"Our Lady" Church and the House of Grace in Haifa - Beit al-Neama • A story that begins like a fairy tale... ○ Watch

"Our Lady" Church and the House of Grace • House of Grace "Beit Al-Naama"

"Beit HaHesed" is a rehabilitation institution for released prisoners located at 6 Palaim Boulevard (side entrance, to the right of the bank) and adjacent to it is the Church of Our Lady.

"Our Lady" Church and the House of Grace • Watch

Like a fairy tale love story

Our story begins as a fairy tale, a fairy tale of love between a man and a woman, and continues with a wonderful ability of marital giving and family help to society, and to those who need guidance and rehabilitation.

In the lower city of Haifa, to the east of Paris Square, the "Beit HaHesed" institution is located in a closed compound surrounded by a stone wall, which includes a building of the Royal Greek-Catholic Church "A-Seyda", which means: "Our Lady", as well as other buildings.

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Agnes and etc

Around 1979, a Swiss girl named Agnes arrived in Israel, who began volunteering at the "Sacred Heart" institution. Agnes lived not far from the home of a community activist named Kamil Shahada, who belonged to the Greek Catholic Church in Haifa.

Letter

Love blossomed and the couple married in the early 80s. At the same time, the pastor of the church contacted Kamil regarding a letter he received from a life prisoner, in which the prisoner complained about not being able to go on vacations from prison, since he does not have a residence permit...

This is where Kamil's story takes off, when he takes the prisoner under his wing. Not long after that, Kamil housed two more prisoners in his house, took care of their well-being and their rehabilitation in society.

help as many as possible

Over time, the number of prisoners whom Kamil helped increased, while all of them were still housed in his house on Shibat Zion Street. In order for him to be able to support more prisoners, he turned to Bishop Maximus Salim, to get his permission to renovate the complex and convert it to the activity of rehabilitation of prisoners. and so it was.

Opening of the "Beit Ha'Hased"

In 1982, the "House of Mercy" was opened there, which is defined as a rehabilitation institution for released prisoners and also serves as a shelter for needy women. Beit Ha'Hased is intended for people and women of all religions, without distinction.

Beit Hased also serves as the welfare department of the Greek-Catholic Monarchy Church in Haifa and the Galilee. The association's activities (since 2001) are mainly financed by donations coming mostly from abroad, from Christian and Jewish organizations.

Kamil's successors

Kamil Shahada died in 2000. The association was named after him. The Shahada family lives there and it is currently managed by Jamal Shahada, Kamil's son. The church hall is used by the association in its activities, where concerts and various activities are held, such as Christmas events for the children of the community. The church continues to be used by the community in the city for special events, such as weddings, funerals and baptisms. Once a month, a prayer is held at the place by religious priests who regularly serve in the Greek-Catholic Elijah the Prophet Cathedral located on Ein-Dor Street in the lower city.

The Melkite Greek-Catholic Church "A-Sayida" • "Our Lady"

Historian Mr. Johnny Mansour says that the church building was built in 1862, during the Ottoman rule, and this on top of the foundations of a small church that was located in the place of the same name. The original church was the first church of the Greek-Catholic community in the city, built by Daher al-Omar.

The church complex consisted of a three-story building, which housed a Greek-Catholic school, a small community center for the population, a monastery and a residence for the monks who served there and arrived from Lebanon.

community Center

In 1920, the bishop moved from the center in Acre to Haifa and lived in the church complex until 1926. Following this, the church also served as the center of the Greek-Catholic community of Haifa and the Galilee. In 1926 the bishop moved to live in a separate residential building.

Near Hamra Square

The area where the church was built was part of the residential quarter of the Christian Haifa Arabs. This area was near Hamra square which was the main square of the city. The church served in its role until 1948.

Following the War of Independence and the occupation of the Arab neighborhoods of Haifa, the church was abandoned and so was the Christian population who left the area and moved to the Wadi Nisnas area.

renovating

At the end of the sixties, Bishop Raya tried to restore the church structure, an attempt that was interrupted after the bishop left his position. In 1981, the renovation of the destroyed building began by Kamil Shahada, whose roots are from his Haifa family in Shafaram, together with his wife Agnes, whose brother served as a priest and served in a Catholic church in Switzerland. The renovation was financed by donations, and most of the renovation work was carried out by volunteers. As part of the renovation, the church hall was also restored.

