The holiday of holidays in Haifa • A celebration of criticism from all directions

(live here with the celebrations) - These days the "Holiday of the Holidays" festival is taking place in Haifa, which is intended to celebrate the coexistence that prevails in Haifa, through a joint event of the holidays of the three religions. However, it is criticized by residents who complain about the traffic congestion and by residents who complain that the festival refers only to Christmas, and ignores the Hanukkah holiday that is celebrated at the same time.

"Holidays" or just one holiday?

These days, as every year, Haifa celebrates the "Holiday of the Holidays", a festival designed to celebrate the coexistence of the three religions in the city by celebrating the holidays of the three religions - the Jewish Hanukkah, the Christian Christmas and the Muslim holidays - Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, when they are celebrated Synchronizes with the festival period. However, in recent years, there have been increasing voices claiming that this is a celebration that has deviated from its course, and today celebrates Christmas only.

Traffic jams, parking shortages and the existing solutions

The festival, which next year will celebrate its 30th anniversary (albeit in a format that has changed over time), is praised by residents who enjoy an "abroad atmosphere". However, there are many criticisms regarding its concentration on the Ben-Gurion axis in the German colony, in a way that creates traffic congestion Heaviness, parking shortages, noise and dirt that cloud the lives of those living in the area. "You see the holiday season, we see the traffic jam," responded a student from Gordon College in response to the municipality's announcements about the festival. In a conversation with another resident, he described his frustration from the first week of the festival: " Today my parents, seventy plus years old, had to park a kilometer away from the house and walk," he said.

In an attempt to solve the transportation accessibility of the festival, free shuttles are operated on Saturdays with a frequency of half an hour, which make the route from across the bay and from Carmel Beach to the festival. These transportations also did not escape criticism, this time from the members of the ultra-orthodox coalition, who protested the desecration of the Sabbath and threatened to resign from the coalition. In addition to the shuttles, the "Superbus" company, which operates the matrons that arrive at the center of the celebration, announced that on the occasion of the events and due to the congestion, the frequency of the matrons will be increased on the weekends. In addition, in Agad, the "Tiktak" service is increasing, which will operate on Thursdays until midnight and on Fridays until 15:00 p.m.

Christmas or Hanochrismas?

In addition, the Jewish residents of the city express resentment that the Christmas celebrations overshadow the Hanukkah holiday, which they claim does not receive the treatment it deserves. "And what about the Jewish sector? Because for some reason none of our events or holidays are celebrated in Haifa," responded one of the residents on Facebook. He is not alone. "A city of all religions and cultures except Judaism," another wrote. Another resident expressed an expectation of a different kind of events "You call it the holiday of the holidays, but I didn't see any tour/event related to Hanukkah. No tours of Hanukkah, celebratory candle lighting... nothing, shame."

In a conversation with city council member Yoav Ramati, he agreed with the criticism: "I only have the Hanukkah holiday. I don't know anything else. I recognized festivals that have no substance. That's why I came this year and said - this time we will celebrate Hanukkah." The council member said that this year, as the chairman of the Association for Tourism and Recreation in Haifa, he decided to pour Jewish content into the celebration period. Therefore, this year a large Hanukkah will be placed on the roof of Beit Dagon, on Ha-Aztuma Street, from which beams of light emanating between two kilometers in length. In addition, Videos telling the story of the holiday will be projected onto the building, and then pictures symbolizing the theme of the holiday will be shown: "The miracle of the fat mouth, the Knesset of Israel, the flag of Israel, all the things that make up politics," Ramati noted. "We come to convey a message. In the whole country of consumerism of tourism with Jewish motifs, and Haifa was never on this wave. This year we are raising this flag," he said.

Haifa Municipality's response:

"Following the changes in the traffic arrangements during the holiday events of the holidays, and after discussions with the police officials - the increase in public transportation will continue as planned.

At the end of a series of meetings between the municipal teams and the Israel Police, it was clarified that in light of the success in reducing the number of vehicles that entered the city last Saturday, at the same time as blocking major traffic routes - it appears that traffic management has somewhat improved the keeping of the access and escape routes open for emergencies, and has even been beneficial in reducing the suffering of the residents.

The commander of the Haifa Police Station and the professional staff today expressed their satisfaction with the management of the event last Saturday, and asked to continue the arrangements for public transportation and the shuttles that regulated the entry of tens of thousands of visitors to the city. At the basis of the tests are the needs of safety, security and preservation of human life, with the aim of preventing possible disasters as much as possible. Lessons will only be produced in another week.

It should be noted that the reinforcement of public transportation during the holiday events of the holidays is a procedure of many years. The management of the issue will be reviewed by police officials only at the end of the first two weeks."