Facher Bayadsi "every language has its own pearls and it embraces within it values, art, language ornaments, tradition and morality"
Facher Bayadsi, a resident of Haifa, a graduate of the Faculty of Law, a graduate of the Network School of Communication and a program presenter, won the tender for the Haifa municipality spokesperson for the Arabic language, and from the beginning of November 2020, he officially fills the position. Bayadsi is married and father of two children, has lived in Haifa for over 20 years "with fun and love and with a lot of pride", in Wadi Nisnas.
On the decision to compete for the tender, on the goals, purpose and vision
As the CEO of the cable car complex in Haifa, what made you run for the position of Haifa municipality spokesman for the Arabic language and will you be able to combine the two?
Speaking is something related to my world, the media and the world of communication, doubly so for a person who has always been connected to the actions and things that are happening around us. For me it is a great challenge to be an integral part of a desirable endeavor and a partner, even if it is a tiny one with a modest and small contribution, in all my changes that will be good for the city of Haifa.
In our world there are two types of people, those who would prefer to curse the darkness a thousand times and continue to do so day and night, and those who, in contrast, get up and light a candle. I prefer to light the candle, which, even though it is small, still has the power to banish great darkness. We are allowed to dream to aspire and desire, but fumes and laziness will never inspire hope, will not sense action and will not advance a nation.
This is a part-time position, what will it include?
Although this is a part-time job, I learned in my youth that life is measured horizontally. Does not matter How many You were, the main thing is what you led, what you promoted and what exactly you did. Quite a few dedicated and hard-working people promoted work out of love and made their mark in short periods of time, when sometimes their work exceeded that of those who had been in their position for many years. Although I work part-time, my love for the city is full. Falafel has a portion and also a half portion, but not with love. I will give to Haifa and the interests of the Arab public from myself as much as I can. Certainly not in the scope of the job, on the contrary, much more. I came to serve and work, and I am full of determination and motivated, with the aim of succeeding.
What are your goals?
To do good for the city of Haifa in general and promote the interests of the Arab public in particular. To create a direct dialogue and a close relationship between everyone, with everyone who puts the good of the Arab public before his eyes. To bring the hardships and the many years of neglect, decades of great neglect. Elseir with the mayor in schools, community centers, neighborhoods and alleys that have not been seen for decades, such as poor and finished infrastructures that have not received basic care for decades and have only received cosmetics and apparent repairs, the price and consequences of which we all see and pay for, today.
My two little children learned to count to one hundred at the age of 3, why? Because when we walked every day and every morning to school, we developed a game "Let's count how many potholes there are from here to school". In less than a kilometer we counted a hundred and could have reached more. I am saddened, and always stung, by the sad and difficult reality of the Arab neighborhoods that has been created for many years. Through lights and decorations and parties they created a virtual reality, as if life in the Arab neighborhoods was similar to life in heaven. I sat in my house on the balcony when people walked around me on Shabbat under the house, and took pictures of the balcony and the laundry with excitement and with a sparkle in their eyes, when the truth itself and the actual reality are completely different, and they are painful and sad.
My goals are to bring out the future projects that the municipality is diligently promoting, to tell proudly about the rehabilitation plans of the neighborhoods and to announce substantial, professional, smart and business-like actions, even if slow. Not crumbs, as we've been used to for many years, nor doing it with the method of putting out fires and applying plasters, saturated with paracetamol and abundant with ophthalmic products. We and our children deserve a better future.
For more than three years, the position of the municipality's spokesperson for the Arabic language was not filled, why?
What happened before, I have no idea, and I try not to answer anything that is not in my knowledge. From my short experience and as of today, I can say and testify emphatically that there is a professional speaking department with wonderful and high-quality people. The relationships inspire respect and inspiration and the professionalism is evident. Although I have been in the speaking department for a short time, it is definitely enough for a positive and good impression. Today, in my opinion, the department is structured in a very orderly manner and meets all the needs of all the populations in the city of Haifa, and that is what is important.
As part of your position, and as someone who will be responsible for the city's image in the media and for strengthening relations, how do you intend to do this?
