Daniel Goldschmidt: We recently toured Sarona which opened in early 2014 and is the most exciting, interesting, and enjoyable complexes we have seen anywhere. It is located in the heart of what is a new central business district of Tel Aviv, with offices and apartments surrounding the beautifully landscaped complex.
Daniel Goldschmidt
Sarona combines a unique history and architecture with a dynamic urban experience. Together they create a center of culture, leisure and shopping in a relaxed and upscale atmosphere.
The renewed colony includes an urban park and 37 restored buildings of the original Sarona colony. These have been transformed into elegant cafes, fine restaurants, high-end art galleries and an assortment of specialty shops. One thing that impressed us was the warm atmosphere of the location for families or individuals looking for a welcome escape from their daily routines. We also found that Sarona has a most interesting history and a very exciting story of how the area was developed and renovated.
HISTORY
Templar Colony
In 1871, on the western bank of the Ayalon River the Templars established the colony of Sarona 38 years before the land for Tel Aviv was purchased. The Templars were pious German Christians. They did not believe in the need for a church since they carried their faith in their hearts. Therefore they did not build churches but believed by living in Palestine and working the land that they would hasten the arrival of the Messiah. Extreme hardship and disease took a heavy toll in human life during the first few years, but by 1889, 269 people lived in Sarona. There were 41 homes, a communal hall, a winery, workshops, barns, and sheds. It was one of the first modern agricultural settlements in Palestine and became a model for the Jewish pioneers. The Templars supplied Jaffa, which was four kilometers away, and later the Tel Aviv area with fresh fruits and vegetables,and other supplies. This “agriculture-for-profit “ was an economic innovation in a land that for centuries had practiced only subsistence farming. Grain crops and dairy industry first was established, then orchards and vineyards were planted.
British Mandate Period
In November 1917, British troops occupied Sarona, turning the community house into a field hospital and commandeering other buildings for military use. The Templars, a total of 850 people, were interned in Cairo and only were allowed to return in 1921. The residents returned to a plundered and vandalized colony but following negotiations with the British were compensated up to 50%. During the British Mandate, the settlement grew with agricultural areas expanding and new houses being built.
In the1930’s Templar youth embraced Nazism with the rise of Hitler. As a result, in September 1939 the British declared the German Templars “enemy nationals”. The colony became a detention camp and the residents were exiled to Germany and Australia.
At the beginning of World War II, the British security forces began occupying the colony. After the War, the fortified camp became a British military base and naturally became a favored target for different Jewish undergrounds and eventually a symbol of the armed struggle against the British rule.
State of Israel
In December 1947 the British handed over the Sarona camp to the Jewish leadership as they evacuated Tel Aviv. It then became the first military camp under the independent and open command of Haganah. In May 1948, the government ministries were temporarily housed in some of the Templar homes as Jerusalem was under siege. The name “Sarona” was changed by David Ben Gurion to the “Kiryah” (the compound). Only in the 2000’s did the government completely vacate their historical buildings. In 1955 the General Headquarters of the Israel Defence Forces were transferred to the northern section of the Kiryah where they are still located. Today the location is surrounded by greater Tel Aviv but in 1955 the compound was well outside the city.
One of our favorite stories we heard on our visit was about the Auster aircraft that fought during the War of Independence. The British sold the salvage of twenty Auster light aircraft to the Haganah. These were secretly reassembled from cannibalized parts during the last days of the British mandate underneath the old winery and twelve planes became operational and fought in the war. We toured a tunnel which connected the distillery with the winery and which was helpful in this endeavor. The inaugural flight of the Israel air force was made in one of these for reconnaissance purposes. Later the planes were used to bomb the approaching Egyptian forces by dropping lap held 25 to 35 pound bombs.
RENOVATION
In 2006 the area was given back its original name – Sarona – and a plan to preserve 37 historical buildings was approved. Some buildings were chosen to be restored to their original facade. The rest of the buildings were demolished. For the purpose of widening adjoining Kaplan Street, five Templar buildings were relocated in a complex engineering feat. Financing of the Sarona complex was ingenious: much of the original property was sold to commercial developers with the agreement that they would provide the funds for the restoration of the new recreational and shopping complex.
Daniel Goldschmidt
We really found our visit to Sarona to be a most exciting and enjoyable experience. By stretching our imagination we could even transport ourselves back to a time of elegance and of fantastic stories. Don’t miss visiting the Sarona Visitors Center and taking the guided tour through the historical museum. Also we hired a guide for our first visit which greatly enhanced our experience and I would certainly recommend this, so that you will understand and appreciate what you are looking at. We had a wonderful visit to Sorona where we discovered that yesterday, today, and tomorrow converged and created an intangible magic. We plan to return again soon and often.
Daniel Goldschmidt
