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What happened to the old cinemas of Haifa? ○ Chapter 1

introduction

In the coming weeks we will publish here a series of articles on the movie theaters of Haifa, which operated and opened until the 60s. The materials for the articles I collected a little personal information, but mainly from other sources I found. Special thanks to David Shalit and Anbar Dror Lex and the Haifa City Museum, whose exhibition catalog they issued to the city museum in 2011 is one of these sources. Thanks also to many others who I learned quite a bit from the materials they wrote and published, such as Boaz Rafaeli, Sharon Raz, Pini Schefter, Adi Feuerberger, Shirley Hovav and others.
The first group of articles (this article opens it) will be an introduction in which we will deal in general with the history of cinemas in Haifa. We will review the years of the great boom and its reasons, the characteristics of the Haifa cinema experience, and the process of decline and its reasons.

In the second group of articles, we will try to bring the stories of the cinemas that were there, one by one (as far as we manage to collect the information, also with the help of you, the readers). The architect Dr. David Brown, whose spectacular illustrations we all know, was drawn to illustrate what can be recovered from these cinemas, and to make up for the lack of visual materials in many cases.

Later, we will also tell the story of some of Haifa's prominent film families, we will also touch on the technical aspects of the film screening, and finally, we will bring several articles in which we will try, with the help of professionals, to understand whether there is a possibility for neighborhood cinemas today, and to examine ideas of what can be done with The abandoned cinemas, which today are white elephants scattered throughout the city.

Starting ...

Introduction - Haifa's cinemas

Watching movies has always been one of Israel's favorite pastimes. The movie, and the cinema that followed it, were among the great innovations of mass culture in the twentieth century, and they played a significant role in the nature of life in Israel in general, and in Haifa in particular.

the show

The history of cinema in Haifa began as early as 1919, when it had its first cinema, the Coliseum, which screened silent films. The films were accompanied by a pianist, who played the piano. The piano was missing several keys, and the dynamo rattled terribly in the yard, but all this did not detract from the intensity of the experience and the novelty.

The movie opened in Shipoli and Adi Nisnas, at today's 26 Allenby Street. Until recently, it was still possible to recognize the front of the building, whose entrance was designed in the form of a celluloid film, but today the front of the historic building is hidden behind a new facade of a joy hall. Whoever examines the new facade closely, will be able to notice behind it, here and there, the stone facade that was hidden behind.

The first movie theater in Haifa - "Coliseum" movie site - 2022 • Haifa's old movie theaters (photo: Yoram Katz)
The first movie theater in Haifa - "Coliseum" movie site - 2022 • Haifa's old movie theaters (photo: Yoram Katz)

Jewish-Arab-Greek partnership

Later, two more mobile homes were added, "Eden" and "Carmel", both on the Jaffa road (the Haifa of those days, was entirely within the limits of today's lower city).

After the "Coliseum" was closed (1925), Yaakov Davidon, a colorful Haifa character - laborer, actor, poet, writer and even an entrepreneur, recruited Tanos Agile, a Haifa Arab and the owner of an event center called "Hagan Hamshimach" (a lame translation of the Arabic name - Ensharah), on the corner of the Jaffa streets and today's banks. The two teamed up with a Greek film agent, who lived in Haifa, named Socrates Tokatlides, and together they founded a new film company under joint ownership. The promising partnership did not last long, and fell apart following the events of 1929, which left the Jewish population of Haifa 7 dead and 61 wounded.

The first generation of cinemas

In the early thirties of the twentieth century, the talking movie - the cinema - arrived in Haifa.
The first swallows were the "Ein Dor" cinema (1930), on 9 Ein Dor Street, and "Ampi" (which started as an open amphitheater in 1927, and began showing films in 1931), on Halutz Street. Today there is no trace of these two cinemas.

The "Ein Dor" cinema, located near Wadi Nisnas, also screened Arab films, attracting Arab viewers, who ignored the calls of their leaders at the time to boycott Jewish businesses.

In 1935, "Ora" also joined, on today's Herzl Street, and "Armon" on today's Hanaviyim Street (then called Annaporta Street). In 1943, the small "Moriya" hall, which had also previously served as a kind of "people's house" for the Mount Carmel Committee, joined the group of cinemas in Haifa, and started showing films.

"Ampi", "Ura" and "Armon" were huge halls, containing more than 1,000 seats each, and the largest of them, "Palace", contained 1,800 seats.

