Traditions of Tel Aviv
A Mediterranean city of cafes and beaches where Shabbat and Purim parades share the streets with a lively food scene.
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 on the sand dunes beside Jaffa. It is a secular, fast-moving city, but Jewish tradition remains part of life. Shabbat, Purim and Hanukkah are widely marked, and the food of immigrants from Yemen, Iraq, Morocco and Eastern Europe is a daily pleasure here.
Purim and Shabbat
On Purim, people of all ages dress in costume and listen to the Book of Esther read aloud, with noisemakers for the villain's name. Adloyada, a carnival parade, passes through the streets. On Friday afternoon the city slows as families prepare for Shabbat, and many cafes and the market close on Saturday morning.
At the table
Breakfast is an Israeli salad, shakshuka, cheese, eggs and bread. Sabich, a pita with eggplant and egg, is an Iraqi Jewish street food, and jachnun and malawach are Yemeni. At Hanukkah, sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts, fill the bakeries. On Friday afternoon the Carmel Market fills with shoppers buying challah, fruit and flowers before Shabbat.
Signature traditions of Tel Aviv
Also part of it, and being written: Shakshuka (Eggs poached in tomato sauce.), Sufganiyah (The Hanukkah doughnut.), Sabich (The pita sandwich.).
A trail idea for Tel Aviv
- Carmel Market Taste fruit and spices.
- Jaffa Old Port Walk the stone alleys.
- Bauhaus White City See the 1930s buildings.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
๐ฎ๐ฑ Tel Aviv, Israel and 1 moreAdloyadaืขืืืืืืข
A humorous Purim parade in Israel featuring giant puppets and satirical floats.Festival
๐ฎ๐ฑ Safed, Israel and 5 moreHakafotืึทืงึธึผืคืึนืช
Circling the synagogue platform with the Torah scrolls, at Sukkot and Simchat TorahSpiritual
๐ฎ๐ฑ Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreSimchat Torahืฉึดืืึฐืึทืช ืชึผืึนืจึธื
The day Jewish communities finish the Torah reading and start it again, with dancingSpiritual ยท Feasts and festival meals
๐ฎ๐ฑ Tel Aviv, IsraelLethal Lesbianืืกืืืช ืงืืื ืืช
An annual film festival in Tel Aviv dedicated to cinema by and about lesbian women.Festival
๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel and 2 moreDay of Salvation and Liberationืืื ืืฉืืจืืจ ืืืืฆืื
A Jewish holiday on the 26th of Iyar to thank God for saving Jews from Nazi annihilation.Festival
๐ฎ๐ฑ Tel Aviv, Israel and 5 moreTel Aviv International Student Film Festival
A week-long gathering in June where student filmmakers from around the world screen their work, attend workshops, and mePerformance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Hanukkah: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, source
- Purim: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
- Adloyada: ื"ืจ ืืืืฉื ืืืืืจ, CC BY 2.5, source
- Hakafot: Meir624, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Simchat Torah: No machine-readable author provided. Merlin assumed (based on copyrigh, CC BY 2.5, source
- Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival: Adam4896, CC BY-SA 4.0, source