A trip to the 'Goat Hill' and a nostalgic look at the old airport - project 'For Haifa'

Nostalgic indulgence

On Saturday 20.01.24 I joined with my mother a flower tour in 'Givat Aizim' as part of the project 'For Haifa'. The landscapes of my childhood brought back memories, which I will include in the notes of the tour.  

Our house on Freud Street was for me as a girl in the 70s, a fertile ground (literally) for daily recreation in the extensive green spaces. Every day, on my return from school, I went for a walk in the wadis behind the house accompanied by the family pointer dog. Carpets of flowers of every shade and color decorated the entire area en masse, according to the seasons, including species of bumblebees, one of my favorite flowers. In the winter, around the pine trees, I collected pine nuts and ran home to peel them and ask my mother to make a mushroom omelette or a soup that had a unique taste. The house was surrounded by pine trees and every step yielded countless pine nuts that fell from their cones and all that was left was to find a suitable stone to crack them...

The story of the 'old airport'

Those were wonderful days, when the area of ​​the 'old airport' at the end of Freud Street was used as a fun meeting place for neighborhood children, for family outings, for field days and overnight retreats of the 'Scoops' and 'Bnei Akiva' movements, for flying airplanes and more.   

In the 80s, after high-profile struggles by the residents of the street and its surroundings failed, the construction of Weinschel Road began, which turned Freud Street from one of the quiet streets in the city into a central street connecting to the entrance to Haifa on the western slopes of Carmel.      

The story of the 'old airport', as we used to call it, is intriguing. It was established by the British at the end of World War II as an airstrip for light aircraft as part of the 'Last Fortress' plan in preparation for a possible invasion of the Land of Israel by the Nazi German army. The area of ​​the airstrip, at the end of which were the remains of a small stone house, spread over several hundred meters in total and was not paved ever

Researchers point out that the parachute was not actually used during World War II. But later, as part of my work as a documenter of life stories of the older generation, I was privileged to hear fascinating testimonies from two of my interviewees who witnessed light aircraft landing on the spot.

Fascinating evidence

the father of Mickey Gottschalk The 87-year-old, whose story I published here a few months ago, actively participated in the construction of the fortifications during World War II. Mickey told me about the old airport:

"As children, we used to walk in the area of ​​the old airport, which was full of flowers. Around 1944, when I was about 8 years old, we lived on Hayarkon Street. One day we heard an unusual noise from the direction of the field. Father and I quickly ran to the spot. We arrived panting and discovered to our surprise a small Piper plane that had landed in the field . I remember the pilot was nervous and said that he was instructed to check the landing conditions on the spot, which were very bad. He asked for our help to turn the plane, and so Dad and I found ourselves holding the Piper's tail and helping to turn it in the opposite direction. Just before take off he told us that he would advise his pilots to avoid landing on the spot .  

Another case was around 1950. We lived on Smolensk Street and we heard the noise of an explosion from the direction of the old airport and again I ran with dad. We managed to see a motorcycle with two young guys who fled the scene. Later, father was asked to represent the two as a lawyer in their trial, and thus it was learned that one of them, a soldier on active duty, wanted to test the building's resistance to bomb blasts..."

Another testimony was given to me by an interviewee who now lives in Tel Aviv, also of a similar age. When he was a young child, his mother used to run errands in her car as part of the Hagana organization. One day she was asked to collect weapons that were dropped by a light plane at the 'old airport' and deposit them in one The slicks in town. Later she told him about it.             

She planned the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood, which partly sits on the site of the old airport Leah Greenberg, then as the director of the city planning department, whose fascinating life story I documented in a book full of photos and documents.

And back to 'Goat Hill'

The 'Goat Hill' is located between the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood and the Dania neighborhood and is the largest natural area left in the urban area of ​​Haifa. The area is covered with rich national flora and besides the abundance of blossoms according to the seasons, you can see here, when the place is not crowded with travelers, hyenas and jackals, wild boars, songbirds, birds of prey and sometimes even rock rabbits that live in the rocky cliff at the bottom of the stream. Archaeological remains are also found in the area.     

Back in the 30s, a mandatory plan defined the purpose of the hill for construction. For years, many residents have been fighting for the intention to realize the construction on the site, which is intended to be called 'Ramat Goral' in memory of Aryeh Goral who served as the mayor of Haifa for about 25 years. Over 700 residents filed objections and today the future of construction is unclear.    

A Haifa natural gem near the house

Yesterday morning, several dozen nature lovers of various ages arrived at the meeting place at 44 Soroka St. in the Ramat Begin neighborhood. She led the tour pleasantly and with great knowledge Tali Moab, Dr. in history, social environmental activist, nature lover, director of the community 'Elilot Haifa' on Facebook and volunteers at "For Haifa".

"On the occasion of the 10th of the approaching tribe," Tali began, "I will address in the tour what happens in the field after the rain. I will tell you about the Mediterranean forest and the abundance of flowers we will meet along the way: red anemones, pink and white primroses, hairy and maroon lotem, tima, savion, marigold and more..."  

Tali led the travelers along a circular path that is comfortable for walking, paved among the rich vegetation. At the stops she told us about the flowers we met along the way, including Cydonian Romulea, a rare flower that stands out for its delicacy and purple color. It also sparked a discussion about uncontrolled logging and injustices about construction that collides with green areas. Tali told the story of the 'Dwellers of the Circle' and explained the importance of planting trees, for future generations, for the quality of the environment and for the soul. After about two wonderful hours in the nature near the house, in a caressing winter sun and wonderful blossoms, the participants dispersed with the taste of more...        

'For Haifa - paths, routes, nature corners in the city'

About three years ago, during the Corona period, an initiative Inbal Chen-Bargav, a Haifa teacher and attorney, founded a group whose goal is to integrate Haifa nature and the local community, to get to know the urban nature "under the nose". The group, which was named "For Haifa", works through a team of volunteers to raise awareness of urban nature to maintain green areas and preserve Haifa's wetlands.

On October 6, 2023, the first tour to the Ramat Alon trails was launched as part of the 'Autumn in the Wadiyot' project of 'For Haifa Trails'. The next day, a tour of Nahal HaGivorim was planned, which of course was canceled, along with 14 other tours that were planned with the cooperation of the Haifa History Association. Following the 'Black Sabbath' the project was stopped and a few weeks later it was decided to return to holding tours on weekends.

Today the tours are held every Friday and Saturday, as the weather permits and the security situation. Under the title go out into nature to strengthen mental resilience. The tours are intended for the residents of Haifa and the many evacuees staying in the city whose residents embrace them into their hearts with love.      

Among the initiatives that were born and developed during the three fruitful years of the project, the survey of community gardens throughout the city, a survey of parking lots, lookouts, statues, monuments and routes in Carmel ('the 21st challenge').    

There is close cooperation with the Yerok Belv association, whose volunteers took care of cleaning and marking the route years ago, with the social incubator of the Technion, with the association for Haifa history, with the Haifa municipality and more. 36 volunteers are currently active in "For Haifa" who would be happy to accept more members into their ranks.

Every week, Inbal updates in the Facebook group and in a column on the Hai Pa website about the activity of the past week and the one expected in the coming week. Welcome to follow and participate.  

Important Information

The tour leaders are not qualified guides and they work voluntarily for the community. Travelers are asked to bring closed-toe shoes, a hat and water. It is the travelers' responsibility to verify the degree of difficulty and route of the route, to bring appropriate equipment and to use their best judgment when walking.

Do you also want to volunteer for the community?

Lovers of nature and training who are ready to donate their love for the community, are invited to get in touch and join the volunteer team.