"Ora" cinema hall 1935 (Photo: Yitzhak Kalter. Courtesy of Yael and Yron Garnot - architects)
"Ora" cinema hall 1935 (Photo: Yitzhak Kalter. Courtesy of Yael and Yron Garnot - architects)

From the beginning, the movie theaters were quite popular and a place for large crowds to gather. Naturally, various parties tried to harness this popularity for the purpose of receiving donations from the public. Thus, for example, the "Kufr Hashishuv" fund (a fund for the security of the Yishuv, which operated from 1938 until the establishment of the state), tried to raise funds using a "Too She'she'a" - a stamp of a certain value, the redemption of which was donated to the "Kufr Hashishuv" fund. For the purpose of collecting the donation, the management of "Kofar HaYishuv" requested the cooperation of the cinemas.

Cinema ticket with "amusement note" (public domain - Wikimedia Commons - contribution of Yuval Freibach)
Cinema ticket with "amusement note" (public domain - Wikimedia Commons - contribution of Yuval Freibach)

A call calls on the residents of Haifa to boycott the cinemas that do not agree to cooperate with "To-Hasheshe'e"

In this context, the following document is interesting, which is a call to the residents of Haifa to boycott the cinemas that do not agree to cooperate with "To-Hasheshe'e". It is not clear which of the four active cinemas the announcement is aimed at, but it is unlikely that Ora and Ampi, owned by Maph, tried to evade this obligation.

A call to boycott movie theaters (courtesy of the archives of the Hebrew Real School in Haifa)
A call to boycott movie theaters (courtesy of the archives of the Hebrew Real School in Haifa)

The second generation of cinemas

The second generation of movie theaters in Haifa was born in the late 40s, and the great explosion of cinema consumption came in the early 50s, when Israel was the world leader in movie consumption per capita, and Haifa, hard to believe, was the capital of world cinema consumption. In 1954, there were close to 200 movie theaters in Israel, of which more than 20 were in Haifa.

According to official data from the UNESCO organization, in 1954, every Haifa resident visited the cinema about 30 times a year on average, compared to 24 visits to Tel Aviv and 18 to Jerusalem, and the newspaper Dvar excitedly informed its readers that "Israel ranks first in the world according to the percentage of visits to the cinema , and Haifa ranks first in Israel."

Most cinemas screened three shows a day - a daily show at 16:00 p.m., and evening shows at 19:00 p.m. and 21:00 p.m. Initially, the ticket offices were only opened in the afternoon, and the great demand for tickets caused pressure on the ticket offices, which reached the point of blocking traffic and putting the public at risk. The situation was so serious that at the end of 1954, the cinemas had to open their box offices already in the morning, under the threat of the mayor Abba Khushi with the denial of their licenses.

A number of movie theaters in Hadar - "Orion", "Miron", "Glaur" and "Domino" operated differently:
These small cinemas could not compete with the larger and more "respectable" cinemas ("Armon", "Ora", "Atsmon", "Ampi", and later also "Ron" and "Tamar"), in terms of content, since the "Big" worked with the big distributors, and got the newest movies and blockbusters.

The solution that the little ones found is daily shows every two hours from 10:00 to 16:00 (in addition to the evening shows at 19:00 and 21:00). In these cinemas it was possible, with one ticket, to see two films or even more in a row. In fact, you could spend an entire day there from 10:00 am to 18:00 pm watching continuously, and as children, we would occasionally do this during the holidays, and return home with a headache.

The films shown in these cinemas appealed to the young audience. These were usually action movies, second-rate westerns (first-rate went to the "big ones"), "big" films in repeat screenings and comedies, but over time, in the stages of the decline of the cinemas, when these had great difficulty competing with television, some houses These cinemas for screening sex films, which the "big ones" did not touch, and in which they still had an advantage over the new competitor.
In the peak years, more than 25 cinemas operated in Haifa, most of them in Hadar Carmel.

"Palace" cinema - 1946 (Matson Collection - Library of Congress - public domain)
"Palace" cinema - 1946 (Matson Collection - Library of Congress - public domain)

The cinema was the main place of entertainment in the city

In the pre-television days, the cinema was the main place of entertainment in the city, and for a sum equal to any soul, you could disappear for about two hours, escape the troubles of this world and soar to wonderful worlds. During the break it was possible to enjoy a candy, an iceberg or a ice cream from the hands of children who carried a box that was several sizes bigger than them, who shouted "popsicle-creative".

