Let me take you to an urban oasis…

At the very end of a pretty little street, there is a plaza with a fountain. Behind it, at the second floor of an old building, the door opens for you.

“Welcome to CityTree”. Someone smiles and invited you in. You can sit and relax, it’s quiet and there are no logos. Here corporations don’t exist. You can have dates, carrobs, and as much filtered water as you need. You can throw your food remainings in the compost bin, the kitchen is full of organic, local and healthy food, you can browse books at the shared library, go take a nap in one of the beds, or, most importantly, meet people.

The residents of the house are here to serve you, answer your questions, help you get around, connect you to everything that is good in the city. You will also meet other guests, maybe at the weekly communal dinner, open house or one of the workshops and courses taking place here. You will exchange ideas, recipes, make connections, hear good news about the change we see in the world.

Our vision is a city which is one green oasis. For the moment we are nurturing the first one in Tel Aviv - Please come and visit us!

We take our inspiration from old-times monasteries, caravansaries, pilgrims’ inns, and modern networks of B&Bs and Couch-Surfers.

At CityTree, one can practice voluntary simplicity, develop themselves, study, be inspired, and meditate. Disconnect from the everyday turmoil, think and share ideas about better ways of living. A place where one can be nourished, healed, receive shelter and advice, get a taste of a different, possible reality.

A place of nomadic siblinghood, re-creating a culture of service and of hospitality.

What you CANNOT find here

TV, newspapers, industrialized food, wedding rings, neckties, deadlines, guilt, stress, apologies, shopping, supermarkets, logos, “time is money”, “get a job”, mortgage.

What you CAN find here

Love, learning, a home, good food, quiet, work to be done, friends, support, time, compost, water systems, food growing in the balcony, smiles, hugs, a new culture; a spark in one's eye.

What do we offer?

A place to stay, to study, to be (alone or together), to work, to sleep; a place to experience the world without stress -- a new culture, to get a feeling for it, to create it together -- in the heart of the city.

When can I come? How can I join?

Curious guests are welcome for a while, to talk and to get to know each other -- our door is open during our opening hours.

Visitors who are looking for a deeper connection can come for a workshop, a course, a communal meal or ecological party, or to work and spend time together.

International travelers can come to stay in a paid B&B format, or in a shared hospitality format, if they’re active members of a hospitality-sharing network (e.g., CouchSurfing, BeWelcome, WarmShowers).

Friends of the community gift to the tree in a Dāna format - money, time or harvest.

The tree also gives them Dana: an oasis in the heart of the city, where one can rest and feel at home.

Some choose to come and live for a while, to learn and to develop.

The house tenants split their time between CityTree and their other occupation, as they see fit. Those who do not work outside of CityTree, don’t partake in the house’s expenses, devoting their time to nurturing the house, hosting, learning and teaching.

Those, on the other hand, who have a job (that pays them a salary), take part in the expenses, in accordance with their capabilities.

“I want to open my very own CityTree!”

What are you waiting for? Open your door. :)

And the Grand Vision?

Slowly, more points are springing up on the map; people live differently here. Slowly, the points get close enough to one another, and anyone can find, within a walking distance, somewhere to spend time quietly, without thinking about money. Slowly, people don’t want to live any other way, and their own homes are changing, becoming more open to guests and travelers, for fun and to show the beauty they found -- their new lives.

Slowly, this “different” life is the way to live, and anything that doesn’t do you good, becomes redundant and peels away:

Welcome to the New World, where everything is free, plentiful and well.

This is our story.

Stories can turn into reality - if they’re retold enough.

We’re here to tell the story, and to live it, because it treats us well, and it makes the world into a better place.

Are you coming?

References

Yuval (who lived at CityTree for five months):

“I feel like you’ve opened up my independance. It’s massive. You’ve opened the desire and passion to try things, to believe, to a healthy extent, in the impossible -- and then find out it’s possible. A sort of blessed innocense.

Thank you for the opportunity to live and learn to together. This time was very meaningful for me. I think I grow quite a lot while at the Tree, which is fund, because a setting that invites growth, is one where it’s fun to grow.

You’re a pioneer, Tami.

You’ve created something amazing here.”

Josh & Julia (our first paying guests at the eco-B&B):

“Staying at City Tree is like no other experience in Tel Aviv! As guests we not only got a comfortable room, but a vibrant community of conscious individuals who are working towards improving themselves and the world. We really enjoyed being able to sit in on several workshops and illuminating conversations. The location is amazing for exploring the heart of the city, the space is beautiful and funky, and Tami's gorgeous breakfasts were unique, delicious and nutritious, and kept us going for most of the day! If you are an open-minded person and are eager to learn about permaculture in the Tel Aviv community, it would be a shame not to stay at CityTree, or at least pay them a visit.”

Sarah (visiting from England):

“CityTree is a guaranteed unique experience. Great location, absolutely delicious food (especially surprising for a Scottish carnivore like me), and the most wonderful, generous, interesting people you're likely to ever come across. I stayed with the community for only a few days and was welcomed as if I were part of a family. There's no better way to discover a new country than to stay with people that know the city well, will make you feel comfortable and can show you what the place is actually about. On top of that with CityTree, you can experience a new way of living. A culture which will make your insides feel healthy, evaporate your stress AND will help save the world (yes I said it). And all this without compromising any things you would have in your own home. The only downside to staying with these guys is that regular food will never taste the same when you return home. Fresh organic local Israeli produce prepared by (the seriously talented) Tami is unforgettable. If you want to find something genuinely special go here, immediately!”

Albert (visiting from Vienna)

“The people at City Tree don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk. The ecological principles that form the foundation of their community's philosophy and practices do not impose any sorts of privations on the traveller, or require any major process of readjustment, but are instead easily adoptable guidelines to contribute to a more environmentally balanced mode of living - an attitude that necessarily will have to be adopted by more and more households and organizations as we're heading into an uncertain future anyway. And they're lovely people to boot. The exuberant, unlimited round-the-clock free buffet of delicious organic fruit, and the magic tricks Tami can perform on them, will make your palate opt for this accommodation every time. And the location right on Tel Aviv's loveliest plaza is just sublime”.