August 28
— Industrial zones between Netanaya & Tel Aviv
— ZOA arranges a lunch with the Mayor
— Elite Chocolate Factory in Ramat Gan
The original Elite factory in Ramat Gan which my father visited in 1957. The factory closed in 2003.
August 28, 1957 Wednesday
Dear Mom, Dad and Alan,
I am now in an apartment in Tel Aviv at a party. Today I went on a tour of Netanya with the ZOA group. It is an industrial suburb of Tel Aviv. We toured the plants of the Elite chocolate company & were given free samples. We then had lunch with the mayor who told us how the city doesn’t have a Socialist regime but rather is completely run on an American capitalistic system. Many U.S. companies have plants here.
In the late afternoon we came back to the apartments of the different people we are staying with. Time is really of the essence as every minute is spent seeing & learning something new.
We are now leaving the party to go to some café for ice cream & drinks. Regards to everyone. I haven’t heard from you for quite a while but tomorrow I am going to Jerusalem & will see if the mail is there.
Love,
Bob
Comments:
August 28, 1957 Wednesday
David’s Comments:
”I am now in an apartment in Tel Aviv at a party.“
My father was 22 years old and wanted to have some fun before returning to the U.S.
“Today I went on a tour of Netanya”
Netanya is on the Mediterranean, north of Tel Aviv.
In 1957 Netanya was still rather small with a population of around 30,000. By 2020 the population has risen to almost 250,000.
Add comments with Kiyat Sanz, Lanido hospital, Bob’s great grandchildren born in Lan.
“Today I went on a tour of Netanya with the ZOA group…We then had lunch with the mayor…”
It’s interesting that even in 1957, the ZOA was able to arrange meetings for their groups with high profile politicians. Back in 1957, the ZOA tours spanned six weeks, and not just ten days as it is today. Ten days is essentially a week of touring, since the first few days there’s jet lag and the last day is spent preparing for departure. On the other hand, a six week tour enables the young Jews to see Israel on more than just a superficial level and understand critical issues on a deeper level. It also creates a stronger bond among group members which can lead to future collaboration on pro-Israel projects when they return to the USA.
Netanya Industry add comments
“We toured the plants of Elite, the chocolate co., and were given free samples.”
As I was reviewing my dad’s letter mentioning the Elite factory in Ramat Gan, I was curious to find out whatever happened to it. Was it still open? In 2017 I visited the site of the factory on Jabotinsky street in Ramat Gan. The factory was no longer there, replaced by another building. After doing some research, I discovered that in 2003, Elite shut down its Ramat Gan factory, continuing the expansion of its plant in Upper Nazareth where the land was cheaper. (Today, the northern plant maintains a visitors center for chocolate lovers).
I still wanted to explore – who bought the land after the Elite factory moved? In 2006, this land was sold to the Crescent Group which involved Donald Trump. The group had plans to develop a 70-story luxury tower building that would carry Trump’s name. The building was never built and the land was sold 18 months later. Today, “Elite Towers” stands on the original factory site.
“In the late afternoon we came back to the apartments of the different people we are staying with.”
In the 1950’s it was not unusual for members of the various Jewish youth groups visiting Israel to be invited to stay at the homes of Israelis – whom they didn’t even know beforehand! This open-house hospitality surely helped to strengthen the feeling of brotherhood between Israelis and their fellow Jews from overseas.
