Port of call

A wheelchair- and stroller-accessible jaunt along Hayarkon Street takes you from Independence Park to the Wauchope Bridge.

By AVIVA BAR-AM
Port of call (photo credit: shmuel bar-am)
Port of call
(photo credit: shmuel bar-am)
I n 1938, a bridge was built over the Yarkon River to celebrate the opening of the Reading Power Station. The cornerstone read: “This bridge will be important in the expansion of Tel Aviv on both sides of the river.
Hopefully, [it] will... [help] turn the desolate sands into a blossoming settlement.”
Make this historic bridge – called Wauchope Bridge for the British high commissioner at the time – part of a stroll along Hayarkon Street from Independence Park and as far as the power station. Begin this wheel-chair-and stroller-accessible jaunt at the northern section of Independence Park, across from the Melody Hotel at 220 Hayarkon.
For years, the site on which the park now stands was just a hill of sea limestone.
During the British Mandate, part of the area was used as a military base that was taken over by the fledgling Israeli army in 1948. It was from here that Israeli forces shelled the ill-fated Irgun Zva’i Leumi ship Altalena.
When Independence Park was inaugurated in 1952, it was the biggest park in Tel Aviv. The first trees were planted here on Israel’s very first Independence Day in 1949, along with foliage that could survive in sand and salty soil. Sea fennel, scallop- leaved sea lavender, evening primrose, tamarisk, oleander and sea daffodil were planted in the upper portion of the park. On lower levels there were taller trees like olive, sycamore and fig.
Not surprisingly, it turned out that the park had been established on historic land: the remains of a Hasmonean citadel were discovered in the southern portion, which means that there may have been Jewish settlement in modern-day Tel Aviv over 2,000 years ago.
Ascend either the stairs or the ramp to reach a cheerful playground and brightly colored hydraulic exercise equipment. The Hilton Hotel, to your immediate left was built in 1973 on a portion of the city’s Muslim cemetery.
Local Arabs were extremely upset, but the Hilton chain refused to move and Israel, which was extremely interested in bringing Hilton Hotels into the country, gave the chain 1.7 hectares (4.2 acres) of land there. It’s too bad, because it cut this beautiful park area in two.
Over the years, what was once the finest park in Israel was sorely neglected.
The boulevard of palm trees became desolate, plants died and it became a dangerous neighborhood to hang out. Recently it was lovingly restored and the park reopened officially in 2009.
At the top of the stairs, two charming bronze statues named for King Asa of Judah and King Jehoshaphat of Israel peer out over the sea. Take a look at the view, then turn right and follow the promenade as far as a very tall, very stark and very simple monument resembling a bird with a broken wing. The monument honors the memory of pilots David Sprinzak and Mati Sukenik.
On June 4, 1948, after Egyptian warships bombarded Tel Aviv from the sea, Sprinzak and Sukenik volunteered to hit them from the air. Together with the pilots of two other planes, they attacked the ships. The Egyptians turned and headed back to Egypt, but not before shooting down the small Fairchild aircraft. The two pilots – newly married Sprinzak, 24 years old with a baby on the way, and 19-yearold Sukenik – were killed.
Across from the monument, a large pergola shades some very inviting benches that face the water. Further along, you can walk right through the Gate of Peace. Created by Italian sculptor/painter Pietro Cascella in 1972, it makes very interesting use of stone and, to my mind, resembles both an Egyptian tomb and an ancient temple.
BREATHE DEEPLY as you view beautiful plants and shrubs, which are all quite squat so they can survive the ocean winds. Savor the glorious feeling of space and freedom and of fresh sea air, so foreign to a Jerusalemite like myself. Then down to your left you will see a segregated beach.
Take the stairs back down to the street, passing a striking red “environmental structure” and ending at a little pool. When first inaugurated, the park featured a bandstand, a playground and a pool tiled with lovely mosaics. The pool has been renovated, and you can rest nearby and watch the water play of the little fountains. Afterwards, head for the street and turn left.
On the other side of the road, the long structure stretching from No.
254 to No. 262 Hayarkon Street was built in the early 1930s, when most people couldn’t afford to buy houses.
It’s hard to believe today, but the labor unions actually got together with the Jewish National Fund and erected me’onot ovdim (workers’ housing), apartment complexes that surrounded a garden and generally also contained a grocery store and a nursery school. Mortgages were extremely low, and people were thus able to afford to own their own dwellings.
Turn left on Nahshon Street, named for Aaron’s brother-in-law Nahshon Ben-Aminadav. According to the Bible, when the Israelites reached the Red Sea upon their exodus from Egypt, it had not yet parted. The rest of the Israelites howled and moaned, so Nahshon jumped in. As the water began to rise to the level of his face, the sea parted and he was joined by the newly freed slaves.
