The 40th Haifa International Film Festival is coming to an end and with it the salute to the city's neighborhood cinemas. Along with these cinemas, whose histories are displayed in the auditorium plaza, there is also a "popular" cinema, located at 99 HaGalil Street in Neve Shanan.
Neve Shaanan's neighborhood cinema
The opening of the neighborhood cinema in 1948 in Neve Shanan was an important milestone in the development of the neighborhood which was founded in 1922 by a small number of families.
In 1931, the residents of the neighborhood numbered about 700 people. In the same year, Noah Shanan's "Beit Ha'am" was built for the needs of the public on HaGilil Street, not far from the Water Tower. It was the first public building built in the neighborhood, and it also housed the neighborhood library.
However, the neighborhood committee's request to receive a permit to screen films in the "Beit Ha'am" was rejected by the Haifa Municipality, mainly for safety reasons. In this situation, it was up to neighborhood resident Willi Hepler to obtain a license to open a neighborhood cinema. Finally, the municipality approved the opening of a cinema in the new "Beit Ha'aalim" building, which opened to the public in 1948.
"folk" cinema
The cinema that would later be called "Ammi" was inaugurated in 1949. It was located on the ground floor of the new "Beit Hapoalim" by Neve Shanan, whose construction was completed a year before, in 1948. The building was built according to the plans of the architect David Laskov and "The Engineer Company Ltd." The cinema hall contained only about 300 seats.
On the top floor of the "Beit Hapoalim" was the public library of the neighborhood, which moved from the old "Beit Ha'am" and got a new home. Unlike the large cinemas of the time, such as "Armon" or "Ora", the Benue Shanan cinema building had small physical dimensions and blended nicely into the structure of the buildings around it. Its appearance and dimensions also justified its name - "Ammi".
"Ammi", first 40 years
The first operators of the cinema were the Weissman family who operated it for about 40 years, until 1988. The father of the family, Yosef Weissman, operated the cinema in partnership with Zeev Chiovanashvili. At one point, they did a renovation in which they expanded the cinema and doubled its capacity to about 600 seats. The renovation was done, apparently, according to the plans of the architect and craftsman David Whitman who also designed the "Moriya" cinema in Haifa, the "Chagall House" (later the "Artists' House") and many other buildings.
"Cinema - popular cafe"
In 1990, the cinema was leased by Yitzhak (Itzik) Meshi and the Zeidan family, who decided to operate the place in a new format, under the name "Cinema Cafe Ammi", similar to the format in which they operated "Cinema Cafe Moriah". The new operators realized that in order to survive they had to adopt the "multiple screens" concept. Therefore, as part of the significant renovation of the building, two small movie theaters of about 180 seats and a cafeteria were created, with the aim of turning "Ammi" into a boutique cinema. In the new format, it was decided that "Ammi" will screen only quality films and in a different atmosphere than before.
The new branding was successful. "Ammi" was an example of a cinema that integrated into the fabric of life in the environment and this is the reason for its survival until 2024. At the outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war, the cinema closed its doors.
win or lose?
The Municipality of Haifa demanded the return of the property to its hands from Itzik Meshi and his partners, claiming that the workers' company that at the time leased the property from the Municipality of Haifa, sub-leased it to the current operators, without the approval of the owner, namely the Municipality of Haifa.
Recently, the district court accepted the municipality's argument and ordered the cancellation of the lease agreement between the municipality and the workers' company and, as a result, the cancellation of the lease agreement with the present operators. The court also ruled that the property must be vacated within 90 days and returned to the municipality.
Although the mayor, Yona Yahav, sees this as an important achievement for the city in its struggle to return the property of a "popular" cinema to its hands, there is reason to wonder whether the public will benefit from this legal victory.
"Cinema Cafe Ammi" was an institution that won the appreciation and sympathy of the residents of the neighborhood, the last of Haifa's neighborhood cinemas that played an important role in the cultural life of Neve Shanan and beyond. Despite the mayor's promise to continue operating "Ammi" as a cinema, we must hope that this will not be a case of the type described "Another victory like this and we're lost! ".
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.
