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"Ora" cinema • A Haifa icon that has disappeared

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Ahead of the opening of the 40th Haifa International Film Festival, as a salute to Haifa's neighborhood cinemas, this week we will turn our spotlight on the "Ora" cinema located at 41 Herzl Street and inaugurated exactly this week 89 years ago - another good reason to tell its story.

"Ora" cinema, the beginning

The "Ora" cinema was inaugurated on December 23, 1935, on Herzl Street, the main street of the Hadar HaCarmel neighborhood, which in those days already had about 25,000 residents. The movie theater was built on a lot that belonged to an existing foundation, in a joint initiative of the Haifa Workers' Council [M.P.H.], Shabtai Levy - who 5 years later would be the first Jewish mayor of Haifa - and other partners. 

The work was carried out on the basis of "Jewish work", as in the days of the construction of the nearby "Ampi" cinema, to help support the livelihood of the Jewish workers.

The building was built according to the plans of the architects Oscar Kaufman וEugen Stolzer, both born in Hungary who studied architecture in Germany. They escaped from Germany to Israel with the rise of the Nazis, but before that they managed to design a number of theaters in Berlin, while Israel designed the "Habima" theater building in Tel Aviv. 

The grand opening

The ceremonial opening of the new cinema was on December 23, 1935, in the presence of the representatives of the Jewish communities in the area and the secretary of M.F.H., Abba Khushi, later the mayor of Haifa, gave a festive speech. The first film that was screened was the American film "Sin and its Punishment" based on the classic book by the Russian writer Dostoyevsky.

the building

The building designed by the couple of architects Kaufman and Stolzer bore the characteristics of the international style (the Bauhaus). The architects created a simple composition of two boxes of different heights, one with a partially rounded shell, devoid of unnecessary decorations and clusters of square and rectangular openings. Inside, the foyer was lavishly decorated, double height, and two flights of stairs led from it to the grandstand. The hall contained about 1200 seats, about a third of them in the stands. The ventilation system was one of the most advanced, as was the projection equipment. An impressive chandelier adorned the ceiling of the hall.

Ora cinema, the hall (illustrated by Dr. David Bar On)
Ora cinema, the hall (illustrated by Dr. David Bar On)

"Ora", more than cinema

In addition to movies, the "Ora" cinema was used for organizational gatherings, (after all, M.P.H. was among the initiators) such as the one on May 1st, and for Hebrew theater performances such as "The Broom", "Ohel", "The Chamber" and "The Stage".

The stairs that led to the building - "Ora's stairs" - were a popular meeting place among the Haifaites and also a favorite place to watch events such as the Independence Day dance parade, May 1st parades or the "Archiperakhitaura" procession organized by the students of the Technion's Faculty of Architecture.

The great conflagration

In 1941, a big fire broke out there and severely damaged the cinema building. The renovation took about 6 years, including a redesign by the original architects, Kaufman and Stolzer. The cinema reopened in November 1947. 

The cinema's activity was accompanied by constant tension between the religious and secular circles in the city, against the background of the religious's demand not to hold screenings on Shabbat evenings. However, this demand was not met.

"Ora", the end of the film

The fate of the Ora cinema was similar to the fate of the other neighborhood cinemas of Haifa and it was finally closed in 1990. After its closure, it was abandoned for about 10 years. Despite its architectural quality and despite being one of the distinct symbols of the city, the "Ora" cinema building was not included in the list of buildings to be preserved by the Municipality of Haifa.

The entrepreneurs who purchased the building in 2002 received the approval of the district committee to change its designation to a commercial center. They made significant internal renovations and adjustments as required by its new purpose but kept its exterior appearance.

In conclusion, we will quote the words of Yoram Katz, author of the fascinating book "Haifa's neighborhood cinemas":
"Today, you can still see the old lady, who was a symbol of the city, and remains as a faded reminder of what it was then, a mournful reminder of the splendor of the "Hadar neighborhood" and a sad greeting from the Haifa of old."

Thanks

My thanks are hereby given to my friend Yoram Katz About the album that extensively tells the fascinating stories of the "Neighborhood Cinemas of Haifa", a book on which this article is based. Those interested in expanding their knowledge on the subject are invited to purchase the book bאתר The personal of Yoram Katz.

Dear readers,
The articles in this section are based on open information published in various sources, such as Wikipedia, and other websites and may include various historical inaccuracies arising from the aforementioned sources.

