Above: The Old City of Jerusalem near the Jaffa Gate

It takes less than an hour to drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but this proximity is deeply misleading. In the course of 42 miles, you change cultures and travel centuries. Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 and is a vibrant secular metropolis, one that is part of the modern European and Mediterranean world. Jerusalem is deeply religious, embedded in the Middle East and has been continuously occupied since 2,800 B.C.

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