Ruthie Gantz from Haifa - registered nurse, violinist and flamenco dancer

Ruti Gantz, a beautiful woman full of life accompanied by a beaming smile, is the widow of Shmuel Gantz who was the CEO of Haifa Municipality for about 10 years (2006-2016). The same class of studies (born in 1940) in the city of Rehovot. Today, Ruthie lives in the prestigious "Avangard Residence" sheltered housing complex in the Carmel Heights, which stands out both for its exterior beauty and its interior design.

"I live here too"

Here is the section that brings you fascinating Haifa characters in their homes where the introduction is through the stories, the charges and the unique point of view of the people who make up the human mosaic of our city Haifa. That is, these are the people who live and live here - just like the name of the section - "I also live here".

As part of this section we will get to know Haifa characters and their place of residence. The acquaintance is not through the square footage of the apartment, or a real estate appraisal or a design description only, but the essence of this acquaintance is to get to know the hosts' house - to the stories, to the emotional charge and to the unique personal point of view.

Childhood intertwined with the roles of the father

Ruthie Weinstock-Geffen was born before the establishment of the state in Haifa, in the private maternity hospital "Beter" (which was at 39 Pevzner St.). Her extended family (including the grandparents) lived in Atlit - and at that time her father, Hanan, was a police officer on behalf of the British Mandate. In 1948, with the establishment of the state, the representatives of the British government removed their flag, the flag of the State of Israel was raised and Hanan Weinstock-Geffen was announced as the commander of the Israeli Yaakov Memorial Police!

At that time it was common for the police station commander to live with his family in the station compound. It so happened that Ruthie Zora's childhood was in the role of the father. During her childhood years - the members of the young Gefen family, the mother Yaffe, Ruthi and her two younger brothers, migrated following the duties of the father, a police officer, to Beit Lied, to Zichron Ya'akov, to Hadera and finally settled in the city of Rehovot.

Ruthie says that being a Gemini, these wanderings were a kind of adventure for her. Every 3 years she is a member of a different, but interesting, group of children. Although this created unevenness in the sequence of studies on the one hand, on the other hand she was lucky enough to meet many friends.

"… here on the green mountain, we will stay!"

In 1957 she began her studies at the nursing school, which was adjacent to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot. She finished her studies and in 60 was drafted into the IDF as a certified combat nurse.

Ruthie and Shmuel met in the city of Rehovot. She was a student at the local high school and he studied at Ort High School, and in 61 the two were married. Shmuel wanted to study at the Technion, and for that purpose in February 63 the couple arrived in Haifa. While on their way to Mount Carmel, Ruthie stated: "Here I will live and will not move anywhere else, here on the green mountain, we will stay! "

Shmuel Gantz - the man they always remembered with her

Ruthi's husband, the late Shmuel Gantz, was born in 1940 in Rehovot. He enlisted in the army in 1959, for a pilot's course and later served as an auto electrician at the Bat Galim workshop. During the Six Day War he was the commander of an armament company and in 1986 he participated in a sniper course and was appointed commander of the "Maintenance Brigade" In the division, the fire column was designed.

The late Shmuel Gantz was discharged from reserve service in 1992 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. During his military service, he studied at the University of Haifa and graduated from the university in economics and political science in 1971. When he finished his studies, Ruthie continued her studies in education and nursing.

The late Shmuel even served in a number of public positions, among them the chairman of the coordination bureau of the economic organizations in Haifa and the North - and he was also the founder of the company "Helicint Oprite", which was originally called "Tefaret Al-Machouniyim" Ltd.

In 2006, when he was elected to the position of CEO of Haifa Municipality - he transferred all his private businesses to their two children: Verd Wisler-Ganz, who lives in Haifa, and Ran Gantz, who lives in Zichron Ya'akov. Today, in addition to her two children, Ruthie also embraces 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Living in the sheltered housing project

In the past, there was a plan for the Gantz couple: when they reached the age of chivalry (from the year of Avot: "Sixty-year-old - for old age; seventy-year-old - for return; eighty-year-old for bravery") - they would move to live in sheltered housing, and that is what happened. For the past 4 years, Ruthie Gantz has been living (with the late Shmuel until he passed away on December 23) in the Avantgarde Residence sheltered housing project, which is part of the Meno Shipot group owned by Moshe Meno, which is located in the heart of the center of Carmel, and is in a quiet, green and plain location on the one hand, And on the other hand, in a central and bustling location.

Ruthie says that she feels protected mainly in sheltered housing. In addition to a protected and secure complex, she also enjoys a clinic and medical attention by a doctor and a nurse around the clock, 7 days a week - thus she feels that she is not a burden on her children or grandchildren.

She also enjoys many indulgence options such as: an excellent restaurant, Avant-Garde Cafe and Piano Bar as well as a spa, pool, sports club and various classes. Ruthie proves herself to be a person who needs a social life, which is why she often walks with her friends to the cinematheque and the auditorium, to the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, and to the art galleries located in the Carmel Center and the Panorama Center - where there are also shopping and entertainment areas, restaurants and cafes.

