Neve Tzedek (, ''lit.'' Abode of Justice) is a Jewish neighborhood in southwestern

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 ...

. It was the first

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

neighborhood to be built outside the old city of the ancient

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

. It was founded by a group of 48 Jewish families led by Shimon Rokach, a

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

pioneer of agriculture, and Aharon Chelouche, a landowner and businessman from

. At the beginning of the 20th century, Neve Tzedek was the cultural center of the developing Tel Aviv, where many prominent representatives of the Jewish creative intelligentsia lived and worked, including the future Nobel laureate

Shmuel Yosef Agnon Shmuel Yosef Agnon (; August 8, 1887 – February 17, 1970) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the pseudonym Shai A ...

and the artist Nachum Gutman, who described life in Neve Tzedek in their autobiographical works. After the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, Neve Tzedek became one of the centers for the settlement of new immigrants. Having survived years of neglect in the 1970s, Neve Tzedek was slated for demolition, but as a result of public opposition, it was decided to restore the historic quarter, and since the 1990s it has become increasingly bohemian and fashionable. The area, which eventually became part of Tel Aviv and no longer has municipal self-government, is now one of the city's attractions, attracting tourists with its turn-of-the-century atmosphere, historical buildings, artisan workshops, shops and cafes.

Name

Literally, Neve Tzedek means Abode of Justice, but it is also one of the names for

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

(). The verse was taken from the

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

Book of Jeremiah The Book of Jeremiah () is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, and the second of the Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. The superscription at chapter Jeremiah 1#Superscription, Jeremiah 1:1–3 identifies the book as "th ...

, where the Almighty is called "abode of justice".

History

PikiWiki Israel 8341 twin houses in neve- zedek

PikiWiki Israel 5189 Neve Tzedek in Tel-Aviv

Neve Tzedek was established by a group of

Sephardi Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

families seeking to move outside of over-crowded

. Notably, the family of Aharon Chelouche moved to the area in 1883 with some 50 families following suit in the next few years. The neighbourhood was officially established in 1887. Additional neighborhoods grew up around Neve Tzedek, among them

Neve Shalom Neve Shalom (), also known as Wahat as-Salam () is a cooperative village in Israel, jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in an attempt to show that the two peoples can live side by side peacefully, as well as to conduct educational work f ...

(1890), Yefe Nof (1897) and Batei Feingold (1904). The new quarter featured low-rise buildings along narrow streets. These homes frequently incorporated design elements from the Jugendstil/

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and later

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

art movement An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific art philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a specific period of time, (usually a few months, years or decades) or, at least, with the heyday of the movement defined ...

s and some had contemporary luxuries such as private bathrooms. At the beginning of the 1900s, the neighborhood attracted upcoming artists and writers, among them future

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

laureate Shmuel Yosef (Shai) Agnon and the Jewish artist Nachum Gutman. Rabbi

Abraham Isaac Kook Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as HaRav Kook, and also known by the Hebrew-language acronym Hara'ayah (), was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbina ...

was the first

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

of Neve Tzedek and opened a

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

there. During his time in Neve Tzedek he became close friends with many of the writers, especially Agnon. As Tel Aviv began to develop, many affluent residents moved northward. The buildings fell into disrepair due to neglect and the corrosive effects of the coastal climate. By the 1960s, the neighborhood suffered from serious

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 decay. ...

. However, plans to demolish the neighbourhood to make way for high rise apartments fell through as many buildings were declared heritage sites worthy of preservation. By the end of the 1980s, work began to renovate and preserve Neve Tzedek's century-old structures. New establishments were housed in old buildings, most notably the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre and the

Nachum Gutman Museum Nachum Gutman (as he himself signed; alternate romanisation: Nahum Gutman; ; October 5, 1898 – November 28, 1980) was a Moldovan-born Israeli painter, sculptor, and author. Biography Nachum Gutman was born in Teleneşti, Bessarabia Gove ...

, located in the artist's home. This

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

led to Neve Tzedek's rebirth as a fashionable and popular upmarket residence for Tel Avivians. Its main streets became lined once again with artists' studios, including the ceramics studio of Samy D., alongside trendy cafés and bars, and more recently boutique hotels and shops selling handmade goods.

Education

The Marc-Chagall (), a French international school, is in Neve Tzedek.

