The Great Synagogue of Tel Aviv is located on 110 Allenby Street, just east of the Shalom Tower and Rothschild Boulevard. The building was completed in 1926 and was renovated in 1970 with a new external facade of arches.
In the past, the synagogue was at the center of Little Tel Aviv, but today the building lies at the heart of the business and financial center. The emigration of the local residents during the 1960s brought about a recognizable reduction in the number of prayer-goers in The Great Synagogue, such that today the impressive building is used by only a few congregants who pray on holidays and special occasions.
When walking down Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, the Great Synagogue is hard to miss. One of the grandest buildings in the city, it is a center of Jewish life in one of Israel’s least religious cities. Come by for a Shabbat service, or just stop by to see the architectural beauty. As Allenby is one of the most bustling streets in Tel Aviv, it is convenient to come while seeing everything else the city has to offer.
But that is not all. To soak up the typical, hip Tel Aviv atmosphere, you should check out the plaza surrounding the Great Synagogue, which is filled with fine dining restaurants and hip bars. At first, it’s weird, the dissonance between Thursday night’s entertainment and the gigantic structure with its accompanying associations. After remembering our visits to Europe, and the proximity between churches and places of entertainment devoid of spiritual definition, we realized that perhaps this is the place that symbolizes, most of all, the modernity of Tel Aviv.
Dine al fresco at Eyal Shani’s Port Said restaurant, or check out the magic produced by Santa Katarina’s tabun oven. There are several other lively spots in the area, just go and see where the night takes you.
