The most stripy neighborhood in Haifa, in my opinion, is Hadar. This neighborhood has such a glorious history and there's no reason why its present shouldn't be just as glorious.
I don't know how many articles I have already written about Hadar over the years, but certainly quite a few. I told myself years ago that I, in my little piece of God, would do everything so that the glory would return to glory. Meanwhile, the success is only partial.
Am I in Haifa?
I never lived in Hadar, but my father grew up on Yalaj St. in the neighborhood, and later on Beit Shaarim St., and studied at the Beit Shaarim St., when the school was still on Mesada St. For many years I worked on Hanaviim St. and would often go to the municipality, to the court in the lower city, to cafes around, and the question always came to me: am I still in Haifa...?
Going shopping in Hadar
In the 80's we would go shopping in Hadar. It was the most considered pastime. All the cinemas were also magnificent, and there was, of course, the Mishbir for the consumer on Yona Street, which was far ahead of all the shopping malls. When the Grand was established, a transportation change was also made throughout the city, perhaps, among other things, to encourage the arrival of customers to it. This is how the route of all the buses that would come to Hadar changed, which we would use even when we wanted to leave the city, on our way to the intercity taxis, which were waiting on Hanaviim, Halutz and Herzl streets.
In the 90s, the "Panorama" and "Horev" centers were established and eventually the "Grand Canyon" in 1999. The buses moved to the Carmel and the Bay center, the tunnels were built, which reach right up to the Grand. Hadar was emptied of buyers. The revelers and shoppers were replaced by young people who came to live in the neighborhood and tried to establish a vibrant community there.
Just a pity…
I really don't understand how the third largest city in Israel can afford one of its neighborhoods to be unclean, unlit at night, violent to the point that it's scary to walk around it sometimes, and on and on. In Haifa there is a tendency to "throw" all possible hostels into certain neighborhoods... needless to say that this will never happen in Dania, for example, but always within the most disadvantaged population.
I won't say a word about drugs, drug stations seem to exist all over the city, and in recent years we see less drugged people walking the streets, but still, there is a lot of work to be done in Hadar, and no, putting a few more benches is definitely not enough.
Yahav, the previous mayor, grew up in Hadar and loved her very much. In recent years, many programs have been presented, for Hadar in general and Talpiot Market in particular. So maybe there are many good intentions, but on the ground, the results are not satisfactory, for now.
Balfour Street
The Hadar neighborhood was established in the 40s of the last century. Balfour was a thing at that time, and even today, it is impossible to pass a matriculation exam in citizenship without knowing a little about the Jewish home that was promised to us. Balfour Street is one of the steepest descents in the city, and many streets branch off from it. Balfour Street is also home to one of the most prominent museums in Haifa, which is visited by both residents of the city and people from outside Haifa - this is the Medatek. Madatek has a huge garden, which has been cleaned and arranged over the years.
Tel Hai Street
One of the references from Balfour Street. Tel Hai was a symbol of the heroism of the settlement in the Land of Israel, against the Arabs. Another street in the neighborhood is called a street Yosef (Hagidam), in memory of Joseph Trumpeldor.
Usha Alley
Hadar has everything from everything. Streets, alleys, narrow passages, stairs. Osha Alley got its name from the collective farm established in 1937.
Pevzner Street
Shmuel Yosef Pevzner was a public activist, writer and pioneer of engineers and industrialists in Israel. He was one of the founders of the Hadar neighborhood and the chairman of the neighborhood council. Pevzner got not only a street named after him, but also a library. In the past, every library had both a theoretical department and a fine literature department. Today we have Google. Encyclopedias and special and rare books, you could find at the time, in the Pevzner library.
Haifa Theater
The Haifa Theater is one of Hadar's anchors. Original and classic plays have been staged in the theater for decades, and a crowd of subscribers religiously attends every show. During the Corona period, the theater was closed, but in recent months it has resumed operation. Every year during Pesach, a great children's play festival is held at the Haifa Theater. For a week, children's plays are presented and compete among themselves for the festival prize, along with the plays there is also a huge happening on the theater square, and thousands of children and parents come to the events and plays.
Herzel street
There is no need to present the state contract. The man who dreamed, when he stood on the balcony in Switzerland, and we, more than 100 years later, are living the dream... Herzl Street and its parallel street - Halutz, are the two main and longest streets in Hadar. Herzl Street begins at the Foundation House, an office and shop building. Lihav, years ago, when he was a Knesset member of the Labor Party, had an office there. In Halutz Street, apart from shops, there were also cinemas in the past.
Levontin Street
Named after Zalman David Levontin, one of the pioneers of the first aliyah. The first edition of Yedioth Haifa was on Levontin Street.
