Dizengoff Street ( he, רחוב דיזנגוף, ''Rehov Dizengoff'') is a major street in central
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, named after Tel Aviv's first mayor,
Meir Dizengoff
Meir Dizengoff ( he, מֵאִיר דִּיזֶנְגּוֹף, russian: Меер Янкелевич Дизенгоф ''Meer Yankelevich Dizengof'', 25 February 1861 – 23 September 1936) was a Zionist leader and politician and the founder and fi ...
.
The street runs from the corner of
Ibn Gabirol Street
Ibn Gabirol Street ( he, רְחוֹב אִבְּן גַבִּירוֹל) (colloquially Ibn Gvirol or Even Gvirol) is a major street in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ibn Gabirol Street is named after the medieval Hebrew poet and philosopher Solomon ibn Gabiro ...
in its southernmost point to the
port area of Tel Aviv in its northwestern point. Dizengoff Street is one of the most important streets in Tel Aviv, and has played an essential role in the development of the city. Since the 1970s, Dizengoff Street has suffered
urban decay
Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...
.
History
In the street's heyday, it was described as the "
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is l ...
of Tel Aviv". In Hebrew
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gr ...
, a new word was coined based on the iconic status of this street: "l'hizdangef" ( he, להזדנגף), literally "to Dizengoff oneself, ie., to stroll down Dizengoff."
Since the 1970s, Dizengoff Street has suffered
urban decay
Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...
. The advent of the
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that ...
,
Dizengoff Center
Dizengoff Center ( he, דיזנגוף סנטר) is a shopping mall at the intersection of Dizengoff Street and King George Street in Tel Aviv, Israel. The mall is named for Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv.
History
Dizengoff Center, ...
is cited as a principal reason for the decline, along with changes in the configuration of
Dizengoff Square.
The stretch of Dizengoff Street northward to Dizengoff Square was once very upscale but has since declined. North of Dizengoff Square, the street still has better and more upscale shops,
[Frommers](_blank)
/ref> filled with designer name stores. The street is still full of coffee shops and clothes stores, in addition to a large number of bridal clothing stores. Towards the southern end of the street is the landmark Dizengoff Square and Dizengoff Center shopping mall.
A Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni- Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qas ...
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
bus bombing
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...
killed 23 people on 19 October 1994. An Islamist mass shooting
There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...
killed three people on 1 January 2016. On 7 April 2022, three people were killed in a mass shooting
There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...
.
In popular culture
The film ''Dizengoff 99
''Dizengoff 99'' ( he, דיזנגוף 99) is a 1979 Israeli film starring Gali Atari, Gidi Gov, Meir Suissa, and Anat Atzmon. The film, considered a cult classic, '' (1979), which has become an Israeli cult classic
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
,Israeli beauty
Ynetnews
Ynet (stylized as ynet) is one of the major Israeli news and general-content websites, and is the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronot'' newspaper. However, most of Ynet's content is original work, published exclusively on the website and wri ...
, May 10, 2006 describes the way of life around the street and how it changed over the years.
See also
*
List of leading shopping streets and districts by city
A shopping street or shopping district is a designated road or quarter of a city/town that is composed of individual retail establishments (such as stores, boutiques, restaurants, and shopping complexes). Such areas will typically be pedest ...
References
External links
{{Streets in Tel Aviv
Streets in Tel Aviv
Shopping districts and streets in Israel