Basel Street (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: רחוב בזל,

romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

: ''Rehov Basel'') is a major street in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

named after the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

city of

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, where the First World Zionist Congress took place in 1897 under the leadership of

Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...

. The street runs from

Dizengoff Street Dizengoff Street (, ''Rehov Dizengoff'') is a major street in central Tel Aviv, named after Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff. The street runs from the corner of Ibn Gabirol Street in its southernmost point to the port area of Tel Aviv in i ...

Ibn Gabirol Street Ibn Gabirol Street () (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 Gabirol. It carries traffic north and south, and is a bus ...

and is 650 meters long. The city is famous for its many fashionable boutiques and coffee shops. The street lends its name to the entire area of surrounding streets which is commonly referred to as the "Basel Compound" (Hebrew: מתחם בזל,

: ''Mitham Basel'').

History

The street is part of the historical development of the area of Tel Aviv which is now referred to as the "Old North" (

: הצפון הישן,

: ''Hatzafon Hayashan''). The neighborhood was built between the 1930s and 1940s and with its wide streets and numerous green spaces immediately became one of the most fashionable districts for the affluent population of the city. The street was named in honor of the city of Basel in Switzerland and Theodor Herzl's quote after the first

World Zionist Congress The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. In 1960 the names were changed to World Zionist Congress ( ''HaKongres ...

of 1897: "I founded the Jewish state in Basel". Today the street is known for its upscale shops and restaurants.

References

{{Streets in Tel Aviv Streets in Tel Aviv Shopping districts and streets in Israel