Tel Aviv, Israel — City Information
City Facts
- Location
- Sharon plain, Mediterranean coast of Israel.
- Time Zone
- GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from 1 April to the Saturday between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur).
- Electricity
- 220 volts AC, 50Hz; unique Israeli three-square-pin plugs are standard in newer buildings (many sockets also accept older two-pronged plugs).
- Average January Temperatures
- 14°C (57°F).
- Average July Temperatures
- 29°C (84°F).
- Average Annual Rainfall
- 552mm (22 inches); almost all Nov-Apr.
Cost of Living
| 1.00 GBP = 5.54 ILS |
| 1.00 USD = 3.45 ILS |
| 1.00 EUR = 4.87 ILS |
| Currency conversion rates as of 19 July 2011 |
Special Events
All Jewish religious festivals and holidays (like Shabbat) are 25 hours long, starting at nightfall and ending the following nightfall. Dates are fixed according to the ancient Jewish calendar, and may fall on a different date every year. Muslim, Christian and other religious holidays are also observed by the respective populations.
Purim
March
A day of fancy dress and a mini-carnival.
Throughout the city
Pesach (Passover)
Usually April
Starts with ‘Seder Night' - a festive ritual meal on the first evening. Nothing which is ‘leavened' is allowed all week including bread and beer. First and last days are holidays.
Throughout the city
Israel Independence Day
Usually May
Celebrations of the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948 with concerts and picnics.
Throughout the city
Tel Aviv Pride
June
Israel's biggest, loudest, most ostentatious gay celebrations.
Throughout the city
Jaffa Nights
August
Annual four-day street festival of music, theater, dance and art exhibitions.
Old Jaffa
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
September-October
Two-day family celebrations.
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
September-October
For a week colorful little shelters and 'booths' are erected everywhere to echo the refuges sought by Jews in the dessert after the exodus from Egypt. Starts two weeks after Rosh Hashanah.
Throughout the city
Chanukah (Festival of Lights)
December
In homes, workplaces, and in the street, hanukkiot candelabras are lit in the evening with one extra candle each night for a week, throughout the city.
Note: *Only the first and last days of Passover and Sukkot are national holidays, but there may be some disruption on intermediate dates; many shops and businesses may open but close early. The festival of Chanukah is a holiday period, but it is not a national holiday - businesses remain open.