As you cross to the parking lot you will see a municipal bike stand on your right: free bikes for 30 minutes or only NIS 10 for a 90-minute ride.
The lot is adjacent to Hametzitzim (“Peepers”) Beach. You will understand why it is called this if you study the painting on the wall of the dressing rooms.
Head for the beach, which has been completely revamped and is now one of the city’s finest. Here you can take a dip in the water or exercise on the hydraulic sports equipment, while any youngsters with you have a blast at the great playground. Then begin walking north to the Tel Aviv Port, which has undergone an incredible metamorphosis.
Although a variety of plans were drawn up for a port in Tel Aviv after the city was founded in 1909, it was only after the Arabs began rioting in 1936, and Arab workers shut down Jaffa Port, that a new one became a necessity. Despite their concern at losing control of everything and everyone going in and out of Tel Aviv, the British had no choice but to authorize construction of a new gateway into the Land of Israel. Worried that the British might change their minds, Although a variety of plans were drawn up for a port in Tel Aviv after the city was founded in 1909, it was only after the Arabs began rioting in 1936, and Arab workers shut down Jaffa Port, that a new one became a vital necessity The estuary of the Yarkon River features black and white spur-winged plovers.
Jewish laborers immediately began work on a Jewish-run port near the estuary of the Yarkon River.
Construction had just begun when a Yugoslavian cargo ship carrying one thousand tons of cement dropped anchor in Tel Aviv waters. Thrilled to the bone, Tel Avivians forgot their daily worries and came out in droves to welcome the astounded captain.
People danced and sang and, when a desperately ill mayor Meir Dizengoff arrived in the afternoon, the crowds went crazy with joy. In a shaky voice, he declared, “Here there will be a great port.” Many a listener wept upon hearing his words.
Inaugurated on February 23, 1938, the Tel Aviv Port was functioning at full force when World War II broke out a year and a half later and the British turned it into a military base.
Two minesweepers kept the coast clear of the enemy while a special undersea unit carried out dangerous operations in the water.
As the only one of its kind wholly under Jewish control before and during the War of Independence, Tel Aviv Port was crucial to the budding State of Israel; through this port it was possible to bring in supplies, weapons and the iron plaques used for armed convoys trying to get through to besieged Jerusalem.
After the state was declared and Tel Aviv began to rapidly expand, the port couldn’t handle the traffic. The government decided to build an alternative, larger deepwater port in Ashdod and, after the transition was completed in 1965, the Tel Aviv Port was used almost exclusively for fishing and the buildings were turned into storehouses. It was not a very pleasant place to visit.
At the beginning of the 21st century, a decision was made to renovate the port. Almost complete, the port today offers over 60 venues for entertainment, health clubs, stores, coffee shops and restaurants. Best of all, you can stroll in and around the port while taking big gulps of that wonderful, fresh sea air.
Continue your stroll by walking up to the wooden bridge for a lookout over the water, then come back down.
Stop at a historic hammerhead crane whose renovation has just been completed.
The crane’s iron body was manufactured in the Land of Israel, while the motor and electrical systems were brought here from Europe in 1938.
Unique in Israel, it lifted and carried every load of 25 tons or more that went in and out of the port for nearly three decades, and was vital to the British war effort. Over the years, sea winds and salt corroded the crane and it was dangerously close to collapse when its restoration began.
NOW CROSS over to the shops, turning left at Crocket and continuing on.
As the port is still a work in progress, you may have to take a few detours, but keep as close to the water as you can. Soon you will reach the estuary of the Yarkon River, with a beautiful rest area featuring trees, benches and stunning black and white spurwinged plovers. This is where you will find the Wauchope Bridge, which by 1995 had deteriorated. Closed in 1995, it was restored less than a decade later.
If you stand on the bridge, you can watch the place where the river meets the Mediterranean, a lovely sight accompanied by the sound of crashing waves. And on the other side of the river enjoy, a lovely little park.
(Watch out for all the bikers!) After you cross the bridge, you can continue on the promenade, where renovation is being carried out on a lighthouse dating back to the late 1930s. For technical reasons, plans to completely restore the lighthouse proved unrealistic, however the exterior will soon look exactly as it did long ago.
Immediately beyond the lighthouse stands a pole which is actually a monument to the 157th Brigade of Great Britain’s 52nd Division. It is from here that soldiers crossed the river during the British conquest of Palestine in 1917 and captured the Turkish positions on the other side.
Now you will reach a handsome bay where all that is left of a wall built to protect the power station during World War II are two squat round structures. They look suspiciously like the pillboxes the British used as guard posts all over Israel during the Arab Revolt – except that there are no openings for the guards. Their function remains a mystery.
A second bridge boasts the tri-colored markers that proclaim this route as part of the Israel Trail – an indication, if you needed one, of its importance.
Follow the walkway as far as you are able, then turn around and rest near the river or the sea in one of dozens of picturesque, shady spots.