"The victory over death and not emphasizing suffering"
When you say "Maronites" you immediately subconsciously open the drawer of "Kfar Bir'am", a village that until the time of the War of Independence was a Christian-Maronite village.
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Operation Hiram
The place was captured in Operation Hiram at the end of the War of Independence, in October 1948. Immediately after the occupation of the village, all the residents were required to evacuate, but they were assured that this was only temporary... They were told, declared and promised that everyone would be able to return to it after a few days. But this promise was never fulfilled. The Moshav Dobb and Kibbutz Bar'am were established on the lands of the occupied village.
The unfulfilled promise
To this day, many years after the event, the displaced people of the Maronite village "Biram" and their descendants are still conducting a legal and political battle regarding this matter. All this in a pleasant way and in accordance with the law and the rules of Israeli democracy. The thought of the unfulfilled promise pinches the heart, especially in light of the fact that it may never be fulfilled.
The Maronite symbol
In the office of the head of the community, the religious priest Abuna Yusuf Yaakov, the yeshiva table was often loaded with delicacies and the special (and delicious) coffee was served in cups with the Maronite symbol stamped on them. The Avona Yusuf Yaakov family left Biram for Gush Halav and Safed.
Arrival in Haifa
When Yaakov was two years old, in 1979, the family moved to Haifa. As a young man, Jacob used to participate with his friends in the activities of the youth movement that was active in the church, then, in combination with his studies at the "Nazirot Nazaret" school (located in Haifa, as is known) and out of his great love for the teachings of Jesus, he specialized in the field of religion, until he reached the position of religious priest of the community The Maronite in Haifa where it is used, as mentioned, today.
The members of the Armenian nationality
The Maronites are members of the Armenian nationality. They belong to the Antiochian Aramaic-Maronite-Christian Church, which belongs to Eastern Catholic Christianity, and it accepts the orders of the Pope.
The monk Mar Maron
Tradition says that the Maronite Church was founded in the fourth century by Mar Maron who was an Armenian monk whose exemplary life, spirituality and the miracles he performed stood to merit him. Maron was born in the middle of the fourth century and died in the first decade of the fifth century. He lived as a hermit and hermit in the mountainous region near Antioch.
Aram peoples and the Phoenicians
The Maronites are of the ethnic origin of the Aram peoples and the Phoenicians. They maintained their existence and identity in the mountains of Lebanon in an area with a complicated topography that was difficult to access, for about 1,600 years. Avona Yusuf Yaakov says that today the number of the Maronite community in Haifa and the surrounding area is about 4,000 people, and in Israel as a whole there are about 10000 men and women. It goes without saying that the Maronites do not see themselves as Arabs.
The Syrian liturgy of Antioch
As mentioned, the Maronite Church is part of the Catholic Church. Over the years there were attempts by the Catholic Church to Latinize the prayer, these were stopped only after the Second Vatican Council, but the Maronites kept the Syriac liturgy of Antioch, based on the Armenian-Syrian dialect, (a language that the Maronites themselves spoke until the 18th century.
Arabic in an Aramaic dialect
A large part of the prayer is said today in the Arabic language which is the official language in Lebanon. In other words, the Maronites are Christian Arameans who speak Arabic in a dialect that is mostly based on Aramaic grammar and mixed with many words from Aramaic - their original language. The Maronites also speak Arabic - due to the influence of the Muslim Arab occupation, a little Turkish - due to the Ottoman period and also a lot of French, since the previous period of the French Mandate.
Jerusalem, Damascus and Paris
At the head of the church is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, Al-Ra'i, whose seat is in Karaka, north of Beirut. Since Lebanon's independence, the patriarch has been content with religious rule only. The Patriarch is elected by the bishops of the Maronite Church and the appointment receives the approval of the Pope. The Maronite Church has a patriarchal representation in Jerusalem, which was founded in 1895, as well as representations in Damascus and Paris.
The married and the single
The deacons and priests of the Maronite Church are not bound to celibacy, unlike their counterparts in the Catholic Church. In contrast, the monks and bishops are obliged to remain celibate. Thus Avona Yusuf Yaakov, married and the father of a son and two daughters (and in a short while, the third daughter will arrive, at a good time!).
the saints and the blessed
The Pope declared three Maronite monks "saints of the Catholic Church" who are:
- Sharbel Machloof (declared a saint in 1977)
- Rafka Ar-Rais (canonized in 2001)
- and Nimatullah Yosef al-Hardini (declared a saint in 2004).