I intend to maintain direct contact with the Arab public, with the Arab press and with all those journalists who contact and cover the city of Haifa and everything that happens in it and/or related to it, directly or indirectly. I will tour with the mayor in all the places you will be, and I am sure there will be many such places. I intend to proudly bring the work out. Every action that is spread outwardly is, in practice, a paragon to the partners of that action, and yes, even great, loving people who shower them with praise, appreciation, love and words of thanks.
In each of us there is a child growing up who needs a hug, caress and appreciation, and every beautiful image of brotherhood, patience, mutual guarantee and cooperation, I will make sure that it reaches the whole world so that an image will emerge that reflects the beautiful face of the city of Haifa, because the mosaic and the human texture of Haifa are the magic and the shining beauty And her invincible. We will promote the common life and bring it to the world, we will illustrate the common existence so that it will be a model for imitation and inspiration. This is the aspiration and expectation from a city where the menorah, the cross and the crescent will continue to be displayed forever, and always together.
Could the improvement of the image in the Arab media affect the business relations with Dubai, after the peace agreements?
Obviously it will have an effect. We build the template and pour together with investors, the content and draw the clear lines of the vision that will serve the city for years to come, with a smart and professional vision and create plans that will serve the interests of the city's residents on the one hand and those that will bring investors on the other. The more the agenda is clear and fixed, the easier it will be for investors who are looking for clarity of vision and stability, I think that in the long term, there will be many collaborations with the city of Haifa, including with Dubai. The more we succeed in bringing the action to the world, the more investments we will see here from around the world, certainly with Dubai.
Many residents from the Arab community supported and voted for the mayor in the elections and today they express disappointment and claim that she is cut off from them, "they don't see or hear her". How do you think this can be fixed?
Every resident would like to see and meet the mayor and participate in events and meetings with her, that is clear and wonderful. But what is the definition of disconnected or disconnected? How do you define a subjective feeling of disconnection? It is important that the mayor walks around the markets, schools, neighborhoods as well as businesses, it is always good.
It should be remembered that every mayor goes with a basket of values, a scale of priorities and with his "I believe". The easiest thing in the world, in my opinion, is to do nothing and at the same time walk around all day, take pictures with hummus, enjoy hot falafel balls, participate in events, ceremonies, studios and be with guests all the time. It is the easiest and does not require special abilities, skills and efforts. I'm not saying you shouldn't, it's definitely important, direct contact out of respect and personal contact with a lot of humility and modesty, but not instead of and not at the expense of essential things, not if it comes instead of real action.
What about the massive and substantial work? How will you arrive, if we walk around all day? What about priorities? What is more important for the benefit of the residents and future generations, to create a virtual reality? In what way? ostensibly? Or act hard to change reality?
When you build a house, you prepare plans, and sometimes the execution of the work is much shorter than the planning process, and is it possible to build in a random, uncontrolled way, without smart planning in advance? I completely painted my house and it took me a month to find myself again and put everything back in place. So in municipal action, the expectation is that everything will happen quickly and quickly?? You have to understand the situation and the situation faithfully, nothing at the expense of the other, thorough, substantial and orderly action requires time, energy, thought, meetings, runs, teams, planning and not a few arrangements, and certainly, all of these, take a bite out of the possibilities where you can meet the public.
It is important to meet the public, at every opportunity and in every place, there is no substitute for direct contact and it is important to find the balance formula that will ensure both, but it is important to remember that at the end of the construction and when you are relaxing on the couch at home, you forget the planning, the dust, the fatigue and the noises, and enjoy, in the end , from the results.
About three weeks into the job, what are the things you put on the agenda?
I began to create direct connections with journalists from the Arab public, there will be broad and comprehensive articles as well as interviews that will answer many questions and concerns regarding vision, future and plans, and yes, meetings have been scheduled as part of the ambition and desire to be in contact with the public and, of course, work on tours of neighborhoods and institutions. We activated the municipality page in the Arabic language. Yes, I will do everything to strengthen the Arabic language and maintain its status and visibility in the city of Haifa, with all my might.
Why, in your opinion, is it important to have a spokesperson for each sector? There are those who believe that this is unnecessary...
In my opinion, just as a city that does not respect its past and its history is a city without a future, so a city should also respect all its residents. When you address the Arab public in your mother tongue, in an eloquent, fluid, respectful and dignified language, this is a fundamental right. It is the right of the Arab residents to enjoy their rich and pleasant language, in a proper way and in an eloquent manner, because language is not just a translation, for that we have Google, let's translate and finish, but is this the goal? Every language has its pearls and embraces within it values, art, language ornaments, tradition and morals. There are ceremonies, events and customs, which we must maintain, maintain and respect. It is possible to meet the needs in a simple and minimal way designed to "close a corner" and leave only out of obligation, or to respect and conduct oneself in a way that adds respect and appreciation, first to the residents, as well as to the municipality.
A message you would like to convey?
As the spokesperson of the municipality, I hope that I will carry out the mission with dedication and faithfully, and that we will be able to fulfill many projects, achievements and actions for people. I pray that the city of Haifa will move forward and we will see better years. And as a father of two children, I pray to raise them in a quiet city, free of violence, without air pollution. Our children deserve clean air, that we continue to argue and not agree, but at the very least respect, and in difficult days and moments, know how to find common ground and embrace, and that we always remember that every minute of fighting, resentment, fear and hatred is giving up 60 seconds of brotherhood, love, hope and action . I pray that Haifa will continue to lead, and will be a role model for the common life and the common existence, that the past and the future will continue to live together and that we will be able to protect each other. May we get through this difficult time, get through the epidemic in peace and soon return to sanity and normalcy.
Did the article interest you?
Separate education for Arabs, ultra-Orthodox. separate culture departments. A separate barge. Let's even establish three separate municipalities.
In my eyes, the State of Israel is making a serious strategic mistake when it allows sectoral and nationalist separatism as a bottomless pit, of lack of integration, rapprochement as a way to gain power and maintaining "sectoral distance" aimed at economic and political needs and builds a false narrative that we are this way and therefore need to be separate.. This is how multiculturalism has become a factor that divides and divides , a semantic, physical and spatial fence in which each sector demands and does only for itself. In which Arabic is spoken, Yamal "by all means" is used not for connections but for disconnections. Three weeks, don't you need some modesty and learning before so much talk and talk. The constant approach about "a hundred potholes per kilometer" as if in Jewish neighborhoods the situation is wonderful and only there are potholes. Again, everything is a kind of separation narrative for the purpose of deprivation instead of friendship. This is a very negative direction in which Israel is walking with its eyes closed, contrary to the rest of the world, hyper-tribalism and sectionalism that imposes separatism and duplication and giving up a proper administration for the sake of coalitions with sector factions.. in which they act not for the good of the whole but only the sector. bad very bad
I wish the municipality speaker in Arabic success. I was very impressed by the man, his values and insights. On this occasion it is worth noting that the announcements in Carmelite are depriving the Arab public. When you get off at the final stations, the announcement in Arabic is after the Hebrew
And after the English, when it is played and there are no more passengers at the station. Since there are many more Arab citizens than tourists, the announcement must be made in Arabic before English. And again good luck to the Arabic speaker,
Abram Warshavsky
I wish you to be able to sort out your worldview - and I wish you success in your new position
Successfully
The man is only talking about the Arab public, while the Jews include everyone. All his actions are aimed at one sector, I have not seen a single word about Jews.
What is his connection to Dubai, the Arabs in Israel sabotage any connection of peace and normalization with Arab nations. Dubai knows this, therefore the fact that they are Arabs will not promote relations with the Arab countries that are making peace with Israel. The Arabs do not mention everything that Israel has done to advance the Arabs of Israel. They themselves do nothing to promote themselves.
With all due respect to the person behind the position, there is a well-known verse from the Bible (nothing to do with the religion itself) "Do not glorify a belt as a key". .. Another topic, with all due respect to the Arab residents of Haifa who usually live in the city and had no reason to complain about discrimination, a kind of insinuation emerged here that if Arabic is not spoken in Haifa, the other population will have to learn the language. This is Israel and they speak both languages and those who don't , then no. No party is forced to speak a second language. The language of the country is Hebrew and whoever knows another language, may he be healthy and enjoy himself. In France they speak French and England English and no one complains.
Facher is most deserving of the position. Good luck friend