Impact

The Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theater recently opened a new rooftop studio and renovated rehearsal and performance spaces, thanks to the generosity of the Dellal Family. A project of The Tel Aviv Foundation with the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo and the Israel Ministry of Culture and Sport, the extensions were officially opened by Guy Dellal and family in memory of his parents, Zehava and Jack, in the presence of Mayor Ron Huldai. The event featured fantastic performances by Batsheva Dance Company, the Ironi A School of Dance, and the Maslool – Professional Dance Program at Bikurey Ha’Itim Center.

The legacy of the late Lou Dunst from San Diego, a longtime friend of Tel Aviv, was strengthened with the recent donation in his name to Warm Homes, an after-school program for children ages 3-7 from low socio-economic backgrounds in south Tel Aviv. Warm Homes provides a supervised and supportive environment for at-risk children to facilitate healthy development and prevent social delinquency.

The Board of the Bernard van Leer Foundation met in Tel Aviv on September 8, 2019, with program partners The Tel Aviv Foundation and the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo to discuss progress on future plans for Urban95 in Tel Aviv. Urban95 is the family-friendly urban design program which encourages planners and service providers to imagine their city from 95cm, the average height of a three year old to create public spaces and services that promote positive early childhood development.

Celebrating 100 years of the Bauhaus design movement in Tel Aviv, the newly-renovated Liebling Haus-White City Center opened on September 19, 2019. A joint project of The Tel Aviv Foundation, the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo and the German Government, the event was held in the presence of the current and former State Secretaries of the German Ministry for the Interior, Building and Community – Mr Marco Wanderwitz and Mr Gunther Adler – as well as the German Ambassador to Israel, Susanne Wasum-Rainer.

150 children started the new school year on September 1 in a brand new kindergarten, thanks to the generosity of the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Charitable Foundation. ‘Vivienne’s Kindergarten’, built by The Tel Aviv Foundation, will provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for children ages 3-6 in the Neve Ofer neighborhood in south Tel Aviv.

In 2007, Jaffa’s coastline was the site of a mountain of 1.3 tons of garbage. Today, the Jaffa Seaside “Midron” Park is a green oasis of coexistence. On September 20, 2019, The Tel Aviv Foundation, together with project partners, Brian and Nancy Malk from San Diego, and in the presence of Mayor Ron Huldai, Deputy Mayor Asaf Harel and Ms Swikar Blak, Principal of the nearby Hassan Arafa School, dedicated the park.

In July 2019, we held a dedication ceremony at the Onn special education kindergarten, which the Foundation renovated with the support of a generous donation from Israeli donors, the Azoory family in on honor of their parents and grandparents, Ada and Noori Azoory. Mayor Ron Huldai spoke at the moving ceremony, a celebration of family and community, and a wonderful example of Tel Avivians giving back to their city. For so long, Israelis were only on the receiving end of philanthropy, but it is fantastic to see how local Tel Aviv philanthropy is becoming a growing phenomenon and helping to power the work of the Foundation.

The Tel Aviv Foundation continued its city coin partnership with the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo and Colu Tel Aviv throughout Pride Month 2019. For every Colu transaction in Tel Aviv, Colu and The Tel Aviv Foundation made a donation to the Tel Aviv LGBTQ Center’s Transgender Employment Center. The Center helps members of the transgender community to combat prejudice to find and integrate into employment.

The Tel Aviv Foundation in partnership with the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo and Colu Tel Aviv have embarked on a pilot to use local digital currency to achieve community goals – strengthening the local economy, reducing the cost of living and promoting the welfare of residents. Throughout May 2019, users can earn Tel Aviv Coins through transactions with local businesses through the Colu app. In addition, for every transaction, Colu and the Tel Aviv Foundation will donate 12 agorot to the ‘Children of Music’ program at the Lev Jaffa Youth Center, which empowers youth at risk through music.