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Kiryat Shmona after the war - December 2024 - a photographed and sad tour

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Kiryat Shmona has accompanied my life over the years, even though I have never lived there. My memories are related to the city in several significant stations. In the mid-seventies, when I was a child, we hosted in our home children my age from Kiryat Shmona, which at that time was subject to incessant Katyusha barrages. With some of them we kept in touch by letter for a few years, but over time the relationship faded.

In the late seventies and early eighties, Kiryat Shmona became a regular stop on my way to the Golan Heights, an inevitable stop for local falafel before arriving at the base.

"Rojom" climbing wall

The years passed, and in recent years I had the honor of being involved in an extraordinary project in the city: the construction of the Rojum climbing wall. This is a unique initiative of Aharon, a religious young man from Susia, who settled in the Galilee and built from scratch a climbing wall and a lively challenge center. The place thrived and survived the challenges of the Corona period, but unfortunately it closed with the outbreak of the war. Today, efforts are underway to restore and reopen the center, hoping to restore its vitality to the city.

The "Rojum" climbing wall in Kiryat Shmona (Photo: Avi Albaum)

I recently returned to Kiryat Shmona, armed with a camera

Kiryat Shmona - general view of the city (photo: Avi Albaum)

The streets of Kiryat Shmona are deserted

Out of more than twenty thousand inhabitants there are now less than four thousand in the city. The little trade is concentrated in a few eateries open on both sides of the main road. The number of passing cars is smaller than usual and the general feeling is one of abandonment, abandonment and sadness.

Kiryat Shmona - abandonment, abandonment and sadness (Photo: Avi Albaum)

The signs of war are everywhere

Wandering through the streets of the city one discovers more and more signs of damage, broken windows, exclusion tapes, signs of a fire that has been extinguished, the city is revealed, layer by layer, through the signs of war.

Kiryat Shmona - exclusion films (Photo: Avi Albaum)
Kiryat Shmona - a smashed window (Photo: Avi Albaum)

Houses hit by missiles

Some of the damaged houses have been sealed and are awaiting a decision: rehabilitation or demolition and rebuilding. There are buildings whose condition allows for physical rehabilitation, but a difficult question arises - will the residents choose to return and live in them in light of the difficult memories and vulnerability they experienced?

Kiryat Shmona - smashed windows were sealed, the building is abandoned. A silent witness to the war (Photo: Avi Albaum)

Documentation of places abandoned following violent conflicts

the field of interest known as Urban Exploration (Urban Exploration) focuses on researching and documenting places that have been abandoned following violent conflicts. These areas are tangible evidence of the devastating consequences of the war on communities, urban life and infrastructure. The photographers and researchers in this field emphasize buildings and areas that bear the signs of destruction, wear and tear, and abandonment, sometimes as a result of a sudden departure.

Kiryat Shmona - a store that was abandoned following the war - December 2024 (Photo: Avi Albaum)

A moral cry

This documentation is not only aesthetic; It offers a unique historical and social window, highlighting the impact of conflicts on humanity. It often functions as a moral cry, or as a basis for a discourse on restoration and reconciliation. The photographed places combine narratives of pain, loss and hope, viewed through the lens. The following photos were taken from this concept, with the desire to give another look at the human story behind the ruins.

Kiryat Shmona - pain and loss - December 2024 (photo: Avi Albaum)
Kiryat Shmona - Abandoned shopping center - December 2024 (Photo: Avi Albaum)
Kiryat Shmona - Abandoned shopping center - December 2024 (Photo: Avi Albaum)

The valley that is visible in front is breathtaking

To the east of Kiryat Shmona stretches the northern and verdant part of the Hula Valley, where the leaves begin to turn green, and green foliage envelops the fertile soil of the valley.

Kiryat Shmona, located in the heart of this spectacular landscape, deserves a comprehensive rehabilitation process - physical, economic and social. It has the potential to become a central and prosperous district city, which will serve as an anchor for the beautiful area rich in possibilities around it.

Emek Hula of Labalev in front of the abandoned Kiryat Shmona - December 2024 (Photo: Avi Albaum)

contact: At watsapBy email

Avi Albaum
Economist, photography enthusiast and lover of Haifa, environmental and social activist. Member of the executive committee of the Green in the Heart association

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6 תגובות

  1. Thanks for raising awareness.
    For many years now, the shops in the shopping center have been, how to say, deserted...life has been going on in Big, in malls...or since the Corona period online.
    Check also in other cities that are not at war, and you will see that things are quite similar.

    • It's not true there was a place of tanning and hairdressers and shops really not true that were deserted

  2. It is also worth checking the situation of the residents in Haifa whose homes and property were damaged by Hezbollah missiles...
    I know about helplessness and there is no response from the authorities.
    A friend of mine has returned to live in her house where all the windows are smashed and the devastation and destruction all around inspires only despair

    • I wish they would turn to the right person
      What does it have to do with raising awareness?
      This is an article about Kiryat Shmona, she is abandoned by her fiancé and no one puts a finger on it
      Here is my house Eros and Adin are not even making progress with the repairs and here in another second the evacuation is being stopped and there are people who have no way to return to their homes so it's really enough to contact other cities all the time

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