The Jaffa Clock Tower is built of limestone and incorporates two clocks and a plaque commemorating the Israelis killed in the battle for the town in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It is one of seven clock towers built in Ottoman Palestine. The others are located in Safed, Acre, Nazareth (though that one is significantly smaller), Haifa, and Nablus. Jerusalem also had a clock tower built during the Ottoman period, but the British Field Marshal Sir Edmund Allenby, demanded its destruction as he would not see such a clear Ottoman symbol resting on the city wall of Jerusalem, for which he had much emotions.
The construction of the tower was initiated by Joseph Bey Moyal, a prominent Jewish businessman from Jaffa. He was also the mind behind the Jerusalem – Jaffa train line. The construction was made possible with contributions from all the communities of Jaffa, Arabs, Armenians, Maronites and Jews. The watch mechanism itself was done by Moritz Schoenberg, a Jewish clock-maker from Rishon LeZion who also built a few stores in the adjacent Negib Bustros St. (now Raziel St.). The official goal was to commemorate the silver jubilee of the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, however, the local community had a lot to gain, as Jaffa was going through a rapid process of modernisation and urbanisation, and the building of the clock tower helped develop the vibrant and well-functioning centre of town alongside the market, the bank and many new offices and shops. The construction was carried out by Baruch Papirmeister from Rishon LeZion, who studied architecture in Germany, hence the German style of the tower.
The cornerstone was laid in September 1900 and a year, two floors were built and the construction of a third floor had begun. In 1903, the clock tower had been erected and Schoenberg designed and installed four clocks at its top. In 1965 or 1966, the Jaffa Clock Tower was renovated; two new clocks were installed and colorful stained glass windows describing the history of Jaffa designed by Arie Koren were added.
Image attribution:
Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons;
Noam.armonn, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons;
Shaharkalaora, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Purim 2022: The Purim Holiday is Back and Better Than Ever
From Europe to the Middle East, Jews have been subjected to some of the most ruthless minority treatment in history. There have been many moments where Jewish communities around the world have thought, “This is the end.” However, most of the time it all works out and as a result, a new holiday is born. One choice joke that American Jews often like to employ during such holidays is, “They tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat.” On Purim, this sentence is altered to read, “They tried to kill us, they failed, let’s party.”
For the last two years, the pandemic canceled this opportunity. However, Purim 2022 is returning with vengeance and several major events in Israel. Grab your Purim costume and your alcohol of choice and take to the streets and bakeries for all the merriment.
Plate of traditional Hamantaschen cookies
Hamantaschen: A Tasty Symbol of Jewish Victory
Sure, there are plenty of parades and things to do in Tel Aviv during the Purim holiday. Yet before all that you need to set a good carb base for all the alcohol you will surely consume. There is no better pre-drinking snack than some classic hamantaschen.
These triangle shaped treats are sculpted to look like the three pointed hat of the famous Jewish enemy Haman. Haman wanted all the Jews of Persia massacred. It was through the efforts of Queen Esther, that the Jews of Persia were saved. She convinced King Ahasuerus to spare her people and execute Haman in the place of her Uncle Mordecai. For this reason, on Purim Jews read the Megillat Esther and indulge in some delicious little Haman hats or hamantaschen. Some of the best hamantaschen to be found in Tel Aviv is at Puni or Lechamin Bakery.
Puni, the first cake shop in Yaffo, was built by a Polish immigrant by the name of Avi Puni, who came to Israel in 1922. The bakery specializes in many assortments of sweet and savory baked goods. All of these tasty treats are made using recipes straight from the Puni family cookbook. Throughout the year they are known for their signature bourekas and marzipan but during the Purim holiday, the hamantaschen reign supreme.
Lechamin Bakery is known for its shelves of freshly baked and delicious loaves of bread from sourdough to rye. Exiting Lechamin without an assortment of fresh baked goods is next to impossible. This Purim 2022, indulge in their classic chocolate hamantaschen and pair it with a cup of their delicious coffee.
Participants of the Zombie-Walk Tel Aviv dressed in a zombie Purim costume
The Walking Dead: Purim 2022 Edition
Purim costumes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, however, for certain occasions a dress code is required. Start prepping some fake blood and your finest ripped shirts for the Zombie Walk on March 19th. This is one of the most beloved themed Purim parades in all of Israel. People from far and wide come to Tel Aviv to take part in this celebration of the dead.
In earlier years, the number of walkers was in the thousands. This year, volunteers are hoping for a similar turnout. The parade kicks off at 9:30pm at the corner of King George and Sderot Ben Tzion. Everyone is welcome, the young, the old, and do not be afraid to take your costume to another level of terrifying.
Parade participants dressed in Purim costume
Adloyada is Aramaic for Stinking Drunk
The Adloyada parades are by far the most celebrated events in Israel for the Purim holiday as well as the most historic. The first parade took place in Tel Aviv in 1912 and from that point on have been a staple of the Purim holiday in Israel. The Amaraic phrase that gave birth to the name Adloyada is “Ad Delo Yada” roughly translated as “until no one longer knows.” Traditionally you must get so drunk on Purim that you can no longer tell the difference between the names Haman and Mordecai. These names look completely different in the Megillah so you have got to be pretty wasted.
The Adloyada parades not only consist of people but some fairly elaborate floats. In the past, these floats paid homage to the history and culture of Israel. Some designs included giant Ben Gurion heads reading Israel’s declaration of independence or the twelve tribes of Israel. Today, the floats reflect a more modern touch of Israeli culture. The criteria are outlandish, colorful, and loud. DJs and musicians from across the nation come to spin their records and blast their horns from atop the floats. The overarching theme is diversity and difference, which can be seen in each and every float and every Purim costume.
This Purim 2022 is possibly the most needed holiday in the last few years for the Jewish people and Israel. After all the stress, isolation, and precautions, it is high time that the entire nation let its hair down. Celebrating the continuation of life is a key pillar of many Jewish holidays, including Purim. This upcoming Purim holiday will be a celebration of survival not only for the Jews of ancient Persia but also Jews of the modern age.
The Annual Zombie-Walk in Tel Aviv was created to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. During this holiday, many have the custom to dress up in costume and take part in marches, feasts, and parades. While many parades have a more general costume requirement, this parade encourages all its participants to dress as zombies!
In previous years, nearly 4,000 zombie participants paraded down the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel for the zombie-walk. The walk is organized entirely by volunteers and is open to all that wish to participate, so it is encouraged to bring as many friends and family members as you wish. They say that the more bloody and nasty your zombie costume is, the better! This year, the walk will take place March 18.
Sant Jeroni square, on the limit of the call, was chosen for the construction here – financed by the Jewish collective – of the Santa Fe (Holy Faith) church. Leaving the square, Calders street again meets Montserrat street which gives out onto Porta del Mar street, in the heart of the tanners´ district. Where it crosses with Calatrava street recalls another of the orders connected with Palma which arises where, at one time, the gate of the same name was situated.
Plaza Mayor is a town square in Segovia, Spain, located at the end of the street called Calle Real, which is one of the most famous streets in Segovia. Within Plaza Mayor, you can find several significant buildings, such as the town hall, the Juan Bravo Theatre, the San Miguel Church, and the cathedral. The streets of the Jewish Quarter can be found right outside of the Plaza Mayor.
This site presents the former house of Abraham Seneor, a former Jew who later converted to Roman Catholicism. The house has now been converted into a hotel. Abraham Seneor was a Sephardic rabbi, banker, politician, and patriarch of the Coronel family. In 1492, at the age of 80, he converted to Roman Catholicism, taking the name Ferran, Fernan or Fernando Pérez Coronel, thus founding the noble lineage of Coronel.
Not all the descendants of Rabbi Abraham Senior, also known as Fernán Pérez Coronel, truly embraced Catholicism. Some were denounced as New Christian judaizers (secret Jews), and punished by the Inquisition, lost their possessions and even were deported to Brazil. Other descendants fled to lands more tolerant to Jews, such as Duarte Saraiva (born 1572), who escaped to Holland, where he adopted the name David Senior Coronel and subsequently went to Brazil, where he was considered the richest man in Dutch Brazil. Rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel (1604–57) dedicated his book, Conciliador, to Perez Coronel. Pérez Coronel descendants are scattered around the world, some in Israel, others in Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, Holland, and the United States.
Samuel ben Meir Ha-Levi Abulafia was a public figure, the treasurer of king Pedro I “the Cruel” of Castile and founder of the Synagogue of El Transito in Toledo, Spain.
He was a member of the powerful Abulafia family, who provided leadership to the Jewish community of Toledo and Castile more generally since around 1200. Samuel’s parents died of plague shortly after arriving in Toledo. Subsequently, he worked as an administrator to the Portuguese knight Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque, but soon became recognized enough to achieve employment at the court of Pedro I of Castile, first as camarero mayor (chamberlain), later as almojarife (treasurer), and as oídor (judge). His employment came to an end when the enemies of Pedro I, led by Henry of Trastámara, organized a pogrom against the Toledan Jewry, enabling them to assume possession of the royal treasures. The king, accompanied by Samuel Ha-Levi, marched to Toro to demand the return of his belongings. Following this, Samuel Ha-Levi supported the King in reclaiming Toledo for the crown, and in the establishment of a peace treaty with the Portuguese at Évora in 1358.
In Toledo, he lived in the palace that is today the Museo de El Greco, and with the considerable riches bestowed upon him by his employer he founded the Synagogue of El Transito between 1355 and 1357. The building, still around today, was one of ten synagogues serving Toledo’s large Jewish population. The building is architecturally exquisite and has features in common with the Muslim architecture of King Pedro’s palace in Seville and the Alhambra palaces in Granada, even including inscriptions in Arabic as well as Hebrew. Its construction was opposed by the Catholic church, but King Pedro permitted it. The King was constantly criticized by his rivals for his permissive stance towards Jews, compelling him to turn against Samuel, having him incarcerated and tortured on suspicion of embezzlement in 1360. He died under duress of torture.