Around the big cinemas, mainly in Hadar, entertainment centers have developed with falafel stands, restaurants and cafes, and young people on "irons" on the side of the sidewalks ("Commando Palace"). Buses and taxis took passengers to these places of entertainment, and the city seemed much more alive than it is today.

"Commando Palace" - 1965 (from the collection of Tony Ashkar, Haifa)
"Commando Palace" - 1965 (from the collection of Tony Ashkar, Haifa)

The beginning of the decline of the neighborhood cinemas

At the beginning of the seventies, the process of the decline of the neighborhood cinemas began, which we will discuss later, and these cinemas, the entertainment centers of the past, were slowly abandoned. Some of these buildings had architectural value, some contained wall paintings and works of art, and all had a place in the history of the city, but none of them were marked as a building intended for preservation.

Some of the buildings have become white elephants and worn and abandoned tombstones that no one visits anymore. Others were destroyed and disappeared from sight, and it is not clear which of these two fates was better for them.

Along with many of the characteristics of the modern world, cinema has turned from a social experience into a consumer product. The movie theaters have become huge, multi-screen supermarkets, based on a different business model, and are usually located in large shopping centers, which themselves symbolize a revolution in shopping and entertainment patterns.

In this process, the cinema lost its status as a community-social institution. From a central component of the urban space, the cinemas have become complexes on the outskirts of the city, which are usually reached by private car. The small theaters and VIP complexes also neutralized the community viewing experience and made the cinema experience more individual. The withdrawal of the cinemas to closed and private complexes, for its part, greatly damaged the old city centers and the experience of living in them.

Today, there is not a single active movie theater left in the Hadar HaCarmel neighborhood, and in fact, of all the neighborhood movie theaters that operated in Haifa in the 50s and 60s, only a "popular" movie theater in Neve Shanan remains, in striking isolation, which managed, somehow, to adapt itself to the times, With two screening halls, and while being educated to create for itself a special aroma of a local "Cinema Paradiso", and to brand itself as a home of quality films and as a "Cinema Cafe" - a meeting place and a neighborhood and community entertainment center.

One can only hope that the Haifa audience will take care to keep him, and honor him with his presence.

The only cinema that survived - Cinema Cafe "Ammi" - 2022 (photo: Yoram Katz)
The only movie theater that survived - Cinema Cafe "Emmi" - 2022 (photographer: Yoram Katz)

the documentation

One of the problems that make it difficult to cover the history of Haifa cinemas, is the lack of documentation.
In 2011, an exhibition called "Wonderful Halls" was presented at the Haifa City Museum. The exhibition was produced by curator Einbar Dror Lex, with the help of film researcher David Shalit, who also added fascinating texts.

The exhibition told the story of the cinemas in Haifa, and is among the sources that I used in preparing this series of articles. The catalog of that exhibition can still be seen and purchased at the Haifa City Museum.
But even this important exhibition had difficulty in bringing materials, and in particular photographs of the cinemas in their heyday. Out of the approximately 25 cinemas that operated in Haifa, films were shown in only seven: "Ora", "Armon", "Ampi" ("Amphitheater" in its full name), "Orion", "May", "Miron" and "Emmi". And for most of these, these are individual photographs, which did not always convey the spirit of the place. The exhibition tried to compensate for this with additional materials, such as construction plans, but the lack of photographs and materials is real.

Unlike today, in those days a camera was a luxury product. Both photo films, and the development and printing of photos cost a lot of money, and the result was that people took less photos. Those who took pictures were mainly the professional photographers (Zoltan Kluger and others in the 30s, followed by "Photo Brenner", "Photo Alexander", "Photo Figure" and the like).

We hope that we can fill this gap, or at least reduce it, but this Very dependent on your help.

In the following, we would like to review all the cinemas that operated in Haifa until the 70s. We have searched the archives and the nets but we still lack materials.
The cinemas for which the documentation (photos from the heyday and written material) that exists is negligible to non-existent:
"Orly", "Glaur", "Domino", "Ziv", "Haifa", "Chen", "Mayon", "Maxim", "Nof", "Far", "Ron", "Shavit", "Taklat ", "Tamar".

