City Notes: Tel Aviv begins to raze iconic Dizengoff Square

By COMPILEDJULIE STEIGERWALD
Updated: JANUARY 9, 2017 11:35
Workers have begun dismantling Dizengoff Square’s ‘Fire and Water Fountain.’ (photo credit: Lahav Harkov)
Workers have begun dismantling Dizengoff Square’s ‘Fire and Water Fountain.’
(photo credit: Lahav Harkov)
CENTER
More than 40 years after the unveiling of the White City’s Dizengoff Square, efforts began this week to demolish the central Tel Aviv landmark to make way for a restructured public square in its place.
Workers arrived on Sunday to dismantle the square’s colorful “Fire and Water” fountain, which was initially erected in 1988 and underwent renovations in 2012.
Following the removal of the square’s popular fountain, efforts continued to raze the elevated circular plaza that is slated to be reconfigured at ground level at the same site.
The project, expected to take about a year to complete, is likely to cause major traffic disruptions and detours on the square’s namesake thoroughfare – Dizengoff Street.
The Transportation Ministry has approved alterations that are expected to change traffic routes for more than a month after the start of initial construction.
Dizengoff Square is located 300 meters above the intersection between Dizengoff Street, Reines Street and Pinsker Street. The square, built in 1934 and inaugurated in 1938, was named for Zina, the wife of Tel Aviv’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff.
Festival of Lights family fun at Dizengoff Center
The Dizengoff Center Mall is set to host a fair for the whole family, including do-it-yourself activities and sustainability workshops during-Hanukka.
The so-called ‘Offbits Assembly’ includes a free toy fair in which children can assemble toy robots and railways, along with activities involving 3D printing.
An interactive wall for games and painting will also be available along with a hanukkia that participants can build themselves.
Admission is free and limited to age six and up. Coloring and painting activities will be available for children under six. Items built during the event will be available for purchase for between NIS 5 and NIS 80.
The fair will run from December 26 to 29 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Gallery Complex on the mall’s first floor between buildings A and B.
As part of the Hanukka festivities at the mall, an urban sustainability workshop at the urban garden on the shopping center’s roof will offer demonstrations on the future of agriculture and how to sustain nature in a “green city.” Participants will also be offered a glimpse of the site’s urban beehive and horticulture workshops.
The workshop is designed for families with children aged four and up, and will run from December 27 to 29, starting at 10 a.m.
Tour Bnei Brak for Hanukka
As windowsills around the country burn bright with lights for Hanukka, revelers and visitors alike are invited to take part on a holiday tour of Bnei Brak.
The December 31 tour will explore the festive atmosphere of the town, along with the unique customs of the haredi world during the winter festival of lights.
The tour will pass by religious schools, synagogues, streets and alleyways and provide explanation about the various hanukkiot that are traditionally lit to represent the miracle of oil in the tale of Hanukka.
The tour leaves from Tel Aviv at 6 and 8 p.m., and costs NIS 80.
Registration at https://www.visit-tlv.co.il/?CategoryID=261&ArticleID= 1648, and further information at (03) 516-6188.
NORTH
Race along the lake in Tiberias marathon
Hundreds of runners will flock to Tiberias to take part in the town’s annual marathon along the shores of Lake Kinneret.
The 40th-annual Tiberias-Sea of Galilee Marathon, scheduled for January 6, starts and finishes in Tiberias. The race route passes along the southern shores of Lake Kinneret and up to Kibbutz Ein Gev on the lake’s eastern shore before turning back to the finish line in Tiberias.
Along with the traditional 42-kilometer (26-mile) marathon, the event will also offer a 10-kilometer race with various heats depending on gender and age.
The night before the marathon, hosted by the Tiberias Municipality and Marathon Israel, a pasta dinner will be hosted for participants taking part in the athletic event.
SOUTH
Limmud FSU marks 10th anniversary in Eilat
More than 2,000 Russian-speaking Jews from the former Soviet Union gathered last weekend in Eilat to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the nondenominational Jewish community engagement nonprofit Limmud FSU.
The three-day event commemorated the Former Soviet Union branch of Limmud and was attended by various MKs and ministers, including Moldova-born Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.
Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi, JNF-KKL chairman Danny Atar, Limmud FSU chairman Matthew Bronfman and Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky also took part in the event.
The gathering celebrated Limmud FSU and its efforts to gather more than 45,000 Russian-speaking Jews in 12 countries around the world for cultural and educational festivals, conferences and other events.
Limmud FSU aims to engage young Russian-Jewish adults, empowering them to take ownership of their identity and to connect with their communities through pluralistic, egalitarian volunteer- driven conferences on Jewish learning and culture.


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