If you’re fed up with sticking your nose in your Hebrew grammar book, or just want to expand on your knowledge of Hebrew, then how about taking a Hebrew tour through the streets of some of the hippest parts of Tel Aviv, host to some of the best graffiti in the city?
This tour is probably one of the coolest we’ve come across, which not only takes you through the trendy neighborhood of Florentine, but also educates you about some of the finer points of Hebrew through a variety of amazing pieces of graffiti art (yep, you’ll come across some of the best graffiti artists in Israel), street signs, and even car bumper stickers. You will need a basic grasp of Hebrew to fully enjoy the tour (Ulpan Bet and above is recommended).
Led by the super knowledgeable and super friendly Guy Sharett, these tours are part of his collection of Streetwise Hebrew tours (soon to be expanded upon still further, according to Guy), including a market and cooking tour, a tour of the famous Levinsky spice market, and the Trumpeldor cemetery tour (where many of Israel’s leading political and literary figures are buried).
Guy originally started the tours in the summer of 2011, during the Social Justice protest in Tel Aviv, as a way of explaining some of the political and social commentary that was perhaps beyond the grasp of the Hebrew beginner.
There’s certainly an element of the unknown in many of the Hebrew terms and slang littered across the streets and pavements of Tel Aviv – unless you’re a Hebrew native speaker or wise enough to join one of Guy’s Streetwise tours!
We enjoyed ourselves a lot, and although our Hebrew is good, we learned a few new tweaks and nuances, and came across some awesome graffiti. Florentine is a colorful and happening neighborhood anyway, but this tour opens up another level of culture and language you’ll never come across on your own.
Highly recommended!
Just so you know, Guy also supplies a little notebook for jotting down some of the phrases and words you’ll come across. For swotting up on later, of course…
For more info on Guy and his Hebrew tours, see his official site, or catch him on Facebook.
