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The story of the potters family in Kfar Samir in Haifa

In my youth, I used to stop regularly at the Potters' Village, on my way to the traditional game of sweets on the beach. I stood mesmerized, looking at the spinning stones and guessing what the block of clay would produce in a few minutes of skillful manual work.

The potter Raja Atallah processes the block of clay (Photo: Yael Horowitz)

Later, my mother and her partner used to visit the potters restaurant with "Parliament" friends every Saturday, after their walk on the beach. Most of the diners were regular guests, who enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere, the courteous service, the great oriental food, a feeling of home on the Haifa beach. Until one day about two years ago, the restaurant closed and since then many have been wishing for its reopening. As a documenter of life stories, I was intrigued by the story of the Haifa family of potters. Last year I met with the Atallah brothers, and I bring you their fascinating story.

The potter Raja Atallah at pottery work on the stones (photo: Yael Horowitz)
Ceramic vessels in Kfar Samir (Photo: Yael Horowitz)

From Greece and the mountains of Lebanon to the beaches of beautiful Haifa

"Grandpa, Bolus, I am named after him," he tells me Bolus Atallah, "He was a well digger by profession. After his first two wives died, my grandfather married for a muppet to home Fakhuri, she is my grandmother.  

The origin of the Fakhuri family, Catholic Christians, is from Greece, where the family was engaged in pottery. About 300 years ago, due to a lack of pottery in Lebanon, my grandparents moved with their family to Lebanon, where they continued to produce pottery using traditional pottery. The civil war in Lebanon between the Druze and the Maronite Christians, which culminated in a massacre in 1860, led many families to seek refuge. Many of them fled from Lebanon to Haifa and Acre, including the Fakhuri family.

The family pottery factory In ancient Haifa

Upon their arrival in Israel, the Fakhuri family settled in the El Carmel station in Haifa El-Atiqa, where they established a small family pottery factory that was used for their livelihood. The clay will be made from the soil on the spot, combined with sand and sea water.

"After my grandfather's death," he continues Bolus, "My grandmother was left with the three children: the eldest, Boutros, the second, raffia and the youngest son, Hana My grandmother returned to her parents' house, as is customary with us, and asked them to teach her children the craft of pottery. In practice, Rafia studied sewing and Hana studied carpentry. The only one who learned the pottery work and specialized in it was Butros, later, our father.

At that time, the way to keep the water cold was by storing it in a clay jar. At that time, the Al-Fakhuri family produced huge jugs (jars) with a volume of 20-30 liters and drinking jugs of various sizes, which were used to cool the drinking water."  

From Haifa Elatika to Kfar Samir

"At some point," he continues Bolus, "The residents of the neighborhood exerted pressure to remove the pottery from the place, due to the smoke created by burning the clay, and Father looked for a place far from Haifa whose soil would be suitable for the production of clay and the work of pottery. Here, near the sea, Father dug in the sand and found the right soil, an excellent combination of land that is close to the sea and fine sand. He bought the area, a dunam and a half, west of the village of Tira, whose lands extended from the sea to the south of today's Kfar Galim.  

In 1924, after my marriage Boutros לDora Beit Suidan, whom he knew in Haifa El-Atiqa, the two moved to Kfar Samir and moved the family workshop for traditional pottery here. The family has 7 children: the sons - Bolus, Raja, Munir and the daughters - Lydia, Habov, Hayat and Miriam. For 97 years, our family has been here by the sea and proudly preserves the traditional pottery work."

Dora Atallah nee Fakhuri at the pottery factory in Kfar Samir (private album)

Watch the video - Raja Atallah tells about the purchase of the land in 1924


Khan of the Kadirs

At first the members of the Atallah family lived in barracks and little by little Boutros built the stone houses, using molds and careful castings. Their location near the Acre-Jaffa road at the time, led Boutros and Dora to establish a road khan for refreshment and an overnight stay, to rest the horses and their riders, who were treated to steaming black coffee poured from a huge copper pinjan. They watered the horses from the two wells in the area and cleaned them for the next day.

"Once a year there was a gathering of priests from Israel and abroad near Beer Entabi (in the area of ​​today's Hoof Carmel bus station)," says Raja. "Once, one of them asked Father: You live 50 meters from the salt sea, how is it that you have fresh water? The priest, equipped with a pile of hay, took Father, who was surprised to the kind that flows in Nahal Shih (Rabbi Bostan Chiat), nearThe Carmelite Monastery who operated there in the Middle Ages and put the hay in the spring water. The next day, the hay arrived at our water well and at Entabi well.

Later, we were visited by a painter from Finland who painted my parents. After the death of the parents, she brought us the painting and to this day it hangs in a place of honor."         

