The word is out \u2013 Tel Aviv is cool! For years, while tourists were guided through historic and holy sites in other parts of the country, people in Tel Aviv went about their normal lives, sunbathing on the beach, hanging out in caf\u00e9s, and that is what makes it unique. An unabashed celebration of individuality, Tel Aviv has become a travel destination in its own right, and after 100 years, it even has history! For an alternative look at the city, the Association for Tourism Tel Aviv-Jaffa and the \u201cAguda\u201d (Israel\u2019s GLBT Association)\u00a0launched Gay City Tours this past summer.<\/p>\n
The leisurely three kilometer stroll interweaves the history of Tel Aviv with that of the gay community. How gay-friendly is Tel Aviv? Hebrew speakers can check out the gay community page on the municipality\u2019s site <\/a>, everyone else is invited to check out the tour and look around. The Mediterranean ambiance and live and let live nonchalance have created a city of contrasts and diversity, where you can walk into the Habad center on Sheinkin to buy a CD of your favorite recording of Psalms, then stroll across the street to get a new body piercing, or whatever else your heart desires.<\/p>\n In rhythm with the relaxed vibe, the guides on the gay tour are low-key, friendly, and in this writer\u2019s estimation, very cute. There were 290 applicants for the program, of these 10 guides were selected and trained by Igal Zeevi, a tour guide and caf\u00e9 owner thoroughly versed in what he calls \u201cthis country of extremes \u2013 Diva and the holyland.\u201d Tours start at Nahum Gutman\u2019s mosaic at the Shalom Tower, site of the former Herzliya Gymnasium.<\/p>\n I walked the walk in June, as part of a press tour. Our guide Eyal, explained that the destruction of the school became a rallying symbol for the preservation of historic sites in Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n We walked down Rothschild Blvd. past the city\u2019s first kiosk (now a caf\u00e9), to view the home of Meir Dizengoff, where the Proclamation of Independence was made on May 14, 1948. One may be amused to learn that Dizengoff, the first Mayor of Tel Aviv, narrowly missed apprehension by the police on July 3, 1921 for riding his horse through a public garden. On the corner of Allenby, Eyal pointed out the oldest gay bar, Evita, on Yavneh Street, as well as indicating other routes for tourists to explore after the tour: turn right to the beach, left to Florentine.<\/p>\n Architecture is not neglected, nor is street art. As the style shifts from an eclectic art-deco to a more international style with its clean lines and flat roofs, the tour\u2019s emphasis shifts to the history of the gay community. \u201cFridays in Tel Aviv are like a spontaneous party,\u201d said Zohar, who lead the second half of the tour to the home of Yaacov Pazy, where the \u201cAguda\u201d is currently located. Gay parties abound in Tel Aviv, but in the 1970s it wasn\u2019t so easy being gay, and the only parties were the ones gay activist Pazy organized in his home.<\/p>\n This quiet building on Nahmani Street is the heart of the tour, the place where 12 members of the gay community gathered in 1975 to form the \u201cAssociation for Preserving Individual Rights in Israel.\u201d Sadly, in the time that has passed since I took the tour, on Saturday, August 1, this home and the youth centre it housed became the site of a shooting incident in which two people were killed and other young people wounded. Yet the spirit of the place lives on, as the GLBT community and the Tel Aviv community came together not only to mourn the loss<\/a>, but to transform it into a catalyst for action and a reminder that there is still work to be done.<\/p>\n Maintaining a balance between past and present, city and community, the tour offers not only a look at gay life in Tel Aviv, but a pleasant introduction to the city and all it has to offer. Rommey Hassman, marketing strategist and lecturer at IDC, who has researched \u201cbranding\u201d Israel for the past 10 years, explains the benefits of gay tourism for Israel. Tourism, he says, \u201cIs an industry of experiences. 51% of tourists are experience seekers. Israel is not part of the experience seekers market. There are few cities in the world that have an urban center on the beach. Gays are trendsetters; if they turn Israel into a target destination for experience seekers then others will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n City council member Yaniv Weizman concurs, \u201cThere is a political statement that goes beyond the tourist statement. People come with a certain perception of Israel and are surprised to see the openness.\u201d As the tour makes its way from the flamboyant chic of Sheinkin, past the shabby chic of King George to Gan Meir, the year old Gay Center in the park sends out a clear message. An integral part of the city\u2019s infrastructure, with activities for all ages, entirely funded by the city of Tel Aviv: the Israeli flag and gay flag side by side on the rooftop and a caf\u00e9 below.<\/p>\n Lesbians should not be deterred by the proliferation of male images in the brochure. The tour points out women\u2019s hang outs as well as gay bars and groups can book a tour with a woman guide. As we ended our tour, Shai Doitsh, Head of Gay Tourism in the \u201cAguda\u201d, added with a smile: \u201cAll our guides are comfortable with being addressed in the feminine.\u201d\u00a0 Future plans include the possibility of a night tour of Tel Aviv led by Ziona Patriot, the popular drag queen \u2013 count me in!<\/p>\n