The fully equipped kitchen compared to the gourmet restaurant

In Ruthi's private apartment, there is a modern and spacious kitchen, equipped with all the tools needed to prepare gourmet meals, but she prefers to eat in the restaurant room of the place, where a fine chef cooks meals that suit the tastes of the locals. She enjoys eating in company, with clean tablecloths and unique ceramic dishes on the tables.

Classes and activities

Every morning she participates in the sports class and from there to various activities. She persists in participating in the painting class, and the results of this class can be seen: her beautiful paintings that decorate her apartment.

Another class is the music class taught and explained by Yaakov Katz, who himself is one of the residents of the place. A sophisticated audio system is brought to these meetings and an explained concert is played from an extensive CD library that includes all the stories and anecdotes related to the piece being played.

The "suite" and the guest room

Ruthie calls her bedroom "the suite". Adjacent to this bedroom are luxurious bathrooms and from anywhere in this room you can view the lovely view from the roof of Mount Carmel. For Dida, there is a huge importance of the connection between the appearance of the interior and the appearance of the exterior. The feeling is of spaces, green spaces.

Even the living room and the TV are used a lot. This is what her friends deserve and from here you can keep up to date with what's going on in Israel and the world, as well as watch favorite movies and shows.

A gold heart ring or a bagpipe

Before her sixth birthday, her grandfather asked her what she would choose as a birthday present: a heart ring made of gold or a bagpipe. It goes without saying that her childhood home was not a musical home, so it is not difficult to understand why she longed for a bagpipe and not a ring. According to her best memory, she thinks she answered, "With a ring I won't have anything to do, but with the bagpipe I can play."

With the help of a note book she taught herself to read the same signs that make up the notes in the book and only when she was about 10 years old did she enroll in the conservatory in her room. That's where the "romance with the violin" began.

Ruthi Gantz - "Married" for violin

Even now Chaya - Ruti Ali plays the violin every day. The violin is known as one of the most amazing, most exciting musical instruments but especially it is known as one of the most difficult musical instruments to play. When it comes to the correct choice of a violin for beginners - after all, most violin players start learning at a young age, so you have to adapt to the size of the player.

The violin is an instrument that is very complex to handle and even requires many hours of practice at home to produce a pleasant, violin-like sound and not a sound that sounds like a carpenter's saw or God forbid like a cat choking on a bird. 

As mentioned, the journey of playing the violin began when she was about 10 years old, with a violin known as "half". At the age of 12, she received a 3/4 size violin and only at the age of 14 - her father bought her a used, but fine violin, which came from Russia.

Throughout her life Ruthie is learning and improving. Until not long ago, once a week she combined a visit to her grandchildren's house, which is in Zichron Ya'akov, with violin studies at the conservatory with the legendary Kinneret teacher Eva. From time to time Ruthie improves the bow of the violin and even the instrument itself and for about 5 years she has been playing on a violin belonging to the Haifa violin maker Michael Lifshitz.

Certified flamenco dancer nurse

Ruthi Gantz all her years of work served as a registered nurse. She was an operating room nurse at Kaplan Hospital and Bnei Zion, and after the Yom Kippur War she was recruited to the orthopedic department at Rambam Hospital, and later even worked in the eye department. In 82, she was engaged in the important project of a nurse instructor in home and community dialysis. In 1990, she began her position as head nurse at the "Spanish Nursing Home" and later also at the "Dor Carmel" Nursing Home.

Being a child she had to choose between music lessons and dance lessons... As you know, she chose the violin. However, upon her retirement she decided to realize an old dream: to study dance.

At the age of 64, she purchased her first flamenco shoes and since then, over the course of 16 years, she was the oldest student at Inbal Cohen's studio (located on Shibat Zion St.). From this studio, and every year, a delegation of flamenco dancers went on a one-week course to flamenco dance schools in Spain. Ruthie participated in these studies which were held in the best schools in the various cities, such as: Madrid, Cordoba, Granada, Seville, Malaga, Cadiz and more.

Haifa - "I will live here and I will not move from here"

Ruthie's decision when she arrived in Haifa: "I will live here and I will not move from here" - indeed it came true. She remained in love and loves the city of Carmel. She wishes good health for herself and her loved ones as well as for the mountain city. Haifa's specialness is evident in its people and she says "the people of Haifa are warm-hearted people, people with their own character and calm". With them it is pleasant to stay in the theater, at plays and concerts... although in her opinion the main hall of the auditorium needs renovation.

Ruthie believes that cleanliness and aesthetics are an extremely important value in the city of Carmel, and therefore one must continue and persevere in maintaining a clean environment. Such an environment that strengthens the sense of belonging and commitment to the community and the country, since a clean environment increases the value of properties in the area and brings tourists, visitors and investors. Let us wish for the days when we will all be clean inside and outside.