Shabtai Levy Street
Shabtai Levi was the first Jewish mayor of Haifa, in the years 1940-1951. On Shabtai Levy Street there is a Haifa institution that must be mentioned when the whole street is talking - the Bracha sandwich. It is much better to eat the sandwich than to read about it, but what is so special about it is... Bracha, who is really a very unique character. The sandwich is excellent like any fried sandwich filled with sausage and cheese - both kosher and lean.
Shabtai Levy Street ends at one of the most beautiful museums in Haifa, the Haifa Museum. There are permanent and changing exhibitions and you can really spend long hours there.
Zionism Blvd
There is no need to explain the word Zionism. All the names in the Hadar neighborhood illuminate Zionism from one direction or another. Sderot Zion is a long climb, characterized by many houses and very few parking spaces. The residents on the street testify that all their explanations about the fact that there is nowhere to park on the street are not helpful in canceling the many fines they collect. From Zionist Avenue you can reach Abbas Street, the steps of Beit Shaarim, Ben Yehuda, Pua Street and then also Masada and Hillel.
Ben Yehuda Street
Ben Yehuda is parallel to Masada Street and perpendicular to HaShalom Street. Ben Yehuda was one of the greatest believers in the Hebrew language and one who agreed to sacrifice his family on the altar of his faith. The well-known story about him is that he forced his wife to speak Hebrew to the children, even though her mother tongue was Russian, and that even in the kindergartens his children did not find themselves, with Hebrew in their mouths. And we still owe him and the messianic zeal he had, thanks to him today we all speak Hebrew and also use the 200 words, which he himself invented. Today, on Ben Yehuda Street, you can find apartments of "Yad Ezer HaShev", with the peak being at the end of the street.
Masada Street
Masada, a name that is associated with the heroism of Israel for generations (for example the Zionist myth - Masada) and is mentioned in several sources and in different contexts.
Masada Street has a row of cafes and pubs. You can find there every evening, many residents of Hadar as well as residents from other neighborhoods, who come to drink beer or eat. Lots of dogs roaming freely, Arab and Jewish residents, young and old, sitting together and enjoying themselves. At the beginning of the street is a school in the old Smet, from which generations of technicians and engineers came out, until it moved to Neve David. The big problem with the street is the fact that it is very difficult to find parking.
Street of the Prophets
The name of the street came from the prophets of Israel. A little different from the other names in the neighborhood, which deal with the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the beginning of the street is the Tower of the Prophets, built in the 80s of the last century. At first it also had a movie theater and shops that attracted a crowd of shoppers.
Further down the street is the old cafe (1962) Nitza, which recently got new benches. In the morning you can find in the cafe many people who work in the area and come to take the first coffee and sometimes also a cake or a sandwich.
Further down the street, the Yad Ezer association for a friend took another building on Kessel Street, which became one large old people's home and a Holocaust museum. At the end of the street there is an old Romanian restaurant, Yuji. On the other side of the road there used to be several cinemas, Armon, Miron and Atsmon. The cinemas of Lev Hamfaretz and the Grand led to the closing of all Hadar's huge cinemas. One of the partners in the movie theaters was Farbstein, who later, his grandson, Boaz Farbstein quickly went down the Freud road and killed the couple Doron and Anat Reva, who left behind 4 orphans.
A huge and diverse neighborhood
Hadar is a huge neighborhood and it is very difficult to survey all its streets. Large parts of it, where the Arab and ultra-Orthodox populations live, I did not cover in this article.
If you examine the names of the streets, you can easily discern the spirit of the time, the absolute patriotism of the residents then, who grew up on the values of sacrifice and bravery and "it is good to die for our country".
And the prices?
According to the Madeleine website, the average price per square meter in Hadar is 11,300 NIS. In August, on Ben Yehuda Street, a two-room apartment with an area of 31 square meters was sold for NIS 505. A 2-room apartment with an area of 50 square meters was sold on Halutz Street for NIS 536. In July, a 3-room apartment on Hillel Street with an area of 127 square meters was sold for 1.65 million NIS.
Hadar has many rented apartments, owned by investors. In some cases, the apartment owners divide them and rent them to several tenants, thus greatly increasing the profits.
Where do the children study?
In Hadar there is a serious problem regarding educational institutions and schools. As an elementary school, the neighborhood only has Leo Buck (the school where Hebrew is not the dominant language) and Rieli Hadar (the private one) whose elementary classes cost over NIS 20,000 a year.
