Contrasts

If Jerusalem is a city of cats, Tel Aviv is a city for dogs and their owners. If Jerusalem is ancient with history that spirals, Tel Aviv is so new that it has photographs of nearly everything since it started (one exception being Canaanite ruins 2500BCE - but they have nothing to do with this city). If in Jerusalem one hears Arabic frequently, in Tel Aviv it is French, German, English etc along with Hebrew. Museums in Jerusalem invariably have religious themes - in
Tel Aviv the message is the building of Israel. Jerusalem is glowing sandstone exteriors; Tel Aviv has 2000+ Bauhaus residential buildings - in 1900 there were 3,000 residents. By 1930 there were 30,000! The Bauhaus/International Style is omnipresent - and provides the backround new construction. Tel Aviv University is a palate for 20th C architectural giants. Old Jerusalem wraps up its activities soon after dark; I've been told you can dance and party in Tel Aviv all night - I've heard the music. Galleries and graffiti, house museums of authors and poets, creativity is close at hand. Both cities are worth visiting, for sure. They give expression to dualities that challenge the people in this land.