Residence

The second floor on the west side of the church was converted into patient quarters. A kitchen (which is being renovated these days), a dining room and a wing for the family's residence were built on the spot. In the courtyard of the complex is another building, on the first floor of which are the association's offices and on the second floor is a hall used for the association's activities. In the yard is a wooden room used as an office.

The complex has three entrances: The main gate is a metal gate on the eastern side, above it is a sign: "Beit Ha-Hesed". The entrance is to a small courtyard whose walls are decorated with ceramic works. To the north is a wooden door which is another entrance to the yard, its outer side is decorated with a mosaic. Another entrance is on the eastern side of the complex.

On the southern side of the yard is built a row of stairs leading to the church. On the wall of the church hang agricultural tools collected in the villages of the Galilee by Kamil Shahada.

The works of Haya Toma

On the right wall of the entrance plaza to the church there is a ceramic relief created by the Jewish ceramic artist Chaya Toma, the widow of Emil Toma (historian, and one of the leaders of the Arab-Israeli public, a key activist in the Israeli Communist Party). Some of the works in the place are works by the artist and some are works created under her guidance, as part of the rehabilitation process of prisoners who stayed there.

The church has two entrances, but the west gate is the original main gate, through which you enter for prayer.
The church is built in a Crusader style. This is a Byzantine eastern church but... without the iconostasis(!)
The church has another opening on its northern side, with a decorated wooden door.

The years and wars

The church building is rectangular and its general direction is west-east. The stage is on its eastern side.
The church hall is built of sandstone in a style reminiscent of a fortress. In the hall there are eight stone pillars supporting the ceiling and a round and tall dome.

The dome of the church

Over the years and the wars, the glass of the dome was damaged. Due to a rocket that was sent in the direction of Haifa port, a significant part of the church's dome glass was destroyed.

A European prisoner who was hosted in the church and was an expert in stained glass and glass works, volunteered to rebuild the dome, with the special glasses and in the appropriate colors, this was also made possible with the help of donations from abroad.

The walls of the church are bare, with few decorations on them. In the eastern wall of the church, where the stage is located, there are several decorated niches that include icons.

Burial cave

From the ceiling of the church hang several magnificent chandeliers that illuminate the church with a special light.
Inside the church on the left side of the stage on the floor of the church, there is an entrance to a burial cave. Today the opening is closed and covered with a thick carpet (due to an accident that happened in the past). The descent to the cave is made through a narrow staircase and a corridor leading to the tomb of Bishop Gregorius Hajar, who was the head of the congregation between 1901-1940. According to the words of the historian Mr. Johnny Mansour, 19 more religious priests are buried in the cave.

Opposite the altar, on the left side, is a large rectangular alcove, in which is the tomb of Bishop Maximus Salom, who died in 2004.

"O Virgin Mary, Yaphet of Carmel"

In the courtyard, above the door of the main entrance gate of the church, the following inscription appears:

"This is a house of prayer built by people who fear God
They are from Haifa who built it with ambition
In which Haifa was happy and in which she was proud
Follow the Virgin and bless her for peace

For Miriam the Virgin what good is the house
A noble that did not let up and did not get tired
Ever compared to the generation that preceded them
O Virgin Mary, Japheth of Carmel
1862"

"To the memory of the world"

On the right side of the door is the following dedication:

"We confirm the decree of our predecessor, Motran Agabius A-Domani, given in 1879 in the acceptance of a certain estate of the late Abraham and Jaris Khalil Gideon by the A-Seyda Church in Haifa in exchange for eleven prayers to be held annually for the ascension of their souls and the soul of one of them, c "Reese. We will add one prayer a year for the upliftment of the soul of their late brother, Gideon. To mark these two great loved ones we order their names to be engraved on a marble tablet that will be affixed to the church wall for eternal remembrance.
Gregorius, Metropolitan of Acre, Haifa and Nazareth, Haifa July 14, 1936"

"By the Grace of the Virgin"

In 1995, a documentary film was produced about Beit Hased, called "Bashedi Battula", and was dedicated to the work of the founders of the house: the late Kamil Shahada and his noble wife Agnes, who lives in this place to this day.
The film was directed by Walid Yassin.