“Samstag ist Putztag” – it rhymes in German. Gitit, Arluk, Lerman and myself cleaned up a historical landmark sign in Tel Aviv. This sign marks a spot where a part of the struggle for independence took place in 40s.
Like many others is being neglected by the municipality. When you live in a vibrant city like Tel Aviv, your home isn’t only the 4 walls of your apartment, but also the city streets.
This cleanup task that we took on ourselves follows an action that we did two weeks ago. Thanks to its high concentration of Bauhaus buildings, Tel Aviv has earned the title of a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Getting the White City recognition from the UN took many years. The landmark monument was inaugurated in 2003 in a well celebrated event. Since then, the stone has been neglected and became black, like all the sidewalks around it.
Soap, water, lemon, bleach and 8 hands made the difference. Check out the before and after picture:
Picture credit: Lerman.
We cannot voluntarily clean up the whole city. These small actions make these places look better and they make us feel better. I hope that the municipality of Tel Aviv will wake up and do a better job with maintaining the city, especially in places where the city takes pride in.