The photography exhibition “Stations in Time – Nostalgic Tel Aviv Through the Lens of KKL-JNF Photographers” is currently on display at the Allenby Light Rail Station in Tel Aviv and will remain open through July 2026. The exhibition was created through a collaboration between the KKL-JNF Archive and Tevel Metro, the operator of the Red Line of the Tel Aviv light rail.
Dozens of historic photographs capture the spirit of Tel Aviv as it was from the days of the British Mandate to the early years of the State of Israel. Most of the images come from the KKL-JNF Archive, which preserves more than 120 years of life in the Land of Israel. Several photographs were carefully colorized by Tamar Hayardeni together with Jerusalem Fine Art Prints, bringing new depth to familiar scenes.
The exhibition was curated by Efrat Sinai and Moran Har-Yehezkeli of KKL-JNF, alongside Orit Lotringer of Tevel Metro.
“We chose to color some of the images to remind the public that everyday life was not lived in black and white,” says Sinai. “Tel Aviv of the past was vibrant, full of movement and light, just as it is today.”
The colorization process was grounded in historical research. In one photograph of Allenby Street, researchers discovered that the white covering visible in the image was snow that fell in Tel Aviv in 1937. The exhibition also features a rare photograph of Zina and Meir Dizengoff, who were seldom photographed together. As part of the research, Dizengoff’s eye color was identified so the image could be colored accurately.
Visitors are offered a vivid glimpse into daily life in the city’s early years: barefoot newspaper vendors on Allenby Street, students crowded into classrooms, the Herzliya Gymnasium in its early days, and municipal elections in the 1920s.
“The choice of Allenby Station was intentional,” explains Lotringer. “Many of the photographs were taken in the very area where the light rail now passes. The exhibition creates a living bridge between the Tel Aviv of yesterday and the Tel Aviv of today. We invite passengers to pause between trains and take a moment to experience the past coming alive in the heart of the city.”
An interactive three-by-three-meter pavilion is also installed at the station. Visitors can step inside a space designed to evoke an enveloping forest. Inspired by KKL-JNF’s deep connection to nature and forestry, the pavilion offers a calming visual experience in the midst of the urban landscape,