Our requests from you, the readers:

  1. If any of you have materials (photos from a personal album or just stories) about these cinemas (and others), or you know someone like that (families of the owners or photographers, for example) - please let us know, so that we can use the photo. Therefore, we would also like to know who took it, and who owns its copyright, in order to give him credit.
  2. "May" cinema - Yaakov Davidon, one of the founders of the cinema, and a fascinating personality in his own right, deserves a separate article that will review his work. If any of his descendants are reading these lines, we would appreciate it if they would contact us as soon as possible.
  3. "Carmel Ganim" cinema - if anyone from the Ovitch family, who founded the cinema, reads these lines, we would appreciate it if they would contact us as soon as possible.
  4. Cinema "Moriya" - we would like to contact the following people, who we know have materials that we would like to use. Avi Neshri, Oz Avishi, Lior Hudsman - please contact us.
    Write to us in the comments below, or by email: [email protected]

    This is an important service for the city and the community. Time passes, and there may not be any more opportunities like this.
    Next week, another chapter in the series will be published and its name is: "The great break-in of the movie theaters in Haifa"

contact: At watsapBy email

Yoram Katz
Yoram Katz
Graduate of the Israeli hi-tech industry, journalist, writer and blogger. Link to my website and to purchase the books Born in Haifa (1954), studied at Geulah School and Harieli School. Graduated in philosophy and psychology (Hebrew University) and computer engineering (Technion). Books: • "Lethal Scripture" (English) – a historical suspense novel • “Days of Redemption” – childhood stories from the neighborhood of "Redemption"

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55 תגובות

  1. A historical and moving and also sad article for me as a native of Haifa, and as the daughter of a mother born in the city. And I was moved to read your life stories, similar to those of my late brother. It seems that you studied together at Bis Geula and Reali. I would be happy to share details. All the best to you and continue on your way.

  2. Yoram Shalom
    I would like to talk to you about something private
    You can get back to me at my private email

    with gratitude
    Rafi Katz

  3. Hello, can you direct me from Matzer 6 about the movie theaters at night

  4. Yoram Shalom
    As a resident of Haifa since always and forever...
    I lived in the Ein Haim neighborhood.
    Cinema Nof in Kiryat Shprincek was the place
    where the school plays and ceremonies were held
    Ein Hayam where I studied. Also, various films were screened there, mainly during the days of independence when entry was free.
    It's a shame for the building that is half in ruins.
    Your articles are noteworthy.
    Strong

  5. What about the ruins of Beit Shulnoe Yuval in western Kiryat Haim. Bussel Street. A desolate and ugly place

  6. Kudos to Yoram Katz, the writer and researcher, and also to the Tachid media website Haifa and the surrounding area, who are finally starting to understand what the audience wants and is interested in, look at the number of responses and you will understand, and even a small banner on the home page of the site will not hurt the promotion of the nostalgic historical topics on the site, because, you should be up there in the management The corporation will understand - we have news from every direction, articles with soul that cause excitement like Katz's - there is none!, and that is what we are asking for!!!

  7. My personal history is connected to the movie theaters from the day I was born until the age of 25. My father, Henrich (Zvi) Pelzen, was showing for decades in the movie theaters: Gal-Or in the morning, until 16:XNUMX p.m. and in the evening at the Moriah cinema.
    He was also a cinema machine mechanic. Repaired, renovated and built many machine rooms and projectors.
    Greetings Haim Pelzan

  8. The history of Haifa and without the cinema is very important.
    What is not mentioned in the article is that on Friday evenings there were shows at the Ora Ampi and Far cinemas, also at the Tamar cinema there were plays and musicals by Giora Godik such as Fiddler on the Roof and other shows such as Hanukkah shows and more. So to all the writers of the article, your strength

  9. Interesting article, thank you. I wanted to mention that the scooter house that will be used in the summer is tortured during the holidays. May Armon and Atsmon would you be interested in hearing about it. In addition, if you have posters about you, I would appreciate it if you would upload them.
    happy holiday
    Moses

  10. As a 4th generation Haifai born and born in Haifa, 14 in Israel, I really liked your idea about Haifa's cinemas, as a young boy we used to go to the movies a lot (there wasn't much to do in Haifa), but it's good that the little ones were there in the morning when we "got off" from school for a fun day In Hadar, which included two falafel movies, or in Motzesh at the Ron Cinema, Ampi and Armon Hagohid, where we watched the great movies of the 70's and 80's. Thanks for the interesting article.

  11. A cashier at the Ora cinema and occasionally at Amphi was my compatriot Wilhelm, his daughters Dina (born in 1951) and his sister Leah (older), not sure about the names, may be able to find more photos, the father was also an amateur photographer and developed photos at home, if they happen to read the article - I'm sure they can add a lot of information.

