How It Began
The year: 1963.
The Tel Aviv Municipality was trying to figure out what to do with the vast area of the "Exhibition Grounds," which stretched across the north of the city beyond the Yarkon River - 300 dunams, with pavilions and food stalls, huge grassy areas, flowerbeds, a grove, and a tiny lake with a handful of white swans.
For most of the year, the place was deserted. The new pavilions, inaugurated four years earlier, attracted thousands of Israelis and their families each year to the "Orient Fair," which took place during the summer months, and along with it, a Luna Park (amusement park) with rides for children was also temporarily active. During the other months of the year – there was a general desolation. Here an exhibition, there a convention, and many days and nights without any activity.
The company "Orient Fair Exhibitions Ltd.," which operated the area, conceived the idea of establishing an "Youth City" there. Its representatives met with representatives of the Tel Aviv Municipality's Sports and Youth Department and planned something grandiose: an entertainment center for youth that would span the entire Exhibition Grounds, providing a solution to the idleness and boredom that would engulf them during the "long summer vacation." To enhance the idea, they decided to involve the youth, making them partners in the project's management and execution. They selected a chosen delegation of young people who were active in various frameworks in the city, and they set out.
In June 1963, the members of the first "Youth City Council" plenum met.
They chose Oded Hermoni, a resident of Azor and a 12th-grade student at Hadash High School, to serve as "Head of the Council," effectively the young Mayor. Oded, active in HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed (Working Youth movement), a lover of literature and poetry, was a well-known figure in the "Youth Parliament of Tel Aviv High Schools." His deputies chosen were: Nava Perlmutter, Yaakov Flint, and Gideon Remez, son of Major General Aharon Remez – all high school students and active in various youth frameworks in the city.
For three weeks, the Council convened, together with representatives of the Municipality and representatives of the Orient Fair company, and formulated the "City's" format. They planned a youth parliament, a youth bazaar, pavilions where everything that interested young people would be concentrated, and even established a "youth police" to supervise order.
On July 7th, the first Youth City opened its gates to the general public, for a symbolic sum: 75 agorot for children and youth, 60 agorot for organized groups, and 1.25 liras for adults.
"The Youth City Opens Its Gates" - in the Hebrew Press
From the day it opened until it closed 40 days later, about fifty thousand people flocked to it.
Visitors wandered among the army pavilions showcasing airplanes and weapons, moved on to the science pavilion, strolled among the exhibits of the youth bazaar consisting of age-appropriate items, participated in discussions and symposiums, and Shmulik Rosen's quiz, and enjoyed the Luna Park amusements – a big and especially enjoyable bonus that brought money into the "Orient Fair" coffers and covered part of the costs.
The event made headlines in the newspapers.
David Ben-Gurion, the legendary Prime Minister, came to answer questions from the youth. After him came Golda Meir and Abba Eban from the coalition, and Menachem Begin from the opposition, ministers, Knesset members, and public figures who came to give speeches to the urban youth, hoping their words would be quoted in the newspapers. The success led to the next round of Youth City.
In the summer of 1964, the Youth Council chose Kami Yahalomi to head it. The young Mayor and council members received a special key and scroll from the legendary Mayor Mordechai Namir, a thousand doves were released into the air, and the young crowd once again flowed en masse to the youngest city in the country.
They enjoyed exhibitions dealing with stamps, Ha'apala (the historical clandestine immigration to Israel), sports, housing, science, and technology. They amused themselves at the Luna Park rides, listened to writers and singing groups, danced and sang, and had a great time. The symbolic entrance fees were affordable for everyone, and the number of visitors exceeded that of the first Youth City, even though the second, led by the young boy Kami Yahalomi, lasted only 18 days.
The third Youth City already found its groove. In 1965, the young City Council, led by the elected Rafi Ungar, convened. On opening day, the young leaders drove an historic fire truck through the streets of Tel Aviv, and upon reaching the gates of the Orient Fair, they announced the opening of the third City, which was strikingly similar to the second and first cities, but its number of visitors reached nearly 100,000 people.
From then on, Youth City continued to operate every summer, until the 80s.
Young councils were elected for short terms, the entrance fee was abolished, the duration of the event expanded and shortened, new pavilions were planned, exhibitions were erected and dismantled, stages and pavilions, art and artists, sports and athletes, and everything that formed the foundation of the first cities.
The number of visitors steadily increased, reaching hundreds of thousands, in years when the entire population of the country stood at three million people.
Generations came and went. New young people were elected to the council and other young people came to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Only the first three mayors – did not live to see all their successors. All three passed away in their prime, and a tragic coincidence was recorded in the history of Youth City.
What happened with the Mayors? And what was there in Youth City? About this, and more - in the following chapters.
The next Chapter:
Here, with a click, is the full story about the Tel Aviv Youth City (IrHanoar), which was an integral part of what happened in Israel between the sixties and the eighties.
For the full Story with all the chapters, click here:
Youth City and the Adolescence of Israeli Culture
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