Yes, additional Maronite monks were declared "blessed" (which means: junior saints, in Catholic terminology), among them three Maronite monks who were murdered in the massacre of 1860.
The Maronites in the Holy Land
Bishop Father Musa Al-Hajj is the archbishop of the Maronite community in the Holy Land. He was appointed to the position on June 16, 2012, by the Maronite Patriarch Bishara Al-Ra'i who elected new bishops for the Maronite Church in Lebanon and around the world. The bishop's residence is located on Hubert Humphrey Street in Ein Hatchelat at the seaside.
The Maronite community in Israel
The Maronite community in Haifa currently numbers about 4000 people. About 6000 more people live in Jish - most of its residents are Maronite Christians. Maronites also live in Acre, Usafia, Shafaram, Jaffa and Jerusalem.
The first of the community came to Haifa from Lebanon at the beginning of the 19th century, later residents from Gish and from the village of Bir'am who wanted to move from the village and live in the big city also arrived.
'good friday'
The community in Haifa is a cohesive and solidary community. Between 300 and 400 people come to the mass prayers on Sundays, and on holidays even more. Avona Yaakov says that during the holidays about 70% of the people of the community come to prayer. But even between the holidays there are differences. For example: on "Good Friday" a lot of people come, and in contrast on "Resurrection Day" - a large crowd comes, but slightly less.
Most of the people of the community are educated people, academics, lawyers, doctors and more. The best known among them is the former Supreme Court judge, Salim Jubran.
The courtyard of the Maronite church named after Saint Louis
The Maronite community complex is located in the lower city of Haifa. The complex is surrounded by a wall and is located between Maronite Alley and Robin Alley, with the St. Louis Church in its center.
Saint Louis
The church is called Saint Louis after Louis IX "the Saint" - who reigned in France from 1226 until his death in 1270. Louis IX was the son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He participated in two crusades, the seventh - to Egypt, and the eighth - to Tunisia. This is why he was nicknamed "saint".
The construction of the church began in 1880 during the reign of Sultan Abdelhamid. The church was built on land donated by the two brothers Abraham and Salim Khoury. The dedication of the church took place in February 1890.
the teeth of time
In 1919, the location of the church in the lower city of Haifa attracted many worshipers, but over the years the teeth of time gnawed at the building which was being destroyed, parts of it were destroyed and very worn out.
The religious priest Avona Yusuf Yaakov, who has been the head of the community since 2013 - is the one who hastened and pushed to carry out the renovations of the complex. He accelerated both the renovation of the church and the renovation of the priest's residential complex. Needless to say, all this with the help of donations from the people of the community, as well as many donations that came from abroad.
a feeling of warmth
The renovation was done under the management and direction of Avona Yosef Yaakov, where the emphasis is on bringing in natural materials that connect the praying person to nature, and emphasis was also placed on choosing warm colors that give a feeling of home and a feeling of being in a place that is inclusive, enveloping and warm.
The church is built in the Maronite style. The altar faces east. At first glance from the front door you can clearly see that there is a large and polished wooden cross on the east wall, but without the image of Jesus.
The victory over death
The rationale behind this choice is that Jesus has already been resurrected, so his place is no longer on the cross. The deep meaning is the choice not to emphasize the pain and the victory over death.
To the left of the altar is an ark made of marble for keeping the holy bread and to the right of it is a similar ark, intended for keeping the holy oils.
Santa Maria and the baby Jesus
The walls of the church are decorated with beautiful paintings and icons, including St. Marron, St. Yohanan from the French St. Louis Arron, Santa Maria and the baby Jesus in the Haifa landscape. A significant part of the renovated paintings are the work of the artist Michael Caro.
In the dome of the church there is an interesting upper key, which lets in daylight and below it on its sides, the paintings of the four evangelions - accompanied by the relevant attributes.
the angel Gabriel
In the center of the dome we will see the image of Jesus. From the west - the angel Gabriel who is the guardian angel of the church. In the east is the image of Mother Mary, we will also see Peter (with the key attribute) and Saint Maron.
Activity is back
During the Corona period, the activities and visits to the church were greatly reduced, but now the activity has returned to the series and now Haya is fully operational. In the complex there are two groups of different youth movements, in which between 150-180 children are active. There is also a women's group called "Women's Brotherhood" which is intended for women aged 55 and over.
Welcome to visit
The Maronite Church in Haifa is located in the lower city at 5 Rubin Alley.
The prayer times change between the winter season and the spring season, so you should be updated before arriving to visit the place. The public is invited to come and even be present at the prayer.
• (It should be known that only those who are baptized - can receive the holy bread).