  12. An exciting and important article! The buildings should be preserved and turned into museums or public buildings or anything else that would enhance tourism in Haifa. There are rare works of art there, such as the exterior mosaic of the Ron cinema (yes, it's real) by the artist Amnal Sela. This is a rare work that still holds up, but needs preservation. Lots and lots of ideas and an article like this along with pressure on decision makers will lead to change. thanks!!

  13. As someone who grew up in downtown Stanton those who know remember
    Or Wadi Salib remembers in Wadi the Hadar cinema that we all go to on Friday afternoons and come to watch films made for Fridays in the sequels.
    Translation on the side continues and the movie is over
    The movie continues and the translation is finished.
    Indeed, nostalgia cannot be forgotten

  14. Thanks for the welcome initiative.
    1. It is worth mentioning the blessed activity of the architect Valid Karebi
    (Formerly responsible for the preservation of buildings in the engineering department of Haifa Municipality)
    who was engaged in collecting and giving lectures on the subject.
    2. The walls of Par Cinema were decorated with works by the artist Perli Pelzig and his son who lives in Jerusalem keeps sketches of the works. If I'm not mistaken, despite structural changes inside the building, the works can be seen.

  15. Domino Cinema…. We would run away from Alliance two meters away to watch movies. The black and white domino setting….

  16. I was born in 1953. I remember Henry and Miri Zamir's Moulin Rouge cafe sitting in the large square near the Atzmon cinema drinking coffee and surrounded by a sea of ​​people in suits waiting for 21.00:XNUMX p.m. to enter the cinema. There were days in the sixties.

  17. You didn't mention the Carmel Gardens of the Gnomes cinema that screened movies in Arabic and the Ampi and Aterat cinema in the Carmel capital.

  18. A fascinating article, Yoram. Brings back to Haifa its former character and beauty.
    Have a Happy holiday!

  19. I didn't see a reminder of the "Hadar" cinema that was in the lower city on Kibbutz Street postcards a rounded structure obscures the structure of Talpiot Market
    ) nowadays I think it's a "pipeshow".
    Regarding the Armon cinema, it was owned by the Gridinger family. I remember it had a convertible roof

  20. Every time I pass by one of the cinemas... my heart is pinched... sweet memories that are gone... the 70's to the 80's were for me spending time in the cinemas was a significant part... it was a special experience... in all respects... a thrill... isn't it today... unlike today I don't connect to movie theaters...especially movies that don't speak to me...everything is fictional...and imaginary like life!!!

  21. A beautiful and nostalgic article reminds me of the teenage years and adulthood of many of us. I remember that the "Palace" cinema was destroyed. A beautiful and wonderful time

  22. You forgot the Hadar Barach cinema. Kibbutz Galvoit. The building is still standing

  23. At the Ron Shehdar cinema, in the summer months when it was hot... the roof would be opened and they would watch movies in the open air. There were no air conditioners back then... we have great movie theaters today and still... to think that they would have opened a movie theater like they used to. Without all the surrounding hustle and bustle like today, it could have been wonderful! Thanks for all the information. Very interesting!

  24. There was no mention of the Tamar Cinema located on Hapoel Street (next to the Hapoel "Gali Hadar" pool). The building is still standing in ruins to this day.

  25. As a child I remember the celebration of going by bus to Haifa for a film from the Kirya. This was an experience about 60 years ago. The falafels at the end of Halutz and Nabiim were food centers for the meeting. Haifa was a bustling city and Hadar was the center.

  26. "Hadar" cinema on Irak Street (Gloyot Kibbutz) in Wadi Saliv, "Vard" cinema in Hirdan, corner of Derech Neve Shanan... (Yad Labanim).
    "Hadar" was a movie theater that changes movies 3-4 times a week..every two days a new movie..and on Saturday night it was hard to get a ticket...
    They used to take us to concerts from school to the "Tamar" cinema on Hapoel Street.. I should note that the level of education in the 60s was immeasurably higher compared to today's education.. For example, most of my teachers were born in Germany who managed to escape from hell.
    What a beautiful city Haifa was back then...