It's a real shame. We loved the cinema that showed quality films and gave us the option of going to a movie near our house and not necessarily at the Grand... and instead of building a movie theater there, they're closing it, which is a shame... It's a shame the municipality doesn't take it under its auspices to build a movie theater there and allow screenings... It was really fun and nice.
In the cinema building there is a school, "together". It seems that they took over large parts of the building. With approval? Not exactly clear.
What is the fate of the school?
And the cinema? It's standing still. It seems that 90 days have passed.
Waiting for the opening of the cinema and Yashak!
Thank you for your response, which is similar to many others. I hope that someone in the Haifa municipality reads and understands the residents' whispers and results will be seen on the ground soon. Good week!
I also want them to operate the same high-quality place
It is not clear from the article why the fact that the court ruled that the property must be transferred to the municipality is not necessarily a step on the way to its activation? The most important part the writer left Lot in the fog
It's a shame that Yitzhak (Itzik) Meshi and the Zeyden family didn't make the cinema accessible to people with disabilities. He disrespected the law and people with disabilities.
Hi, who remembers the Red Cinema on Par St. Haifa?
It's a shame that they closed it...citizens would go to see movies...Yona Yahav what are you doing???
Does what he wants as in the previous term
Do not close the legendary, high-quality cinema, which presented quality films, the likes of which cannot be found, it's a shame to lose such an important and significant asset, a shame...
I strongly support the call to restart cinema, whose atmosphere is so different from the ostentatiousness of movie theaters in malls.
It was true that the "whip" of a class action lawsuit was used for accessibility.. but it was really easily resolved..
May these requests of ours fall on a listening ear in the municipality
Today, Ammi serves the Haredi community. Thank you, Yahav. I didn't think this was what you would do... I expected you to open the agreements and operate the Carmelit, the cable car, etc. Shame!!
Ammi does not serve the ultra-orthodox sector, it stands abandoned, another part of the building is used as a religious state school, so be specific in your comments and enough for free hate
Only part of the building.
The cinema is empty and has not been renovated
Indeed - will be returned to activity. And hurry!
I hope that the municipality of Haifa will rise above itself and open the cinema immediately!!! Alas, if the cinema that has been closed for almost a year and a half (!) turns into another desolate building like the Moriah cinema. We miss a popular cinema with the high-quality films shown there as the only place of entertainment in the Neve neighborhood
The sleepy and boring Shaanan...
The culture of abundance and material which destroys every good bit of quality, pleasure and warmth in favor of the emptiness of materialistic progress.
Leaving the Cinematheque as the last gem in the city.
so sad.
But it's ok…. Even so, the people who enjoy this cinema belong to a generation that is disappearing.
And they will do everything, probably to invest in young people who are fleeing the city.
Popular cinema has indeed been lost to the residents of Haifa and the suburbs. I used to go to a quality movie almost every week in a cultural atmosphere. I don't like movie theaters in malls. It's a bit difficult for me to connect culture with a mall... and those who understand will understand.
Indeed, another victory like this… and we lost…
His victory is in his loss….
Indeed the historic and interesting building. He deserves a painting by David Bakstoni...
Well done for what? This charming and pleasant cinema is not working! There is hardly a single movie that I haven't seen blood in the last 10 years. Quality movies, a small and friendly cafe, you need to come back and run it!
Bless you Dr. David Bar On. Your article about folk cinema and the heart-melting illustration of the cinema took me back 60 years ……..
Thank you very much, Reut, your response touched me. Have a good week!
Cinema Cafe Ammi was a precious gem in Haifa, and even though we are not Haifaites, we enjoyed going there often, enjoying interesting films, and especially the special atmosphere, which was so different from the luxurious cinemas in malls.
We very much looked forward to its resumption of activity with the end of the fighting in the north, and we were disappointed when it did not happen.
I agree that the Haifa municipality's victory in this case is a loss for all movie lovers, and I hope that Yona Yahav will read this article
I didn't understand why. Because what will happen?
Neve Shanan and not Neve, just like a will and not a stool!!!
Kudos to you my dear friend Dr. David Bar On for your article. Shalom and blessings to you David.
Thank you very much, my friend, Rapoul!
Well done to you my dear friend Dr. David Bar On for this article. Good night and blessed to you my dear friend David and Shalom and blessed to you.