White City, Black City

'White City, Black City' focuses on two interconnected narratives woven into the first Hebrew city of Tel Aviv. Firstly it is an analysis of the process by which the image of the White City was created – a fabricated, invented image, intended to tie in with an arc that attaches national meaning to the city's existence and to reinforce it. The second story lies underneath: the story of the 'Black City'. Rotbard reveals the wiping out of the Arab city of Jaffa and the inclusion of its wretched remnants within the borders of the Hebrew city. The white Tel Aviv exists in those places where the black Jaffa does not, and vice versa. The book is a harsh indictment of the destruction and obliteration process, and it is critical of the lack of awareness and the denial that go hand in hand with this destruction. This book promises to become the central text on Tel Aviv – it's publication in Hebrew was hailed as 'pathbreaking' and a 'masterpiece'.