We invite our readers to suggest buildings as subjects for articles and if interesting stories are found behind them we will be happy to review them in this section.

contact: At watsapBy email

Dr. David Bar On
Dr. David Bar On
Architect and craftsman, graduate of the Technion and member of the Association of Painters and Sculptors in Israel. Draws the historic buildings of Haifa and tells their stories. Participates in exhibitions in Israel and abroad. All paintings can be purchased, details void. 052-4642998. More paintings at facebook.com/dbaronarc Email address: [email protected]

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23 תגובות

  1. .It was no longer a house
    Cinema. It was the cultural center of Haifa and the north. All theater performances, concerts, there
    The Carmel band was born in
    To the battles. Come to Pa'i
    and Ben Gurion in natural size. MPAM Vigal Alon. Gather all the members of the youth movements to come and participate. This is how a state was established

  2. Why weren't they destroyed?
    Hadar must be rebuilt as an ultra-Orthodox, I'm surprised there isn't a wig salon
    Who even wants to live in Haifa? I live in Bnei Brak and go to a beauty salon that will be located at 28 Machal Street in Hadar and work a lot and make a lot of money as someone who was once a rabbi and a rabbi and irons in bridal salons in Geula at 66 Pazner and Kiryat Yam. Today I am a special hairdresser

    • Make proposals for destruction in Bnei Brak 😡 and leave Haifa alone. If you want to worship God, do it in the name of your ancestors! Without imposing an ultra-orthodox lifestyle on a public that is not interested in it and without "suggestions" to destroy buildings dear to the hearts of the city's veterans.

  3. The title is misleading.
    This Haifa symbol has not disappeared.
    The developers made sure to keep the external architectural motifs. The fired city engineer demanded from them in writing to demolish the building and they refused. See the construction file.

    • Thank you for your response. The title is not misleading - the building is preserved, as is also stated in the article - but the cinema is gone!

  4. I remember in my childhood the flourishing Hadar neighborhood! The center of Haifa, with cinema centers, Armon, Atzmon, Ora, Ron and more!
    Whole streets of falafel and shawarma sellers, parking lots full of everything good. Somehow the city managed to crush all this goodness! rope.

    • Maybe the mayors failed, but they certainly weren't anti-Semitic even if some of them were leftist!!!

    • Ms. Amsalam is left-wing and not left-wing...
      And I assume that in your opinion Haifa should be managed by mayors from some religious party who will turn the city into a cemetery for any cultural symbol or any kind of ancestry....

    • Ms. Amsalem, leave the bibism outside of Haifa😡😡😡 maybe move to Jerusalem..
      Because according to the level of discourse, you are definitely suitable to be assigned to the sub-level in the government.

  5. I remember the cinema
    Every time we went to see a movie there it was like a holiday
    There was a very beautiful large chandelier in the hall
    I wonder what they did to you?!

  6. All the symbols of Haifa are disappearing, including the late Palace Cinema in favor of vandals under the auspices of failed mayors who have been in the last thirty-five years

    • Thank you for your response. This is a simplistic presentation of the situation. These properties are private, so the authority's intervention options are limited.

  7. An important part of the restoration and renewal of Hadar Carmel must be an investment in returning the cultural institutions and halls to Hadar. An event hall or club brings a crowd of hundreds of revelers who sit in the nearby restaurants and cafes. One supports the other. Commerce benefits from culture. That is why it is important to return Ora Hall as a hall for events, lectures, cinema. In Hadar, they are transformed into event halls for celebrations near the neighborhood, so it would be worthwhile to rehabilitate Ora as a multi-purpose hall

    • Thank you for your response. In principle, I agree with you. Practically - it's hard to do.

  8. Maybe it's worth restarting the Ora Cinema and with its name it will light up the whole of Herzl Street anew. We came to banish darkness.

  9. The Ora cinema was a pastime of my childhood years
    Mainly because nearby, Herzl 43, in Beit "Huvova" was
    My father has a workshop and I stayed after school
    and preparing lessons in my father's work. Beyond Herzl Street is Halutz Street, close to the Histadrut House,
    Amphitheater cinema. Another favorite cinema.
    How were the days? We won't know that...

    • Thank you for your response. As I mentioned, Ora was more than cinema!

  10. In 1992 there was a live performance by the singer Avi Toledano. I was at the performance. It was on behalf of the Histadrut of Haifa. So there is a mistake, the cinema apparently closed in 1992 for good.

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