Between Jaffa and Tel Aviv, 1870–1930

“Between Jaffa and Tel Aviv is both a compelling personal memoir and a significant historical source. The book is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper, more nuanced understanding of late Ottoman Palestine and the foundations of modern Israel.”

* Jewish Book Council *“Between Jaffa and Tel Aviv is a first-hand account by a Jewish ‘native son’ of a dramatic period in the history of Palestine. A brilliant introduction contextualizes the memoir, while photographs, maps, and annotations make this book a superb resource for both research and teaching.” – Abigail Jacobson, author of “Oriental Neighbors: Middle Eastern Jews and Arabs in Mandatory Palestine”“With this excellent translation, the Chelouche memoir joins the canon of texts students must consult to understand Palestine’s transformations in the nineteenth and early-twentieth century. Equally valuable is Campos and Aleksandrowicz’s lucid, erudite introduction contextualizing Chelouche’s fascinating life.” – Jonathan Marc Gribetz, author of “Reading Herzl in Beirut”“Beautifully translated and masterfully introduced, this memoir is a riveting historical document about Ottoman Palestine, Mandatory Palestine, early Zionism, and the intertwined histories of Jaffa and Tel Aviv. With its vivid narratives, nostalgia to bygone Arab-Jewish coexistence, as well as inner contradictions and blind spots, it offers a fascinating window into Sephardi perception and reception of Zionism. An invaluable resource for students and scholars.” – Orit Bashkin, coeditor of “Jews and Journeys: Travel and the Performance of Jewish Identity”

Yosef Eliyahu Chelouche (1870–1934) was a prominent builder, entrepreneur, public figure, and founder of Tel Aviv.

Michelle U. Campos is associate professor of history and Jewish studies at Pennsylvania State University. A historian of late Ottoman Palestine, she is the author of Ottoman Brothers: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Early Twentieth-Century Palestine.

Or Aleksandrowicz is assistant professor in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. He is an architectural and urban historian and serves as the chief editor of the Architectures book series at Babel Publishers. Aleksandrowicz is also a descendant of Yosef Eliyahu Chelouche.