Today, it is run under the auspices of the Archbishop of Vienna but endeavours to be known as a meeting ground for different peoples - after all, it lies in close proximity to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western (Wailing) Wall and the the Dome of the Rock, all extraordinarily holy places for Christians, Jews and Muslims...
Falafel in Israel isn’t just these little balls though - it’s also a dish in its own right, and usually served in a pitta bread, stuffed with all sorts of delicious salads and sauces. These might include picked vegetables, as well as fried aubergine slices, tomatoes and onions and tahini - a creamy sesame seed paste...
The house has an enormous library - and I mean enormous - with over 20,000 books. Ben Gurion spoke and read several languages, and his tastes were eclectic (reflected in his volumes of books). The house also showcases quite a few interesting letters to and from the man himself to Churchill, Einstein, etc.
Neve Tsedek was, in fact, the first Jewish neighbourhood built outside the port of Jaffa, as far back as 1887. With people desperate to escape overcrowding, they moved south and built colourful buildings with low roofs. Soon, the area was attracting a host of artists and writers (including the Israeli Nobel Prize- winning author Shai Agnon...)
Located in the ‘Prenzlauerberg Triangle’ between Schönhauser Allee, Knaackstrasse and Kollowitzstrasse, it was consecrated in 1827 and for over half a century was the only burial ground available for Berlin’s Jews. Today, it is nothing more than a haunting reminder of the horrors of the holocaust for, put simply, there are no relatives to tend the graves.
This is all about cutting out the ‘middleman’ — matching those who need something with those who have it. You have a car and I don’t? I can lend mine to you. You have a toolkit and I want to do some DIY? I can borrow yours. Put in its most simple form, it’s about ‘unlocking’ underused or undervalued assets and putting them to good use...
Still, the area has a lot of character, beautiful architecture, and a vibrant nightlife (particularly in the summer, when people spill out into the streets). With its punk rock vibe, small independent stores, endless art galleries and array of cheap eateries (in particular Turkish restaurants) it’s popular hasn’t really waned...
Sasaki, I discovered, as I read on, owns almost nothing. It wasn’t always this way…a while back he was a typical typical Tokyo professional - stressed, anxious, and permanently exhausted. He needed answers and decided to begin with stripping down his possessions……until he was left with almost nothing...
