August 27 -Kfar Maccabia & Jeep Tour of South

David’s Comments:

Tuesday Morning August 27, 1957 Visiting New Port City of Ashkelon
 
“We are now in Tel Aviv & going to spend the next few days here. We are staying in private homes of Maccabia Hatzair.”
Maccabia Hatzair in Ramat Gan, (today commonly known as ‘Kfar Maccabiah”) is where the Jewish international sports competitions took place and continue to take place every four years.
In 1957 the 5th Maccabiah Games were held. Bob’s group was there and lodged in private homes since Kfar Maccabiah Hotel was not yet built.

The attached video of the 1957 Games shows that also the athletes stayed in private homes.
Today when Bob and Elaine visit Israel they spend time at the Kfar Maccabiah Hotel.

“ Last night we again roamed the streets of Tel Aviv in the rented jeep. “
Today Tel Aviv is a large metropolitan city with loads and cars and traffic jams. In 1957 the major streets existed, however there were very few cars and open areas. There was even a place to park your jeep!

“Today we are taking the jeep down South to the oil fields of Heletz and to the new oil field which was discovered this week. They are going to uncap in the morning & its potential can later be garnered. I think it will be a great thrill to watch. “
The Heletz Oil Field was the location of the first successful oil well found in Israel in 1955. Normally, an outside person would not be allowed to enter. However one of the guys that accompanied my father on his Negev jeep tour worked at Heletz and got him in.

“We will also visit the new port city of Ashkelon, this is the terminus of the Mediterranean of the oil pipeline from Eilat. It is almost complete.”
Ashkelon was started around 1951, mostly by Jewish immigrants from South Africa and Arab countries. By 1957, the population of Ashkelon was approximately 17,000.  Today it has grown to approximately 150,000 not, including the surrounding areas.