A Special Library In A Garden

A children's program at the Garden Library.

Many cities around the world have "those" areas, you know, the ones that count large numbers of homeless people, people with low incomes, substance abusers, recent immigrants without documents, high crime, degraded housing stock. Tel Aviv has seen this section of its city, too. But that's where a little something different happened, courtesy of a garden and a library.

Within this poor community, the garden already existed - Lewinsky Garden. Then someone added two bookcases filled with books. And that was really starting something because poor neighborhoods generally don't have such amenities as museums, higher education, or gathering places. Just adding the bookshelves turned the garden into that gathering place, while the garden provided nature's art.


In Israel, approximately 40,000 immigrants come from Eritrea and 15,000 journeyed from Sudan. Only one percent of asylum applications are approved by the State of Israel, much less than most other developed nations. It leaves immigrants in something of a legal limbo and subject to discrimination by some Israeli citizens. Similar to what goes on here in the US, Israeli immigrants find themselves arrested and locked up merely for possessing items with some value, such as cellphones or expensive sneakers. Israeli courts have been slow to address issues of this sort.

Meanwhile, this small library in the public garden has grown, now housing approximately 3500 books in a variety of languages. It is all maintained exclusively by volunteers without much in the way of funding. Approximately 40-60 children benefit from its existence. There are 50 cardholding adults and 300 adults enrolled in its educational programs.

This summer, the library staged the play, "One Small Black", featuring the immigrant experience, to an audience of 1000 people, on World Refugee Day. Theater experts Yael Tal and Naama Redler directed.

The garden library lighted at night,

Of course, just the facts don't adequately tell what this community space has meant to the community. For most, it provides much needed emotional support, even extending its hands to help those who have been incarcerated and providing a forum where those from various backgrounds can begin communicating and fostering a spirit of understanding.

For those interested in more information, here is an article from the project itself: http://www.thegardenlibrary.org/about.htm.

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