A Jaffa Tour: The Story of its American-German Colony

Explore one of the most beautifully restored parts of Jaffa that’s been largely ignored and has laid dormant for years. On this walking tour, you’ll stroll through Noga, the neighbourhood where Americans, and later, Germans settled in the port city. As you make your way from Gesher Theater into the heart of the former American-German colony, I’ll point out the tell-tale signs of the area’s rich history. Let me, Tomer Chelouche – a Tel Aviv city guide, take you off the beaten track as you explore the very first neighbourhood built outside the walls of the ancient city. Along the way, I’ll reveal how the area’s wooden-looking balconies represent the first makeshift timber homes created by the Americans when they arrived in 1866. You’ll learn about Rolla Floyd, one of the American colony’s first settlers. You’ll see the houses left by Americans and purchased by German settlers and the Beit Immanuel Guesthouse, once Hôtel du Parc where Kaiser Wilhelm II stayed when he visited Jaffa’s German colony. As you stroll the colony’s pretty streets, you’ll be captivated by the characters who shaped the area. You’ll hear about their naivety, jealousy, love and devotion and how it transformed the area. On this 45-minute Jaffa walking tour, you’ll have a chance to: • Visit Jaffa's famous Jerusalem Boulevard and hear how its creation was sparked from a fit of jealousy • See and touch the original wooden houses of the American settlers, including Maine Friendship House and Norton House • Be amazed by Immanuel Church’s neo-gothic architecture, which is one of its kind in the area • Marvel at an old ficus tree in the Baron's Garden of Beit Immanuel guest house • Appreciate the renovated Drisco hotel and see the restored drawings on the walls of its historical beer cellar • Meander through the streets of up-and-coming Noga and visit artisan galleries and workshops This tour tells the unusual story of devoted American, and later, German Christians who came to settle in the Holy Land in the mid-1800s with the hopes of finding salvation. Their story deviates from the mainstream narrative told at Jaffa’s more touristic sites so join me on this stroll as we see a different side of the port city.

Price: £7.99 from VoiceMap