sake of being alternative. Its artsy, laid-back atmosphere is contrived. Tel avivians want to be disconnected and above the intensity of Jerusalem and the region, yet the very nature of being in Israel means you are connected to the issues at hand. Tel Aviv wants to be a hip, international city, but it has no unique characteristics or culture or history to add.

Plus I just don’t like the beach. You try keeping this complexion from burning to a crisp under that unforgiving sun.

 

-Marjorie

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