Raja looks longingly at the painting of his parents, Dora and Boutros Atallah (photo: Yael Horowitz)

The process of making clay and pottery using traditional methods

"After the move, father built three large ponds in the area on three levels, which were used for the clay production process. The mixture was half soil from here and about the same amount of half soil from the mountains, combined with sea water.    

The mixing of the soil, sand and water inside the large pond was done by walking inside the pond around again and again, until the repeated treading did its work and the material began to mix and stick. The lumps of material underwent intense kneading in which the hands and feet took the part in coordinated work, until the lump of clay became uniform and flexible. The unnecessary stones were taken out using drills.

Every summer we prepared two or three rounds of clay in the pools, and stored in the large rooms so that they would be ready for work during the winter. The old oven on the hill was used by us to burn the clay from 82 years ago until the end of the 60s. Next to it was one of the wells."

Pottery after being fired in a kiln built by Boutros on the property, 1974 (private album).
The oven built by Boutros Atallah 82 years ago as seen today, April 2019 (Photo: Yael Horowitz)

The first tools

"After the production of the clay," he continues Raja, "Father continued to make huge clay pots ("jars") that were used to store water and oil and smaller clay vessels with a spout for drinking water. Mother was also a partner in the pottery work and specialized in installing the spout and "ear" of these pottery. In those years, every house used our utensils for drinking. Construction workers, for example, used to hang the pottery in a high place for cooling and during the work they drank water from them.

Father was in close commercial contact with Itzhak Levi In his shop on "Derech al-Malkim" (later Ha-Atsamat Street) he sold fishing equipment and also the pottery we made for drinking. They were like brothers, trusting each other with their eyes closed. The trust between them was so strong that the financial accounting between them was done only once a year, at the end of the year."

An example of jugs with a spout that were used for drinking in the past. Today, they are produced in the Kfar Samir kettle with glaze (Photo: Yael Horowitz)

Boutros sells sand for the construction of Hadar Carmel

"In the first years", he says Bolus, "Father, with the help of his cousin, made clay pipes and created a water line from the spring to bring water to the castle houses. The creation of the water line, Father told us, took three years. When they began to build the Hadar Carmel neighborhood, they needed large quantities of sand. At the same time as the potter's work, Father received A license from the mandate authorities to sell sand. Horse-drawn carts and small trucks would arrive here in the morning to load the sand and bring it to the neighborhood being built. Mother would closely supervise the work of the workers. Each cart/truck that was loaded received a note from her and at the end of each week a driver came to the offices of the "Hehege" company It's great to collect his weekly salary."

Watch the video - Bolus tells how his father sold sand to build the Hadar Carmel houses

Accommodation for the new immigrants, the mokhtar and the chicken farm

During the waves of immigration that washed over the country after its establishment, the Atallah family rented rooms to families of new immigrants, most of them Holocaust survivors, who were looking for more comfortable housing after their first steps at the transit station at the Aliyah Gate.

On the territory of the house, next to the rooms for living, there were the ponds for the production of clay, the workshop for the production of pottery and a chicken farm with over 3,000 birds. The egg shortage that was felt in the country during the austerity period, passed them by, and the abundance of production allowed them to willingly distribute eggs to anyone who needed them.

"Because most of the immigrants arrived in Israel destitute, he says Raja, father lent them money until they organized themselves and began to get drunk regularly working in the area. Mother gave them chicks and they raised them here and took care of them. 

Among the immigrants who lived here, I remember the Friedman family from Poland, they have two sons, one of them, David. The Zelkovich family, who came from Czechoslovakia, Martha Berkovich and her son Eliyahu, and more. They lived for months and even years until they got along. From time to time they came to visit us."

"The Mokhtar of Kfar Samir at that time was a man named the cold", continue Bolus, "a Jew of German origin who was accepted by the Jewish and Arab families for solving problems. He worked as a mechanic, managed one of the garages in the nearby camp. His son's name was Shabtai. Later he replaced him Zelikovich As Mokhtar".  

One of the immigrant families that lived in Beit Atallah was a family banker immigrated from Russia in 1950. The pottery workshop that was part of the house compound intrigued their 7-year-old son, Israel, Varja was very happy to teach him the tricks of the trade.

Later, the family moved to Brazil, where Israel continued studying traditional pottery. Upon his return to Israel in 1965, he began to produce tools using this method privately and at the same time worked in the Israeli ceramic factories. Later, Israel developed varied glazes that complemented the classic shapes he created on the stones.

Israel Bankir and Hanna Tsuntz, one of the top ceramicists in Israel, were among the few who managed to achieve the Terra Siglata color. "I am proud that I taught Israel in his childhood the ceramic work," he says Raja in satisfaction "Hana Tsuntz She was also in close contact with father and visited us countless times, in our workshop."

