017 Gray's Anatomy
Tel Aviv University's medical faculty just received an unprecedented financial contribution - a monumental donation of 125 million dollars from Jewish-American billionaire Jonathan Gray and his wife Mindy. This historic contribution is the largest ever received by the university and will allow the faculty to significantly increase its student body. According to university officials, this generous gift will enable the medical school to grow from 300 to 400 students annually, making it twice the size of the average medical faculty in Israel.
This isn't just about expanding numbers - it's a strategic move to diversify Israel's future medical workforce. The donation will fund the construction of a 600-bed dormitory complex dedicated specifically to medical students, with priority given to those from underrepresented communities in the Israeli healthcare system - Arabs, the ultra-Orthodox, new immigrants and residents from Israel's geographical periphery. The university administration sees this as a crucial step in addressing social disparities within Israel's healthcare system.
The faculty will now bear the names of Jonathan and Mindy Gray - a very fitting name for any institution related to medicine, surely appreciated by viewers of the hit television series Grey’s Anatomy, myself included. The faculty was named decades ago after the Sackler family, but their name was recently erased following controversy over the family's role in the American opioid crisis, making the faculty nameless until now. The renaming marks a new chapter for the faculty of medicine at Tel Aviv University, most responsible for creating the next generation of McDreamy doctors in Israel.
I was thinking about this as I was strolling along Rothschild Boulevard, passing by the monument to the city’s sixty founding families. Actually, two of Tel Aviv's founding figures were physicians - Dr. Haim Hisin, known as “the doctor on the donkey", and Dr. Yehuda Leib Pochovsky. The latter was also in charge of medical institutions - the Sha’ar Zion hospital in Jaffa, and later the Hadassah hospital in Tel Aviv - which reincarnated in Tel Aviv’s contemporary Sourasky Medical Center, housing Ichilov general hospital, Lis maternity hospital and Dana-Dwek Children’s hospital. From humble beginnings with doctors on donkeys to today's world-class healthcare center, Tel Aviv continues its tradition of medical excellence.
My name is Tomer Chelouche and I've been guiding tours in Tel Aviv since 2008. I started out of fascination with my family history - the Chelouche family was one of the founding families of Tel Aviv. My ancestors built this city - and I'm telling its story.
The best way to get to know Tel Aviv better is by purchasing one of my audio tours. Here's one way to do just that -
UNESCO designated the White City of Tel Aviv as a World Heritage Site in 2003, recognizing one of the world's most impressive collections of International Style architecture. My White City audio tour takes you deep into this architectural marvel, beginning at the iconic Dizengoff Square - the beating heart of 1930’s Tel Aviv. As you follow my guided route through these elegant streets, you'll discover the fascinating story behind how a group of German-Jewish architects who fled Nazi persecution shaped the urban landscape around you, creating over 4,000 International Style buildings that now define the city's character.
The tour reveals the distinctive features that make these pristine structures so special - their functional elegance, minimalist aesthetic, and innovative adaptations to Mediterranean climate. We'll explore key locations showcasing the city's architectural preservation efforts and understand why this collection represents not just architectural history, but a profound cultural narrative about Jewish refugees bringing European modernism to the Middle East.
As we stroll through the streets surrounding Dizengoff Square (which is actually a circle, but I’ll leave that for when you take the audio tour), I'll point out stunning examples of restored buildings, explaining how these structures, once in danger of demolition, have become some of the most sought-after real estate in the city.
By the tour's end, you'll conveniently circle back to the renewed Dizengoff Square, where you’ll spot La Shuk restaurant. This authentic Mediterranean eatery merges seamlessly with the public space around it, so I recommend making a reservation to catch a table outside, preferably on the sidewalk facing the fountain standing at the center of Dizengoff Square. La Shuk's nostalgic design features vintage tables and old ornate glassware. The menu is exquisite, featuring roasted eggplant and baked cauliflower for starters, and for the main course you can get black linguini with sea fruit or a mediterranean-style kebab, to mention just two excellent choices.
