026 Getting Brazilian

Aug 21

Imagine beach volleyball played with no hands. The moves are similar to soccer, but on the beach. That’s footvolley. The sport first landed in Tel Aviv In the early 2000s, when Brazilian football players who joined Israeli soccer teams, met with a group of football-loving people at Gordon Beach. Some of them later became household names in Israel, such as actor Oshri Cohen and comedian Shalom Michaelshvili, who are attributed with popularizing the footvolley sport in Israel. For the past decade it has grown from a casual beach game into a fully professional three-tier national league system with 58 teams competing across first, second, and third divisions.

For the past month or so, spectators gathered on Frishman Beach every Saturday at 4 PM, to watch the games of the Israeli Footvolley League. The season carried special significance, memorializing footvolley players Dor Malka and Dorin Atias who were murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7th, 2023. Actually, right across the road stretching along the Tel Aviv Promenade sits the American Embassy. A large crowd gathers in front of it every Saturday before sunset, to cry for help in securing the release of Israeli Hostages held captive in Gaza since that horrific day. Protesters and footvolley players unite in this cry, at the same time and in the same place.

The grand final of the 2025 Israeli footvolley league was held on Tel Aviv’s sandy beach last weekend. By the way, in Israel the sport is named Fuchivolley, probably because it has easier pronunciation for Hebrew speakers. Back to the grand final - I can’t tell you who won, as I’m pre-recording this episode. I can tell you that you might find it interesting to look up what happened in the game wrapping up the summer season in Tel Aviv as it was expected to be dramatic.

The games featured world-class Brazilian players alongside rising Israeli talents, but none drew more attention than the Israeli duo named Blue and White, Ron Ben Yishai and Maor Haas. The champions who dominated the local scene for three years in a row had just returned from the European championship. When the Israel-Iran war threatened to keep them homebound due to flight cancellations, they chartered a boat and sailed for 21 hours across the Mediterranean Sea, to reach Cyprus, from where they took a plane to Stuttgart, Germany, just to reach the tournament. And, yes, they came triumphant, holding their title as European Champions for the third time in a row.

It’s now up to you to look up whether Ben Yishai and Haas successfully defended their Israeli championship for the fourth straight year on the sands of Frishman Beach in Tel Aviv. Either way, they will still be considered the undisputed masters of a sport that has quietly become one of Tel Aviv's most distinctive sports.

I was thinking about this unique Tel Aviv success story as I walked past the newly installed footvolley nets stretching along the city's coastline - dozens of them added just this year for public use. Here's a sport that perfectly captures Tel Aviv's character: Brazilian beach culture transplanted to Gordon Beach, casual weekend games evolving into European championships, and the kind of stubborn determination that sends local champions across the Mediterranean by boat rather than miss a tournament. The fact that a sport born on Tel Aviv's beaches now dominates European competition, with our champions willing to sail through the night to defend their titles, says something profound about how this city transforms imported culture into homegrown 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 -

Brown BoBo Hotel used to be a boring office building, the former headquarters of an Israeli insurance company. Turned into a 201-room hotel, this conversion off Rothschild Boulevard, was designed in a bold fashion, drawing inspiration from the 1970s "Hair" musical and old-fashioned Italian films. A kind of eclectic atmosphere that mixes classic elegance with raw urban touches relates to the area’s transformation from a forgotten quarter to one of the city's most vibrant districts. The hotel's rooftop dipping pool and terrace offer panoramic views overlooking the non-stop city.

Brown BoBo Hotel is located a short walk away from Gan HaHashmal - literally "The Electricity Garden" - Tel Aviv's most dramatic urban renewal success story. From the hotel's entrance to the starting point of my Gan HaHashmal audio tour, it will take you no longer than five minutes by foot. Beginning at the impressive Jacobson’s Building with its curvaceous facade, this walking experience traces the area's journey from prestigious 1920s residential quarter to industrial decay and back to today's creative renaissance. You'll discover stories of ambitious architects like Dov Tschudnovski, who rose from construction worker to celebrated builder after spotting a flaw in blueprints, and hear tales of love affairs that played out in elegant eclectic style houses along Levontin Street.