The pottery factory moves to painting the pottery

"I was born into the family pottery industry," he says Raja Proudly. Father taught us how to look at the earth, he was the king of clay. Dad taught you Bolus, my older brother and I were privileged to learn from both. I sat in the craft room next to my brother, stones next to stones and imitated his work. When I did something wrong, he warned me and that's how I learned, improved and became professional."

Raja Atallah, 4 years old, next to a pile of pottery made in the family's pottery in Kfar Samir (family album)
The Bolus brothers (on the right) and Raja Atallah working on the stones, 70s (private album)

In the 50s and half of the 60s, I made the pottery for most of the ceramic artists in Israel. The agreement was that in the process of making the vessels, I would sign their name on the bottom of the vessel and they would do the glazing. Avi from Tantura and Manes from Herzliya were among those ceramicists who used to buy the vessels from me and allowed me to mention their names.

One of our outstanding projects was the production for the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv of over 20 huge pottery jugs during the 70s, each of them 1.40-1.50 meters high.  

In the late 60s, the factory went bankrupt after the country was flooded with cheap pottery that came from the territories. Following this, he traveled Munir, the younger of the brothers, to study pottery glazing in the Netherlands. He passed on his expertise in dyeing to Raja. Upon his return, the brothers purchased ovens to burn the painted dishes, the factory resumed operating with full vigor and even expanded to produce a variety of decorative items, coffee and tea sets, lampshades and more, painted in wonderful colors.

Ceramic vessels in Kfar Samir (Photo: Yael Horowitz)
Ceramic vessels produced by the Atallah brothers in Kfar Samir in traditional pottery (Photo: Yael Horowitz)
Ceramic vessels produced by the Atallah brothers in Kfar Samir in traditional pottery (Photo: Yael Horowitz)
Ceramic vessels produced by the Atallah brothers in Kfar Samir in traditional pottery (Photo: Yael Horowitz)
Ceramic vessels produced by the Atallah brothers in Kfar Samir (photo: Yael Horowitz)

Raja, the last potter?

Bolus, 81 years old, continues to work in the pottery from time to time. His 76-year-old brother Raja continues with full vigor to produce spectacular tools. On the walls of the house, Raja created figures of animals from the surrounding sand. A craftsman in his soul.

Rega Atallah's work in sand on the wall of his house in Kfar Samir (photo: Yael Horowitz)
A mural sculptured by Raja Attallah in Zipzif sand on the wall of the house in Kfar Samir (photo: Yael Horowitz)
Raja Atallah on the background of one of his paintings sculpted from Zipzif sand in Kfar Samir (photo: Yael Horowitz)

"Unfortunately, our children, no one wants to deal with gloom," Raja says sadly, "but happily, my bride, Julie, born in the Philippines, is showing interest and soon I will start teaching her in an orderly manner and I hope there will be a next generation of traditional ceramics. I also decided to make a film demonstrating the work process of traditional ceramics and give it as a gift to all ceramicists through the Ceramics Association.  

A section of a tall pitcher with a clay mesh pattern, the work of the potter Raja Atallah (Photo: Yael Horowitz)

Watch the video - Raja Atallah demonstrates the traditional pottery work

Watch the video - the potter Raja Attullah explains about making a clay pot using the traditional pottery method


Is Raja the last potter of the old Kadri dynasty that traces its roots to Greece? time will tell.

Raja and one of his works, a clay net urn (photo: Yael Horowitz)

The potters restaurant

In 1982, the Atallah brothers came up with the idea of ​​opening a restaurant there, and thus the area facing the sea became a sought-after restaurant, a coveted corner loved by the residents of Haifa, where they served oriental cuisine, including fresh sea fish, in a pleasant atmosphere. The development of the boardwalk at Dado Beach brought many visitors to the place. At the same time Bolus and Raja continued to produce clay and pottery. 

"Father built the first stone in Kfar Samir, 97 years ago, and to this day they don't allow us to get a building permit, says Bolus in pain In June 1983 we submitted an application for a business license and over the years we had a temporary license, but for years countless difficulties have been piled on us. We very much hope that the issue will be resolved soon."   

Raja Atallah, a fisherman using a net throw (private album)

Raja and Shmulik, a brave friendship

You Shmulik Cohen I met while working on a historical documentation project in the Bat Galim neighborhood. After learning about the special relationship between Raja and Shmulik, I asked to meet with them for a joint interview.      