You can make sure you've downloaded my White City audio tour before you head out, or you can download it on the go if you're set with a data package allowing for uninterrupted internet access. There's a link in the show notes to purchase my audio tour -
If you have any questions - you’ll find all the ways to contact me on telaviv.tours (telaviv as one word, no space, no hyphen) and there’s a link in the show notes for your digital convenience.
Summer in Tel Aviv is already upon us, and the heat is becoming increasingly challenging. While mornings and evenings are still pleasant, the punishing combination of high temperatures and high humidity between noon and 4pm make outdoor activities less appealing. In the last episode, I shared my top shopping mall recommendations for escaping the midday heat. Now I’d like to offer you the more cultural option for staying in an airconditioned climate - Tel Aviv's world-class museums. Here’s part one of the list of places to cool off while enriching your mind:
1) Tel Aviv Museum of Art - Established in 1932 in the home of Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art has evolved into one of Israel's leading art museums, now housed in an architectural masterpiece. The museum's 2011 expansion, named the Amir Building, is itself a work of art - a geometric concrete and glass structure featuring a unique atrium with a glass ceiling flooding the interior with natural light. Here you’ll find an impressive collection of Israeli art from which you’ll learn about the development of Israeli culture, starting from its very beginning - the early 20th century Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. In a nutshell, Israel has matured from an ideology-driven society into a place that puts more emphasis on the individual and personal well-being and you can sense this transformation by reviewing the artworks chronologically. The permanent exhibition also presents works by international masters like Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh - a collection so rich and diverse that it rivals art museums in other global cities. I personally adore the French Impressionist masterpieces and I also recommend visiting the museum shop if you want to find creative gifts and souvenirs your loved ones would adore.
2) ANU - Museum of the Jewish People - Formerly known as Beit Hatfutsot (Diaspora House), this recently renovated museum on the premises of Tel Aviv University campus tells the comprehensive story of Jewish people worldwide. The 2021 renovation transformed it into the world's largest Jewish museum, featuring interactive exhibits that chronicle Jewish culture, religion, and achievement across continents and centuries. ANU, meaning "we" in Hebrew, reflects the museum's mission to showcase the collective Jewish experience while celebrating individual stories. The top floor is all about Jewish identity and Jewish culture nowadays, as well as the contribution of Jewish people to all walks of life in recent times - you won’t believe how many famous names you’ll recognise; the intermediate floor is dedicated to the history of Jews as a nation since Abraham came to the promised land until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948; the bottom floor is home to my personal favorite - the gallery of synagogues, displaying intricate reproductions of iconic houses of worship serving Jewish communities around the globe. This floor is where you’ll also find the most recent addition to the museum - the world’s oldest most-complete Bible. The museum's database of Jewish genealogy allows visitors to explore their own family histories, but for this you’d probably want to contact museum staff in advance.
3) The Israeli Museum at the Yitzhak Rabin Center - Located in northern Tel Aviv on a hillside with panoramic views of the city, the Yitzhak Rabin Center houses an extraordinary museum that intertwines two parallel narratives - the life story of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin along with the Israeli experience in the course of his lifetime. The museum's innovative approach uses audiovisual technology and interactive displays to create an immersive experience. Visitors receive personal headsets that activate automatically as they move through the spiral exhibition space, guiding them chronologically from Israel's pre-state era through the 1995 Rabin assassination. It's been thirty years since the assassination that shook Israel to its core, and in many senses Israeli society is still living in its aftermath.
If you wish to delve deeper into Tel Aviv's museum offerings, tune in next week for part two of my museum recommendations.
Thanks for listening and you’ll hear from me again when the next episode comes out next week.Until then - I am Tel Aviv tour guide Tomer Chelouche, signing off and hoping to see you soon in Tel Aviv.
