TEL AVIV

Tel-Aviv is the first metropolis in Palestine, constructed from rudiments by Jewish immigrants.

The construction of 'The Hill of Spring' as the name of the city could be translated from Hebrew - began in 1909.It was supervised by Meir Dizengoff - the first mayor of Tel-Aviv. Tel-Aviv grew at a literally American speed, taking up more and more vast areas along the sea coast. In the mid 30s of the 20th century it was already the largest city in Palestine. From the very beginning the constructors tried to give it a regular urban plan characteristic of a garden-city, where the living functions would not disturb the industrial functions. In 1949 Tel-Aviv was united with an old port town Jaffa forming in this way a uniform city complex.

Today Tel-Aviv has about 360,000 inhabitants. Its territorial development has been stopped due to the creation of many satellite cities. In this way Tel-Aviv has become the centre of a modern agglomeration inhabited by 1,8 million people. Tel-Aviv is the main trade and industrial centre of the country, the centre of Israeli business. The most important national firms have their seats there, you can find branches of well-known foreign corporations but also the major banks and luxurious hotels with an international standard of service. Most of them are situated in skyscrapers along the sea coast. They are an unusual part of the surrounding new in Palestine. Nearly at the foot of these buildings goes a marvellous sandy beach making the city an important holiday resort centre.

Tel-Aviv has a lot to offer to art lovers. Such cultural institutions as: Israel's Symphonic Orchestra - one of the greatest in the world, the Art Museum possessing the works of Renoir, Monet or Picasso, The Israeli Opera having international recognition and the museums, including the Diaspora Museum where the exhibition devoted to the Jewish Lodz takes a significant place - as well as numerous galleries and temporary artistic expositions which satisfy even the most demanding tastes. The University of Tel-Aviv which is gradually getting a good name takes pride in the largest number of departments in Israel. Beside the modern city features in Tel-Aviv you can find places with a typically oriental feel. Among these is the exotic Carmel market with its virtually unimaginable variety of offered goods. Yet the most oriental character is in the port town Jaffa, which is one of the oldest in Palestine. A maze of narrow curved tranquil streets with lots of restaurants, adorable cafés and art galleries, whose expositions are presented outside, creates a unique atmosphere, making Jaffa a district of artists and art lovers. A flea market situated nearby, though full of merchant noise, gives the old Jaffa a specific charm.

Among Lodz partner cities Tel-Aviv takes an extraordinary position. It is inhabited by a few thousand group of former Lodz inhabitants gathered in the Organisation of Foremer Residents of Lodz in Israel, which has its seat in Tel-Aviv. The official contacts between Lodz and Tel-Aviv date back to 1994. The milestone for setting partner relations was the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Jewish ghetto in Lodz. Initial talks and the intentions expressed then resulted in signing the agreement on partner cities, which took place during the International Gathering of Lodz Inhabitants in Tel-Aviv in September 1994.

As a result of the first contacts between municipal offices of the cities Israel Days in Lodz were organised. The celebrations which lasted for over two months were to make Lodz inhabitants familiar with culture and history of Israel.
Summoned to life in September 1995 Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzense Foundation was an enterprise confirming the development of the co-operation between Lodz and Tel-Aviv. One of the founders is the mentioned before in the Organisation of Foremer Residents of Lodz in Israel. The goal of the Foundation is renovation of the Jewish cemetery in Lodz (the biggest necropolis of that type in Europe), but also the protection of other historical monuments and places connected with Jewish culture.

The rule of the partnership between Lodz and Tel-Aviv is most of all based on the actions tending to establish close relations between the inhabitants of both cities. This goal is realised by direct contacts, which were started in June 1996 when a group of former Lodz inhabitants arrived in the city. However the thing which created the essence of the cities' partnership and which contributes to consolidating the co-operation is proper youth education. Its best form would be getting to know culture and customs directly from the peers from the brother city. The youth exchange programme which was created with the help of the Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzense Foundation had its first edition in August 1996.

At present The Jewish Religion Community comprises merely 120 members who are in most cases elderly people, often ill and needing care. They are not able to initiate any actions intended to restore the greatness of the cultural historical monuments of Jewish Lodz. That is why in September 1995 the Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzense Foundation was brought to life. It is created by three law entities i.e. the Lodz Local Authorities, the Organisation of Former Residents of Lodz in Israel (with the General Secretary Wolf Zeev Factor leading the way) and the World Jewish Restitution Organisation represented by the Ambassador Naphtali Lau-Lavie. The will of participating in the work of the Foundation's Council was expressed by dr Marek Edelman, a Warsaw ghetto fighter and a man connected with the independence opposition in the years of system changes in Poland. The seat of the Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzense Foundation's President is taken by Arnold Mostowicz, a doctor in the Lodz ghetto, then giving a hand to the ill in Auschwitz and other concentration camps in the Reich, after the war a writer, journalist, science promoter, a great moral authority. The prior task of the Foundation is taking care of the historical monuments of Jewish culture in Lodz, among which an important place is taken by the cemetery in Bracka Street. Its renovation is the main goal of the Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzense Foundation's activity. This object unique in the world scale requires immediate and large scale actions. The gradual devastation which has been continuing for years, caused a partial, and in many cases complete destruction, which is true not only for humble grave stones but also for the great family tombs - in both cases works of art showing the beauty of the Judaic culture. It is our duty to restore the greatness of the Jewish cemetery in Lodz. At present the Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzense Foundation's activity focuses on the actions leading to gathering the means necessary to carry out a complex renovation of the cemetery.

The Cameri Theatre from Tel Aviv will be the guest of the first edition of The Meetings of Theatres of Twin Cities.
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