In the past, there was Basmat as a six-year school, but it was moved, as mentioned, to Neve David and the building now stands, for the most part, empty. Students from Hadar who come to middle school have to leave the neighborhood every day to get to school. There is no doubt that in order to bring families to the neighborhood, the problem of schools is the first that needs to be solved.
Hadar is not her name. According to the comments here, many Haifaites grew up in Hadar. We painfully remember the neighborhood that was the center of the city. Herzl was what the Prophets' Alice was to Broadway and Sirkin and the market were trade centers. Shame.
For the sake of historical accuracy, Zionist Ave. is called UN Ave., which is given as a thank you to the United Nations for giving the mandate. But in 1975, in protest of the UN resolution condemning Zionism, the name of the street was changed to Zionist Ave.!!!
For the sake of historical accuracy, Oum St. was originally called Harer St. and from there they continued to Hasnovar St. (now the President). Salah Shabti's methods of changing the names are going well in Haifa.
As a native of Hadar in Haifa, the article's nostalgia is flawed by many inaccuracies. Cinemas: Ampi, Ora, Mai, Mayon, Par, Armon, Atsmon, Glaur, Orion, and sorry I forgot a few more.
Schools: Alliance, Netzah Israel, Ammi A, new high school classes, and sorry if I forgot a few more on the way.
Gardens: How can one not mention the Garden of Remembrance and the Binyamin Garden, and who does not remember that the Binyamin Garden at the corner of Arlozorov had a corner with a doe that could be fed and petted on Shabbat.
And a small correction, Herzl Street starts at the corner of the Prophets and continues to Beit Ha'Iai.
until the early 50s
Herzl St. did not start from Hanaviim St.
We just built the buildings on Herzl Street 1 and Herzl 2
They connected the two streets.
Billo Street starts at Herzog Street and ends at Beko Kibbutz Galvoit
Zionion Avenue began to be built at the beginning of the 20th century and was called "The Mountain Road" or in Arabic "El Jabal". This was the name until the establishment of the state. In 1948, the name was changed to the UN building as a token of appreciation to the United Nations for supporting the establishment of the state. Since then many waters have flowed in Jordan and in 1975 the UN assembly compared Zionism to racism. As a sign of protest, they changed the name of UN Blvd to Zionion Blvd.
Zionion Blvd. crosses the Baha'i gardens going down from Yaffe Nof St. to the intersection of Hagafen St. with Zionion Blvd. Spectacular and well maintained gardens with an impressive Bhai Temple.
You talk about the dirt in Hadar, but the dirt is all over the city. Yesterday afternoon I walked with my dog along Yaffe Nof Street. This is the most expensive street, in terms of property tax payments in Haifa. Along Panorama Towers, behind, everything is filthy. There is dirt that has been thrown there for months and no one bothers to pick it up. This morning, of course, I saw that all the dirt was left to sit The first garden along Shaar HaLevanon St. has been a little cleaner lately, after my endless complaints. Today, Saturday morning, it was filthy. The garbage can complex is open and garbage is spilling out. I want to vomit. And I don't live in Hadar, but in the center of Carmel.
Our building was built in the fifties. An ordinary, unremarkable house and we wanted to go to TMA 38. The mayor objected on the grounds that it was a building for preservation? On the other hand, she did let the ancient and beautiful stone building of Gmansia Bialik, on Yona Street, be destroyed. Why?
The phenomenon of shopping in malls is not unique to Haifa. It also happened in other cities in Israel. The desolation, dirt and filth are probably unique to Haifa. I remember a friend who lived in Nimina, who told me in the sixties that I lived in Switzerland, not Israel. He meant the exemplary cleanliness of the city. There were times…
You photographed the Maccabi movement house on Shabtai Levi Street.
At the moment the building stands like ruins because they closed the wonderful City Hall Club that was in it.
They wanted to establish an Arab experiment there with incitement against the state. In the Maccabi movement house.
This is the "legacy" of Yona Yahav, who will be remembered for only one thing: the man who destroyed and finished and destroyed Hadar Carmel.
Two comments:
▪︎ Zion Avenue was previously called by a different name. The information about the street is missing without reference to the name change and especially to the reason for which the name was changed..
▪︎I was disturbed by the link between the owner of the movie theaters on Hanaviim Street and the story about his grandson. The grandson's past is not part of the grandfather's history. In addition, the story of the accident and its results is sad and painful but not related to the topic of the article.
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Two comments:
▪︎ Sderot Zion was previously called by a different name. The information about the street is missing without reference to the name change and especially to the reason for which the name was changed..
▪︎I was disturbed by the link between the owner of the movie theaters on Hanaviim Street and the story about his grandson. The past of the grandson Via is not part of the grandfather's history.