Development plans

In 2009, the Tel Aviv municipality began to approve plans to construct a number of new highways and widened arterial roads throughout southern Tel Aviv, including the proposed railway road, which would partially encircle Neve Tzedek. As part of these plans, the municipality approved the construction of a large number of skyscrapers in and around Neve Tzedek. A number of parking lots would also be constructed along Rothschild Boulevard in order to handle the parking demand induced by the new road space. Opponents of this plan argued that the addition of new skyscraper-lined highways would dramatically alter the historical and social character of Neve Tzedek and its surrounding areas in southern Tel Aviv. Furthermore, residents and environmentalists were concerned about the effects of large amounts of traffic being funneled through the area. Opponents believe that the discussions have been conducted outside of the public view and with developers' interests being put before those of the community.

In popular culture

, a Nobel Prize laureate in literature, describes Neve Tzedek at the beginning of the 20th century in his autobiographical novel, '' Only Yesterday'', translated from Tmol Shilshom (Hebrew: תמול-שלשום‎). Another book set in Neve Tzedek is Between the Sands and the Blue Sky (Hebrew: בין חולות וכחול שמיים‎), the autobiography of the artist,

Nahum Gutman Nachum Gutman (as he himself signed; alternate romanisation: Nahum Gutman; ; October 5, 1898 – November 28, 1980) was a Moldovan-born Israeli painter, sculptor, and author. Biography Nachum Gutman was born in Teleneşti, Bessarabia Gove ...

Notable residents

Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (born 24 October 1966) is a business oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the primary owner of the private investment com ...

(born 1966), former

Chelsea FC Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...

owner, businessman, investor, and politician *

(1888–1970), modern Hebrew writer, Nobel Prize laureate for literature *

Baruch Agadati Baruch Agadati (, also Baruch Kaushansky-Agadati; January 8, 1895 – January 18, 1976) was a Russian-born Israeli classical ballet dancer, choreographer, painter, and film producer and director. Biography Baruch Kaushansky (later Agadati) was bo ...

(1895–1976), classical ballet dancer,

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

, painter, and film producer and director *

Yosef Haim Brenner Joseph Chaim Brenner (; 11 September 1881 – 2 May 1921) was a Hebrew-language author from the Russian Empire, and one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew literature, a thinker, publicist, and public leader. In addition to his literary innovations ...

(1881–1921), pioneer of modern Hebrew literature * Aharon Chelouche (born 1827), Algerian Jewish businessman, co-founder of the neighborhood *

Yosef Eliyahu Chelouche Yosef Eliyahu Shalosh (, ; 1870 – 23 July 1934) was one of the founders of Tel Aviv, an entrepreneur, businessman, and industrialist. Early life Yosef Eliyahu Chelouche was born in Jaffa, Ottoman Syria. His father, Aharon Chelouche, one of ...

(1870–1934), son of Aharon, one of the founders of Tel Aviv, entrepreneur, businessman and industrialist *

Gal Gadot Gal Gadot (; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress. She gained recognition for portraying Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe films (2016–2023). In 2018, Gadot was named one of ''Time''s 100 most influential people and ranked by ''F ...

(born 1985), actress and model *

Miriam Glazer-Ta'asa Miriam Glazer-Ta'asa (; born 11 August 1929) is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud between 1981 and 1988, and as Deputy Minister of Education and Culture from 1981 until 1984. Biography Miriam Ta'asa wa ...

(born 1929), politician * Nachum Gutman (1898–1980), painter, sculptor, and children's books author *

Yoram Kaniuk Yoram Kaniuk (; May 2, 1930 – June 8, 2013) was an Israeli writer, painter, journalist, and theatre critic. Biography Yoram Kaniuk was born in Tel Aviv. His father, , was the first curator of Tel Aviv Museum of Art and was born in Ternopi ...

(1930–2013), writer, painter, journalist, and theater critic *

Sara Levi-Tanai Sara Levi-Tanai (; c. 1910 – 3 October 2005) was an Israeli choreographer and song writer. She was the founder and artistic director of the Inbal Dance Theater and recipient of the Israel Prize in dance. Prizes and awards * In 1964, Levi-Tanai' ...

(1910–2005), choreographer and songwriter *

Israel Rokach Israel Rokach, Order of the British Empire, Honorary CBE (; December 31, 1896 – September 13, 1959) was an Israeli politician, Knesset member, and the fourth Mayor of Tel Aviv from 1936 to 1953. Biography Israel Rokach was born in 1896 in Neve ...

(1886–1959), politician, second mayor of Tel Aviv (1936–1953), son of Shimon Rokach, one of the founders of the neighborhood

References

External links

Neve Tzedek neighborhood association opposed to high-rise development

Neve Tzedek Virtual tour
{{Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv Jews and Judaism in Ottoman Palestine 1886 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1880s establishments in Ottoman Syria Sephardi Jewish culture in Israel