The tour guides you through HaMoshavot Square, where horse-drawn carriages once departed for Jewish colonies across the land, past the historic water tower that still stands next to ancient well remains, and through streets where super-hip designer boutiques now operate. As you stroll through Hasharon Garden - Tel Aviv's oldest public garden still serving its original purpose since the 1920s - you'll understand how this neighborhood became the perfect metaphor for urban reinvention in Tel Aviv.

By the tour's end at Abraham Hostel, housed in a converted telephone exchange building, you'll have witnessed the complete urban lifecycle that makes Tel Aviv so unique. The neighborhood's story mirrors the city's broader narrative: prestigious beginnings, industrial pragmatism, and creative rebirth - all contained within a few blocks.

You can make sure you've downloaded my Gan HaHashmal 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 -

The Electrifying Story of Gan HaHashmal and Its Architecture

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.

In the last episode, I took you through Tel Aviv's southern neighborhoods - from ancient Jaffa to the trendy bars of Florentin and the electrifying transformation of Gan HaHashmal. Today, let me continue our northward journey through the city's districts, each with its own story to tell:

1) Carmel Market, Nahalat Binyamin and Kerem HaTeimanim

The beating heart of Tel Aviv's commercial life centers around the Carmel Market, where vendors have been selling fresh produce, spices, and street food since the 1920s. This sensory overload of shouting merchants, colorful displays of exotic fruits, and the intoxicating aroma of fresh bread and grilled meats extends beyond just the market itself. The adjacent Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian street comes alive every Tuesday and Friday when local artisans sell handcrafted jewelry and artwork. Nearby Kerem HaTeimanim - the "Yemenite Vineyard", in Hebrew - maintains its village-like character with narrow alleyways and traditional restaurants. I really recommend coming over on a Tuesday, when the Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market is open and the Carmel Market isn’t too chaotic.

2) The Heart of the City: Rothschild Boulevard and Shenkin Street

The elegant spine of central Tel Aviv runs along Rothschild Boulevard. This tree-lined walkway combines urban sophistication with historical significance, its central pedestrian pathway serving as both recreational space and showcase of Bauhaus architecture. The boulevard's ground floors buzz with high-end restaurants and cocktail bars, while gleaming office towers above house startups and investment firms.

Just a few blocks away, Shenkin Street became synonymous with Israeli style in the 1990s, attracting young designers and independent boutiques that transformed it into the city's fashion capital. In recent years, Sheinkin Street has been invaded by delicacies, wine bars and other food places, making it even cooler than before. The nearby Habima Square, home to Israel's national theater and the auditorium where the Israeli Philharmonic performs, completes this cultural triangle.

3) Around Meir Garden

At the center of this vibrant district sits Meir Garden, a green oasis named after Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff. This charming park serves as the neighborhood's breathing space, featuring an ornamental pond, tree-lined paths, and the Tel Aviv LGBT Community Center, making it both a peaceful retreat and an important social hub. The garden's location just off King George Street makes it the perfect anchor point for exploring the surrounding cultural and commercial attractions.

Radiating outward from the garden, you'll find Dizengoff Center - Israel's first shopping mall with more than 400 stores - and the iconic Dizengoff Square with its circular design called "the Étoile of Tel Aviv". It’s also one of the most iconic examples of the White City of Tel Aviv - a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site for its modern architecture.

Just steps away lies Bugrashov Street, stretching all the way to the beach, with its mix of high end Sushi and Thai food, as well as French boulangeries and Italian restaurants. To the south, the elegant Bialik Street houses multiple cultural gems including Bialik’s House, built in 1925 as the home of the national poet Hayim Nahman Bialik, and the former City Hall building, which now serves as the city’s historical museum.

4) Sarona: From German Colony to Urban Oasis

Sarona began as a German Templar colony founded in 1871. After purchasing a vast plot of land, these industrious settlers drained swamps, planted trees, and built a thriving agricultural community. Under British control, in the 1940’s, the Germans were considered enemy-affiliated and so they were deported from the Holy Land, never to return.

Today, this painstakingly restored complex represents one of Tel Aviv's most dramatic transformations, with 33 original Templar buildings converted into boutique shops, restaurants and galleries. Sarona now functions as a green oasis amid glittering skyscrapers. The Sarona Food Market and landscaped gardens create a top notch lifestyle center.

Let’s stop here and we’ll continue our journey northward next time, as I wish to give you the complete urban tapestry of Tel Aviv.

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.