Tel Aviv-Yaffo

 The ancient city of Yaffo has been around since before the time of Abraham but has not always had Jews living in it.  About 100 years ago, the Arabs who lived there were not getting along with the Jews.  At that time, many Jews were making aliyah to Israel.  They wanted a city that was all Jewish.  Next to Yaffo, there were miles of sand.   In 1909, the Jews decided that they could build a city on the sand.  They decided to call it “Tel Aviv”  because that was the name that Theodore Herzl had imagined for the first Jewish City when he wrote his famous book, Altneuland, predicting a new Jewish Land.  Some Jews stayed in Yaffo.  The very famous Rabbi of Yaffo was Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook (before he became Chief Rabbi of all of Israel).

Now, Tel-Aviv is a modern city.  It is the first all Jewish city in thousands of years.  The Shalom Tower is the tallest building in the Middle East.  The beaches on the ocean are always filled.  There are many hotels, stores, and places to eat.  There is a great orchestra and theater.  

After Israel became a country, Tel-Aviv and Yaffo became one city.  Most of the people who live in Yaffo are still Arabs.  Most of the people who live in Tel Aviv are Jews.  The very old city and the very newest  city are now one great city.