Yehuda Hamaccabi is a neighborhood in the north-central part of
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. It is named after
Judas Maccabeus
Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleuci ...
, one of the great warriors in Jewish history, who led the
Maccabean Revolt
The Maccabean Revolt ( he, מרד החשמונאים) was a Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and against Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The main phase of the revolt lasted from 167–160 BCE and ended ...
against the
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
.
The neighborhood is bound by Pinkas Street to the south, Ibn Gvirol Street to the west, Namir Road to the east and
Yarkon Park
Yarkon Park ( he, פארק הירקון, ''Park HaYarkon'') is a large park in Tel Aviv, Israel, with about sixteen million visits annually. Named after the Yarkon River which flows through it, the park includes extensive lawns, sports faciliti ...
to the north.
The neighborhood is one of Tel Aviv's most affluent areas with a mix of low-rise apartment buildings and private villas. Once a quiet family residential area, it is now one of the most desirable real estate locations.
History
Tel Aviv expanded north from its roots in
Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
and the neighborhoods of
Florentin and
Neve Tzedek
Neve Tzedek ( he, נְוֵה צֶדֶק, נווה צדק, ''lit.'' Abode of Justice) is a neighborhood located in southwestern Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the first Judaism, Jewish neighborhood to be built outside the old city of the ancient port of ...
. Building began in Yehuda Hamaccabi in the 1960s and lasted through the 1970s. The neighborhood was initially populated with Central European Jewish immigrants, who had previously fled from both the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
and
Communists
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
. The apartment buildings, which were kept to a maximum of four floors were typically
utilitarian style,
whilst the villas were much more of the 'Mandate style' with flat roofs, tiled floors, manicured gardens and squared windows.
During the 1980s many of the villas were built over, replaced by luxury family houses, often with off-road parking and roof-top pools.
Cultural references
Yehuda Hamaccabi whilst viewed as possessing a laid back atmosphere,
is according to the city guide 'solidly
bourgeois
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
and
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
'.
The neighborhood is home to the Israeli Conservatory of Music and the Hungarian Embassy amongst others. It is still common to hear more elderly residents speaking Hungarian, German or the carefully enunciated old-fashioned Hebrew.
The neighborhood is most famous for its
cafe culture, which is especially centered on Milano Square.
See also
*
Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv This list of the neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, is arranged geographically from north to south, then from west to east.
Northwest
Residential
* Azorei Hen (אזורי חן), ''Areas of Grace''
* Kokhav HaTzafon (כוכב הצפון), '' Northern Sta ...
References
{{Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv
Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Tel Aviv
Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv