Jerusalem
- Text by King Adz
- Photography by Guy Pitchon
After doing a book launch in Tel Aviv in 2010, street culture writer King Adz got the opportunity to get on the road and check out the skate scene in Jerusalem from the inside.
He kicked back with Gili Levi, then owner of the only skate shop in J-ru and a vital part of Jewish skate history. Gili’s self-named skate shop sits in a regular row of storefronts, sandwiched between a travel agent and a place that trades in Nepalese clothes. “I started the skate shop as everyone here was being really evil to the skaters,” explained Gili to Adz. “I wanted to help them out, mentor them.”
With Gili and Tel Aviv local photographer Guy Pitchon as his guides Adz explored the holy city and these were his top spots.
What’s Up J-Ru?
Hummus Ben Sira
Ben Sira Street
This hummusiya run by former Bezalel art students in the midst of Jerusalem’s hipster district serves up the very best gloop in town.
Uganda
Aristobolus Street
Established in 2005, this bar, café and venue daylights as a specialist record, DVD and comic store which imports music and graphic novels from around the globe and sells homegrown Israeli music and fanzines too.
Hakatze
Shushan
Not only is Hakatze an LGBT-friendly venue that hosts a weekly drag night and many local bands, it was also a proud stop on the Jerusalem Pride March 2010.
Sira
Ben Sira Street
This mini club plays techno and house music every weekend and welcomes a plethora of local and international deejays to play inside its bangin’ four walls.
Bass Club
Histadrut Street
Art meets live music at Bass Club most nights of the week, where the soundtrack can be anything from dubstep to rock and roll to African beats.
Gili’s Skate Shop
Shamai Street
As the hub of the Jerusalem skate community, Gili’s is not just a place to get your skate-related hardwear and threads, it’s somewhere to hang out, watch skate movies and talk about anything to do with pushin’ the board.
You can read more King Adz in The Stuff You Can’t Bottle, his his unique insight into the lives of young people across the globe, published by Thames & Hudson.
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