It's a shame about the neighborhood. In the past it was a source of tourism, people would come from all over the country to shop in Hadar. In the 70s/80s, Hadar was at its peak, all the shopping and entertainment was there. Independence Day is an experience in itself, walking the streets of Hadar with the hammers and celebrations. In the past, Hadar was synonymous with "shopping" . Today the name Hadar is synonymous with "Slams" and it's a shame.
Nice and interesting article, but you didn't mention that Sderot Zion was before that Sderot Om and was changed because as we know we are not loved by the Ummah.
Best regards, Yael Amir Haifa
Kudos to the mayor of Haifa, Dr. Einat Kalish Rotem, who personally took care to give names to streets in Haifa to people who really deserve them. Blessings to you Einat. You, Einat, the best mayor that the beautiful city of Haifa had. Shabbos Shalom.
Sturdy. How low can you go?
Leo Buck Elementary School is considered one of the best schools in the country and even won the national first prize several years ago
And there is also the short 13th Street that was swallowed up at the end and nothing is said about it, but it was so special and unique
I grew up in it and loved it very much
A 'minor' correction: Herzl Street - as far as I remember - starts at Hanaviyim Street and passes by Beit HaKaron (and why didn't you write why this house, with its special architecture, is called that?).
And again, as far as I remember, the street (Herzl) reaches as far as the Rushmia Bridge, a bridge with its own history, and passes by the Industrial House.
It's a shame to ignore Hadar's impressive history, where I grew up (Tavor Street, today Michael Street) and where most of my family lives (Gaula, Pevzner and other old streets).
A beautiful article, but there is an obvious lack of attention to detail, why were many of the streets named after figures from the Israeli tradition, as an indication that this is a petty political matter of an urban coalition/opposition, Haifa has always been considered a small town because of the petty politicians who stood at its head, a city with tremendous potential that simply fell between the thrones of the bureaucracy The local... it's a shame, it's a shame
A heartwarming article, a reminder of the neighborhood where I grew up, although important things were omitted, such as the Chagall Artists' House on Sderot Zionyon, the corner of Hagafen, Sderot Tsyonyon, which was called Sderot Oom and was renamed after the UN decision that Zionism was racist, Nordau Street named after Max Nordau , and more.
And why not mention the wonderful book "My Beloved Haifa" which extensively and thoroughly describes the Hadar neighborhood? Written by Neely Sharaf, a native of the neighborhood where she grew up and later became a professor of Hebrew literature at New York University, and missed, like us, the glory days of the neighborhood where we grew up.
By the way, I grew up on Yosef Hagidam street close to the Pevzner library, where I devoured books until I finished reading at the age of 16 all the hundreds if not thousands of books that were in the library of all kinds and types..
I also grew up and grew up in Barah HaGadam, that's what they called it then. The house we lived in was in the Bauhaus style. In Barah Jerusalem for example, the houses were lined with hewn stone and it seems that most of them were built in the 20's of the last century. Hagidam Street, which used to be a residential street, gained added value with the construction of the Haifa Theater, which was built at the expense of Binyamin Garden, which in my childhood was a magical place - a magnificent green lung. Yes, once upon a time this neighborhood: Rehovot Nordau, Jerusalem, Pevzner, Hagidam and more, was definitely a very pleasant neighborhood. there were times…..
As a child 60 years ago there was a textbook called Haifa Our City
The brochure explained the names of the streets in our city
In the lower city, the names of the state uprising and the struggle for its establishment
In Hadar names of personalities who contributed to the country and the city
In Carmel names from the flora and nature
Since then many liquids have flowed in Kishon, time has taken its toll and the uniqueness that was there has changed and today there is a mixing of topics all over the city that has grown since then
Zionist Ave. was Om Ave. in the aftermath the decision on Zionism = racism was changed
Wow, very, very interesting, I learned a lot by reading the material. It's a shame that today's Haifa has declined so much, once people flocked to the beautiful, clean, and interesting Haifa, and many young people stayed here, and many young people came from abroad as well. Today the young people run away, and there is nothing to compare them to the city today. I wish we could see the requested changes. Thank you. Have a nice Saturday.
The construction of Shech Hadar HaCarmel began in the early 20s, not the 40s. The reporter herself refers to the sign of Pevzner St. who died in 1930 and was one of the founders of the neighborhood and chairman of its committee.
The name of HaNaviim St. is indeed unusual, but Father Khushi did not allow it to be changed and explained that in the future it will be named after a worthy personality... After the death of that personality, a main street in Carmel was named after her, and HaNaviim St. remains.
By the way - Shabtai Levy is described on the street sign as the mayor, but the charlatans today enjoy calling themselves mayor, and there is no such title.