Heichal HaTarbut

Heichal HaTarbut (Hebrew for "the hall of culture"), officially the Charles Bronfman Auditorium, is the largest concert hall in Tel Aviv and the home of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. It opened in October 1957 on Habima Square as the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium, named after its donor, to a design by Dov Karmi, Ze'ev Rechter and Yaakov Rechter. Leonard Bernstein conducted the inaugural concert with pianist Arthur Rubinstein as soloist. After a renovation from 2011 to 2013 it reopened in 2013 as the Charles Bronfman Auditorium.

The building has two halls of different sizes. The main hall, the Lowy Concert Hall, was upgraded during a renovation of the interior spaces in which the acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota took part; the project went on with the opening of the Sela Lounge in 2015 and was completed with the dedication of the Zucker Hall in 2017. The auditorium seats 2,412. Besides the orchestra's concerts, the hall hosts music performances, musicals, ballets, plays and shows by leading Israeli and international artists.

Heichal HaTarbut is a performance venue, so a visit means attending a concert or show from its performance calendar; the operator asks visitors to confirm with the ticket office that a performance is going ahead. The hall's box offices open about an hour before a performance starts. Because of heavy traffic in the area, the operator recommends arriving close to the time the doors open, and on show evenings at least half an hour before the event; latecomers are seated wherever there is free space.

Entry to performances is only with a ticket bought through an authorised seller; other tickets are not honoured. The hall's box offices open about an hour before a performance and are run by the ticket offices that sell the show. Wheelchair users should tell the ticket office handling the performance when booking that they will sit in a wheelchair with a companion beside them; the accessible seats for wheelchair users and their companions are paid seats.

Heichal HaTarbut stands on Habima Square at 2 Huberman Street, Tel Aviv. On show evenings the car parks and nearby streets are very busy, and the operator recommends arriving in the area at least half an hour before the event. Hall visitors pay a one-off flat rate of 36 shekels in the Culture car park when they validate the parking ticket at the machines in the foyer. Discounted parking for 20 shekels is offered at the TLV Mall car park (4 Carlebach Street), open 24/7 and valid for up to seven hours; ask the representative at the main entrance.

Of people carrying weapons, only those with handguns may enter, and only on showing a valid licence and ID. Vehicle batteries (e-bikes, scooters and the like), motorcycle helmets and any sharp object may not be taken into the hall; they can be left at the artists' entrance. Once your entry ticket has been scanned you cannot leave the hall grounds. The building has lifts, accessible steps, handrails and accessible toilets, and headsets for people with hearing loss are available at a stand at the hall entrance against a deposit.