The prominence of Samuel Ha-Levi Abulafia at Pedro’s court is cited as evidence of his supposed pro-Jewish sentiment, but Don Samuel’s success did not necessarily reflect the general experience of the Spanish Jewry in this period which was often marked by discrimination and pogroms. Even Samuel’s career showed that the opportunities for Jews were restricted to certain offices and positions whereas other forms of advancement were denied to them.
San Andres Gate has also been known as the Puerta de la Judería or the Puerta del Socorro, and it is located on the south side of the walls of Segovia. It has two towers, one square and one polygonal, an arch, a gallery of irregular windows, loopholes, cornices, pyramidal battlements and heraldic shields. It is located in a strategic position overlooking the Río Clamores. It has been speculated that its construction could have been carried out by the master stonemason Juan Guas.
By the end of the 19th century, the wall tower had deteriorated and part of it had collapsed, and it was still in ruins until 1947. It was later restored back to its original appearance. On 3 June 1931 it was declared a historic and artistic monument, through a decree published in the Gaceta de Madrid signed by the President of the Provisional Government of the Second Spanish Republic, Niceto Alcalá-Zamora, and the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, Marcelino Domingo. It is currently classified as a place of cultural interest.
The home of Abraham Seneor, located in the Jewish quarter, gauged half a block. The property was surrounded by a wall, the Puerta del Sol. The home contains three separate buildings, but only one is visible, the Educational Center of the Jewish quarter, since it belongs to the City Council. The goal of the Educational Center is to convey the history of the Sephardic Jews in Segovia. With its facilities and annual activities, the Center promotes the understanding and illustration of the essence of the neighborhood that was home to the largest Jewish population of the Crown of Castile.
The Old Synagogue appears documented for the first time in 1412, a year in which it was granted by the guardians of King Juan II to the convent of St. Mary of Mercy to compensate for the plots which this community had handed over for the segregations of the Jews. The guardians of Juan II specified that the monks had to set up at the building of the old synagogue a hospital to shelter the poor but there is no record that they did so. At present nothing remains of the Old Synagogue; the plot taken up by the convent of Mercy was used in the 19th century to open a square opposite St. Andrew´s Church. Alongside the Old Synagogue at the current Merced (Mercy) Square there stood one of the two religious schools of Segovia. In 1412 it starts belonging to convent of St. Mary of Mercy, as well as the synagogue. The synagogue has since been transformed into the church of the Corpus Christi convent.
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🌍 Celebrating One Year of the Jewish Silk Road Portal
World Jewish Travel was thrilled at #IMTM 2024 to present a copy of the WJT Jewish Silk Road Pressbook to the CEO of the Azerbaijan National Tourism Board Florian Sengstschmid and Jamilya Talibzade its Israeli representative Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB).
The Pressbook celebrates the one year anniversary of the Jewish Silk Road Portal launch, an amazing example of using Jewish travel as a means of cultural diplomacy, whilst highlighting the significant Jewish contribution to the ancient trade route. Kudos to our participating partners from the Kiriaty Foundation (Turkey), National Board of Tourism of #Georgia, National Board of Tourism of #Uzbekistan, and Israeli Embassy of #India.
See the overwhelming reaction from the press, by downloading our free pressbook. Special thanks to Moshe Gilad of the @haaretzcom for highlighting this forgotten but important story in the Galeria section of the newspaper and available to download on WJT.
👉Link to WJT Jewsih Silk Rad Pressbook and more is in our bio
🌍 Celebrating One Year of the Jewish Silk Road Portal
World Jewish Travel was thrilled at #IMTM 2024 to present a copy of the WJT Jewish Silk Road Pressbook to the CEO of the Azerbaijan National Tourism Board Florian Sengstschmid and Jamilya Talibzade its Israeli representative Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB).
The Pressbook celebrates the one year anniversary of the Jewish Silk Road Portal launch, an amazing example of using Jewish travel as a means of cultural diplomacy, whilst highlighting the significant Jewish contribution to the ancient trade route. Kudos to our participating partners from the Kiriaty Foundation (Turkey), National Board of Tourism of #Georgia, National Board of Tourism of #Uzbekistan, and Israeli Embassy of #India.
See the overwhelming reaction from the press, by downloading our free pressbook. Special thanks to Moshe Gilad of the @haaretzcom for highlighting this forgotten but important story in the Galeria section of the newspaper and available to download on WJT.
👉Link to WJT Jewsih Silk Rad Pressbook and more is in our bio...
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Step into the soul-stirring Pesach traditions of Jerusalem virtually. Experience the resonating echoes of Birkat Kohanim🌿