"As children, we came here from Bat Galim during the holiday to work," says Shmulik, who is approaching 90. Anushka, who originates from Ukraine, was engaged in construction matters. During the holidays, he gathered a group of children in his horse drawn cart, brought us here and equipped us with a shovel. Our task was to fill the cart with sand that will be used as construction material for the houses being built in Bat Galim. Although we earned pennies, we used them to buy ice cream or a movie ticket.

About 20 years ago, the relationship with Raja strengthened and became a brave friendship. I help peel potatoes, trim bushes, paint the fence, feel part of the house. "When I heard he was from Greece, I liked it even more," adds Raja with a smile. "The children call him David Shmulik."

Raja Atallah and Shmulik Cohen, friends in heart and soul (Photo: Yael Horowitz)

Pottery Biennale in France

"In 2012, I was contacted by the Ceramics Association," he says Raja, "I was offered to participate in the Pottery Biennale held in France with the participation of artisan potters from European countries. The candidates were interviewed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the delegation that was selected included representatives of several religions and denominations.  

"Raja conditioned his agreement on me joining the trip, he says  Shmulik, of course, the plane ticket was financed by me. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs financed the shipment of 50 kg of ready-made produce from each of the selected artisans and their hosting during the biennial. Produce that is not sold, its shipment to Israel will be financed by the artisan.

Among the artists members of the delegation was an artist, who brought with her a large patterned bowl that she made. But apparently the bowl was not packed properly and broke during the flight. All her work went down the drain. Raja's heart is set on her, because this is her business card for the Biennale. The next day, when they all went to breakfast, he sat down and produced a remarkably identical bowl for her. Luckily for her, Raja works fast. It is impossible to describe her excitement when she saw the urn..."  

Raja Atallah with the matching bowl he made for one of the participants of the Pottery Biennale in France, 2012 (private album)

"We got workspaces," he continues Raja, "Each of the artisans produced vessels and presented them for sale. We worked long nights burning the produce that each one made. I produced very large, beautiful vessels. During the ten days of the Biennale, the French hosted us in a dignified and beautiful way: "celebratory events, meals, a festival atmosphere. Each of the artists also created on the spot and the proceeds were for the community."

"During the biennale, the widow of a shipowner hosted us in her huge house, he says Shmulik. One day, I went for a morning walk, I saw a newspaper in French with a picture of Raja in the newspaper kiosk, I bought the newspaper, it was exciting.

Towards the end of the biennial, the artists were asked to prepare the national dish of the community they belong to. A huge fully equipped kitchen was put at our disposal, with plenty of products. Raja, in his training as a cook, prepared stuffings, stews and delicacies. He prepared a pot of Syrian soup in the amount for 150 people, ("Daud Pasha soup", he explains Raja,  based on bones, onions, a glass of pomegranate vinegar, and I received a compliment from the French chef).

At the event, attended by hundreds of surrounding villagers, I gave a speech on behalf of the Israeli artists. My words were translated into French by an Israeli artist living in France. At the end of my words, I called the Raja to the stage to give our hostess the special thing that the Raja had prepared for her. It was very exciting."  

Raja Atallah and Shmulik Cohen with the poster of the Biennale in France, 2012 (Photo: Yael Horowitz)
Pottery at the Attallah Brothers potter's house in Kfar Samir (photo: Yael Horowitz)
The house of the Atallah family in Kfar Samir (photo: Yael Horowitz)

contact: At watsapBy email

Yael Horowitz
Yael Horowitz
Yael Horowitz, records life stories and commemorations of the older generation, produces historical books and exhibitions for families, organizations and companies. Photography and documentation. Consulting and workshops for writing life stories in small groups. To contact Yael Horowitz, "Mash'oli Haim": 050 - 3266760 | [email protected] For all articles by Yael Horowitz

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65 תגובות

  1. It's amazing how interesting it is..and I noticed years ago that they showed me their workshop

  2. Very interesting and exciting.
    Is it possible to contact them by phone?

  3. Kudos to this article and this step / warms the heart / those who have no past and roots have no future

  4. beautiful dear,
    Glad he liked it, nice to read.
    Thank you very much, Happy New Year!

  5. Wonderful. So interesting - and the photographs upgrade everything to a perfect embroidery of a wonderful life.
    Thank you Yael!!!!!

  6. The municipality wants to evict the family of potters from their homes by force, they were there even before the establishment of the state, what building license do you want them to show you? There was a state of Israel then, the municipality of Haifa does not behave honestly with gentle words

    • Building permits were issued here starting in 1925.
      Remind me when is the state of Israel?

  7. An interesting article that adds knowledge about the good old days. To the best of my knowledge, about 15 years ago a famous Japanese potter visited and worked in Kfar Samir whose works were exhibited in the Tikotin Museum.

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