  27. Beautiful and interesting article.
    You did not mention that in the Bat Galim neighborhood, on the main avenue, there was a small cinema without a roof where films were shown only in the evenings of the summer months

  28. My father was the projectionist of most cinemas in Haifa, his name was Shmuel Yerahmiel and everyone called him Jinji, he has a lot of history to tell you

  29. There was a "Hadar" cinema whose building is still standing. On Hativat Golani Street, between Yonk Ice Cream and the wholesale market. My father was a partner in it. It was a cooperative. A huge cinema with over two thousand seats, the sliding roof opened, it was full to the brim with several shows a day. I remember , that we used to walk down from Masada Street to the cinema. The crackers, the bottles, that the audience equipped themselves with. There were also artist performances and I also remember a speech by Begin at the place. After the Vadi Saliv riots in 1958 and the transfer of the population to Neve Shanan mainly, the audience dwindled, the partners got old and the cinema closed.

  30. Another cinema that is not mentioned is the Hadar cinema, the building still exists today...the uses have changed. The building was large and handsome and was used by the residents of the lower city in the vicinity of Wadi Salib. The cinema owners were incorporated as a cooperative that operated under the cooperative center.

  31. All the best to you, Yoram. Shabbat Shalom and happy holidays.

  32. Interesting and exciting article
    You forgot to mention the Chen Cinema on Shabtai Levy Street in Binin, adjacent to Maccabi Haifa House on Labontin Street
    We also screened movies in the morning and evening at the Chen cinema
    Later, the cinema became a discotheque

    • I just wanted to write about the Chen cinema that we used to go there during school! We "ran away" from school when there were study hours that did not take place!

  33. An interesting and intriguing series.
    I grew up in Haifa from the age of 5, and share Yoram Vali's memories.

  34. Happy holiday,
    1. The article is fascinating, waiting for more to come.
    2. An important project - well done for the initiative and investment!

  35. The Orly Cinema in the center of Carmel, in the early 70s, during the holidays, in the months of July and August, screened children's films and adventures that changed every week, with a ticket, those who came to 9 films would get the XNUMXth free.

  36. As a high school student we ran away from school to the morning shows at Orion, Glaor, Domino. There were mainly Westerners, Indians and Zoro. One of the common jokes was that during the break, the dead are transferred from Orion to Gal Or. Falafel Orion still exists today, and is delicious, thanks to the movie theater that was located in front of it. Today is a parking lot.

  37. Truly the glamor of Haifa in the 50s to the 70s. I remember very well the Carmel cinema where I first saw the traveling movie, it may have even been the first movie I saw at all. We also saw at least a movie or two at the Ein Dor cinema. In the late 60s when I was a child
    We especially came to see Saleh on Saturday at the Ora cinema in the 70s when I was in the army and no longer lived in Haifa. We waited in anticipation for the weekend to be entertained by action films or comedies at the Atzmon and Armon cinemas and of course the Parr cinema. And who of the generation doesn't remember the movies for the whole family that moved hearts - Dr. Zhivago and the sounds of music at the Tamar cinema or the movies starring Cliff Richard at the Blue cinema. Yes, there were times when the world was different and innocent and it's good to remember a time that was a pity and disappeared.

    • The article amusingly reminds me of the film The Tale of the Furrowers at the Tamar cinema, which I went to see twice, and also the film Huzlito at the Moriah cinema. The greatest of them all, in my opinion, was Cecil de Mille's "Ten Commandments" at the May cinema, the screening time of which, including the intermission, was close to 3 hours. It was So realistic and tangible for those days that I remember it as if it was being screened now.

  38. You can get information about the Haifa cinema from Chechi Noi. His father used to sell tickets at a tiny box office and later moved to be the usher. Tzachi would help him.

  39. bless you Feels like an exciting trip down the time tunnel to our magical childhood. I really hope you manage to collect more material. Eagerly waiting for the next chapters. Thanks.

  40. Cinemas that operated in the lower city of Jaffa were not mentioned in the article. 56 There was a summer movie theater whose projection was placed in a commercial building and the film was projected on a building on Ha'tsamat Street.
    No mention was made of a magnificent cinema with the works of art on the interior walls. The building still exists today. It is interesting that the works were preserved?

    • Yossi, there was also a May Bahadar cinema near the garden in front of the city hall and next to it a small island
      - My father Yanko Kenan

  41. The story is important and the material is indeed scarce. I will contact Yoram by e-mail mainly regarding Par Cinema which my father was one of the founders and owners of until it closed. The cinema is known for its impressive murals that we (the heirs) try to preserve to this day. The paintings exist in the building that still functions today and this time in the hands of the "Shavim" association.

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