12 hours in a city pulsating with life in the face of tragic death.
For nine months of the year, Tel Aviv and Jaffa are warm and sunny. During the hom yuli-august, the “July-August heat,” they are blisteringly hot. Now, however, the summer is finally coming to an end, the first rains have fallen, and the temperatures are, at long last, going down.
As the short autumn and rainy winter approach, Tel Aviv and Jaffa take on their own kind of beauty. The two cities are intimately connected but almost polar opposites. Jaffa is ancient; Tel Aviv is intensely modern. Tel Aviv is predominantly Jewish; Jaffa has a large Arab minority. Tel Aviv is a center of high-tech innovation; Jaffa still lives off the sea, as it has done for centuries.
Tower photographer Aviram Valdman captured the beauty of both cities as he walked from the Tel Aviv port in the north to Jaffa port in the south. Along the way, he saw fishermen, swimmers, bicyclists, Frisbee players, windsurfers, and fellow pedestrians, all grasping at the last moments of summer. Here the sea meets the sand, the ancient meets the modern, and the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea—a sight that can be seen only in Israel and Lebanon.
Valdman also photographed one of the more tragic aspects of autumn in Tel Aviv: The anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. Rabin was killed by a Jewish extremist on November 4, 1995 after a peace rally in Kings of Israel Square. Each year, thousands of people crowd into what is now Rabin Square to remember his life and legacy. This year, 100,000 people turned out to mark the 20th anniversary of the murder, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
This singular combination of the splendor of the natural world and human tragedy seems appropriate to Tel Aviv and Jaffa in autumn. They too are a singular combination, and yet they both enjoy a transcendent beauty all their own.
Click on arrows to navigate. For best results, click on each photo individually to see its full detail and proportions.
Banner Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
- PHOTOS: Crazy Autumn Energies of Tel Aviv / Aviram Valdman
As temperatures start to drop, Tel Avivians work hard to enjoy what’s left of summer. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
As the sun sets, a lone fisherman casts his line into the sea at the Tel Aviv port. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
As modern as they may be, many residents of Tel Aviv and Jaffa still make their living off the sea, as their ancestors have for centuries. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Religious Jews bathe in the sea near the Yarkon River. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Windsurfing is a popular pastime on the Tel Aviv beach. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Tel Avivians enjoy all manner of water sports. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
The Jaffa Clock Tower dates back to the Ottoman era and is now one of the city’s landmarks. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Enjoying the good life against the Tel Aviv skyline. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Neglected for decades, in recent years the Tel Aviv port has been rebuilt as a vibrant seaside pedestrian thoroughfare. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Young activists mark the 20th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Over 100,000 people packed Rabin Square to honor slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin on the 20th anniversary of his murder. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
The chimney of a power plant glows in the dark at the point where the sea and the Yarkon River meet. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
With Ben-Gurion airport only a few miles away, Tel Avivians are often greeted with the sight and sound of planes coming in for a landing. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
The lights of a merry-go-round are an eerie sight against the Tel Aviv night. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
A woman rests on the stone wall that separates Tel Aviv from the sea. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Ancient stones and modern technology coexist side by side in Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
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