The 40th Haifa International Film Festival, which is taking place these days, salutes the Haifa cinemas of the past. One of them was the "Ron" cinema located at 67 Halutz St., which is the last neighborhood cinema established in the city. Today, he belongs to the disreputable group of "white elephants" in our city.
"Ron" - the beginning
"Ron" cinema was established by the contractor Pesach Zak In the 60s and it was named after his son. The building was designed by Haifa architect Dr Nissan Maslovati who created a complex and unusual complex that included a residential building next to a movie theater. This building type was considered innovative at the time because it combined in one building a movie theater, three residential floors, a commercial floor at street level and an underground parking lot. The building was designed with large writing, placed on top of a row of columns that formed the entrance level.
The hall had about 1000 seats and is considered one of the most luxurious cinemas in Israel. "Ron" was also equipped with an air conditioning system and a state-of-the-art sound system.
the opening
"Ron" cinema was solemnly opened in October 1961 with the screening of the musical film "Porgy and Bess" based on Gershwin's famous opera about black life in the USA.
"Ron" was the last neighborhood cinema to open in Haifa. He boasted of bringing first-class films, among them blockbusters such as "Salah Shabbati", "Gvirati Hanava", "Nevron Cannons" and more.
A unique building
The "Ron" cinema building was also unusual due to the inclusion of the artist's works of art Emmanuel Sela that decorated its facade and interior walls. On the front of the building facing Halutz St., an impressive mosaic work was installed in its size and beauty, based on the dance motif. The mosaic still exists today and attracts art and nostalgia lovers. As mentioned, there were also several works of art inside the building, in the technique of plaster engravings, which were placed on different walls, in key places.
The late artist Emanuel Sela
Emmanuel Sela (Bluystein) was born in 1924 in Russia. As a child, his family migrated to Uruguay. In Uruguay he studied art and won several awards for his works. In 1953, thanks to a scholarship, he went to study art in Paris. In 1955 he immigrated to Israel and transferred his name toSela. He is considered one of the pioneers of wall art in Israel. Besides the "Ron" cinema, he painted on the wall of the educational television building in Tel Aviv and on the walls of other public buildings.
"Ron" - the end
"Ron" enjoyed a quick but short boom, since it was opened in the 60s, when the decline in this industry had already begun. Besides movies, "Ron" gave a stage to various party shows and conferences, but these did not save it from the fate of the other cinemas. The changes that took place in cultural consumption habits and the socio-economic changes that took place in Haifa's population in the 70s and 80s affected "Ron" like the other Haifa cinemas.
The last show at "Ron" was "Chanala's Shabbat Dress". The cinema closed in 1991 and has been abandoned ever since. After the abandonment, the unique works of art of Emanuel Sela disappeared from the building. In 2013, they were found by an art enthusiast, at random, in the flea market in Haifa. Today, all traces of these works have disappeared.
Another white elephant
In 2021 an attempt was made to breathe life into the abandoned building. The "Ashad" company, which owns the cinema wing, initiated a plan to change the building's purpose from cinema to residential, while making significant changes within the framework of TAMA 38.
The owners of the apartments in the other part of the building objected on the grounds that it is not possible to realize a project of this type on only half a building.
Although the initiative was approved by the planning authorities, rejecting the objections, and the plan was approved under several conditions, including the copying of the mosaic work by Emanuel Sela from the front of Halutz Street to the front on Sokolov Street, the initiative did not come to fruition.
As of today, the abandoned "Ron" has joined the "white elephants" family of Haifa, which includes cinemas such as "Hadar", "Par", "Ampi" and more.
Only the impressive mosaic on its front reminds of the glorious past days of the "Ron" cinema.
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 On Yoram Katz's personal website
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.
How sad and pathetic it is to see the places of our childhood abandoned, without being transformed into something else, something useful, such as: student dormitories, day centers for the elderly and all kinds of such associations, housing for street dwellers, etc.
After all, there is already electricity, water, etc. infrastructure there, why not take advantage of it?
For example, the old Egged House and other white elephants waiting for a savior.
It has been 30 years or more since the cinemas closed. Standing like a stone that cannot be turned.
It's time for the bulldozers to go over the old buildings that don't meet earthquake standards anyway.
It's time to clear away large parts of the crumbling, gray, ugly beauty for urban renewal.
Like the new towers in other neighborhoods, Hadar also wants beautiful new construction instead of nostalgia for places
They will never be what they were. Instead of preserving it in a rotten state, it's time to rebuild Hadar.
My childhood memories of the beautiful days of Haifa
There is another painter who paints the special places in Haifa (Palace Cinema) his name is Meir Dahan.
And he has some interesting works.
Indeed, the Ron cinema had good days. By the way, even for Haifa, as a large city, - one of three large and significant cities in Israel in the 80s (along with Jerusalem and Tel Aviv...), the phenomena of the white elephant buildings in the city (cinemas, the casino, the two-story "bowling complex" in the center of Carmel) - is disturbing As if these have become a marker and a reminder of those days, the dram is also an existential one These buildings are structured barriers and leave a glass of destruction, waiting for a savior; a mayor, an entrepreneur or whoever, will change this energetic heaviness, the line on the city, until...,,
Thanks for your comment, I agree with your hope. Shabbat Shalom!
There was a time Haifa was Haifa Hadar was Hadar today 75 percent of the residents of Haifa are not the original residents of Haifa many from Tel Aviv many of the villages in short ruined this beautiful city for us.
At the Ron cinema up the stairs hung pictures of iconic actors such as Alan Dillon, Brigitte Bardot and a few others. Childhood memories.
Thank you for your response. Indeed, once "actor" was synonymous with "beautiful". Shabbat Shalom!
Perhaps the recipe for a theater amphitheater …..
Conferences and events ..in Kolnea Ron have never happened before
Well done my dear friend Dr. David Bar On for this article. Shabbat Shalom and blessed to you my friend. Good night and blessed to you.
Thank you, Rafi my friend, Shabbos Shalom!
Orion cinema Mai cinema near Atzmon There was a small one Chen cinema There was another one down in the city They built a multi-storey building on it and there is the cinema in front of the wholesale market
Hello, to mention Nof Cinema in Kiryat Shpritsak
It's not accurate. The last neighborhood cinema is a folk cinema in Neve Shanan that continued to work until recently. It is more accurate to say that Ron Cinema is the last of the big cinemas in Haifa... it would be more accurate...
Ron Cinema was the last to open.
Cinema Café Emmi was the last to close
Thank you for your response, indeed the reference was to the last cinema built in Haifa, we will correct the title. Shabbat Shalom!
The special thing about the Ron cinema is that the projection was located inside a building inside the hall, and it was also possible to project 70 mm wide films on the huge screen of the cinema, the cinema had a magnificent curtain in a bright color that before it was raised was illuminated in all the colors of the rainbow
Thank you for your response, Shabbat Shalom!
Wasn't there a stage where Ron Halls were there? weddings etc
Olmi Ron was located in Mayrhof Square in Kiryat Eliezer. Today, the building houses a Max Stock store
What about Cinema Shavit?
A real cinema back then was a big luxury one in the center of Haifa. All plays got there. . It's a real shame
. Shows that came from Russia
Ron Cinema was also the first to screen movies on a wide screen. By the way: you didn't forget in the series the Domino cinema located on Sokolov St., or did I miss it....
"Tamar" preceded "Ron" in screening using the TODD-AO method.
And we didn't forget "Domino". how is possible