A tour with Prof. Yossi Ben Artzi after the missile hit the center of Carmel: the fascinating story of the German Carmel
(live here) – On Friday 13/12/24, I experienced an unforgettable tour led by Professor Yossi Ben Artzi from the University of Haifa, which focused on the German Carmel - an area that reflects the unique history of Haifa.
Watch several selected segments from the tour:
Time travel on Keller Street that was hit by a missile
Keller Street, the focus of the patrol, was hit by a missile launched by Hezbollah a few weeks before. Despite the physical damage, the true story of the street is revealed through the broken houses. Ben Artzi led the participants on a journey through time, through ancient buildings erected by the Templars - a German community that decided to breathe life into the wild Carmel.
Carmel of old: the German planting and construction
The tour delved into the story of the Templars, who sought to beautify Carmel and turn it into a unique settlement. They planted pine trees and built buildings in the old German style, which still create a special atmosphere. Through Ben Artzi's explanations, it was possible to imagine the ideals of those first settlers, who sought to make Carmel more beautiful and inviting.
From the walls of the lower city to the center of Carmel
Ben Artzi told about the development of Haifa: how its residents left the walls of the lower city and began to move towards the Carmel. Over the years, the center of Carmel has become an important center of settlement, symbolizing the city's movement between tradition and innovation.
An exciting tour that connected the participants to history
About a hundred participants took part in the tour that lasted about two hours. With the help of Ben Artzi's insights and the historical buildings around us, we felt as if we had gone back in time, to a time when Haifa was just beginning to shape its face.
The average age of the participants in the tour (60+) betrays a lack of connection, more precisely a disconnection of young people from Haifa's heritage. A disconnection that starts already with the schools that do not deepen the local connection to Haifa
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There is no such thing as a German Carmel. The Templars, supporters of Nazi Germany, focused on the lower part of Haifa because of the harbor for trade purposes. There is no record that they built in the area of Carmel.