In a relatively large building, located at 63-65 Arlozorov Street, designed in the international style but neglected like many of the buildings in the area, the girl who later became singer Yardena Arazi grew up.
the building
The building, which was probably built in the 1930s, is made up of two symmetrical wings, in a structure resembling the letter "H." On either side of a common entrance, an encroaching colonnaded floor extends, which is linked to the street by a representative staircase. The back of the building, contained between the arms of the "H," is quite neglected and does not fulfill its purpose as an open private space for the building's residents. The encroaching colonnaded floor is supported by a row of impressive round columns, which separate the street from the entrance space to the building.
The common stairs that rise from Arlozorov Street split on the colonnade level into two staircases that lead to the entrances of the buildings themselves. Each of the stairwells is characterized by a vertical window running its entire height from which it was possible to look out over the bay, at least from the upper floor. The building is characterized by horizontal and vertical sash windows, a common element in modern architecture. The prominent balconies that are rounded at the edges and the embossed cornices complete the building's association with the International Style.
Today, the exterior plaster is multi-colored, as the renovators of their time were able to imagine. It is likely that the original plaster was a light shade, as is customary in buildings in the International Style (see "The White City" in Tel Aviv). In this area of Hadar Carmel, there are many other residential buildings that display an advanced planning and design concept, in the spirit of the International Style. One of them is the "Glass House," at 21 Bar Giora Street, designed by architect Theodore Menkes, who was reviewed in this section in the past. In addition to it, there are quite a few other instructive examples, to which we will devote articles in the near future.
Yardena Arazi
Yardena was born on Kibbutz Kabri in 1951. Her parents left the kibbutz when she was two years old (1953) and moved to Haifa in a building at 63-65 Arlozorov Street. In Haifa, her father opened a small electrical goods store. Among his clients was the composer Efi Netzer, who in the 60s directed the "Rothschild House Group" choir. Yardena, who had sung in the Scouts, in the "Mashteti Be Carmel" band, was invited by Efi Netzer to join the "Rothschild House Group" as a soloist after successfully passing an audition. As a soloist, Yardena performed the song "Come, Mother" (1965) and was subsequently accepted into the Nahal and the rest - history. Her career flourished and she achieved impressive records that space is too short to mention here.
In 1984, Yardena Arazi was chosen as "Singer of the Year" by listeners of Kol Israel and in the same year she won the "Kinor of David" award. In May 2024, she was awarded the AMI Lifetime Achievement Award.
the architect
Judging by the building itself, the architect was well aware of the principles of modern architecture and the international style.
These principles were given tangible expression in the design of the building, such as by raising it on columns and creating an encroaching floor through which a connection was created between the public space - the street - and the open private space - the back garden enclosed between the arms of the "H". The sash windows, the flat roof, the rounded balconies - all of these indicate that the architect was indeed influenced by the International Style.
However, a check of the Haifa Municipality archives to discover the identity of the architect yielded a negative result, as no original documents of the permit application signed by the planner were found.
Therefore, at this stage the identity of the architect is a mystery waiting to be solved.
And you, dear readers, are asked to help solve the riddle.
Epilogue
Many of the buildings on Arlozorov Street suffer from neglect. There are no signs to indicate that any of them have been declared for preservation despite their architectural uniqueness. Some are undergoing an uncontrolled renovation process, and thus the heritage of the past is being erased. Signs hang here and there on the walls of the buildings announcing apartments "for sale" or "for rent." There is no sign on the building where Yardena Arazi grew up that indicates this fact, which could be a tourist attraction. On the other hand, the municipality rushed to name a street after her in the new "Giv'at Zemer" neighborhood.
Dear readers
The articles in this section are based on open information published in 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.
Now that Arzi refused to participate in the lighting of the torch on Independence Day with a stupid argument. With me, she's done. But... Of course, and certainly in leftist circles, she's rising higher and higher, and with disgusted hypocrisy, they'll pump her up wherever they can!
Every famous person grew up in some kind of house, apartment, building.
So what?
Thanks for your response. The strange thing is that even non-famous people live in some house or apartment, but it doesn't interest other people.
Thank you very much for your informative response. Your hypothesis regarding Oral-Zohar seems very reasonable to me as well.
The documents exist, but you have to physically go to the archives to look at them, since the entire original file was not scanned, only its cover and a few parts of it. From what I was able to find out, the building permit was received in the spring of 1934 and the building was completed towards the end of 1935. The style suggests Ural-Zohar (who liked sprawling floors like the Adler-Schiffer dormitories in Ahad Ha'am) or David Whitman, quite a few of whose works were in the area during those years. But of course this is an inconclusive hypothesis. The land was purchased by the Rozansky-Taylor partners a few years earlier.
Yes, a special building. I met Yardena's mother. She's nice. Amira. Thank you. There were beautiful days and today there are no complaints either.
Yardena Arazi lived with her parents in the building next door, not here. You based your statement on a previously published error.
Who cares about this rotten old woman?
In the backyard of the building was a "rose garden" that I had the honor of spending about two years in. I lived two houses away.
The buildings are magnificent with a lot of planning and thought. Even after 80 years, these buildings symbolize beauty, heart, and soul.
Which is hard to say about some of the people who, in old age, turned around and walked with the chaplains' taunts.
Dobby is right..
Yardena Arazi is an iron sheep in music and among Israeli artists, both Yaffa Gan Hochma and Yaffa Sara, the song Home, when I was in Lebanon in 82-85, it touched the hearts of all of us.
Everyone, as soldiers, ran home, but home, without a solution, home when the enemy is at the door, here beyond the fence, without a plan, to escape like Ehud Barak did, to escape from this reality is a delusion, to escape from Gaza, we received a massacre that will not be forgotten.
To flee from Judea and Samaria would mean losing the state.
My personal opinion is that peace agreements cannot be made with the enemy for 100 years.
The sea near Jordan is not peaceful in force and not peaceful in the presence of one side.
Another thanks to David for his accurate descriptions. Regarding Yardena Arazi's house: to the best of my knowledge, her family lived in the building on the right (65) as seen from the street. I have previously suggested that appropriate signs be placed at the entrance to houses in Haifa where writers and poets lived. For example, Orland lived on Moriah Street. Other writers lived on Hana Senesh Street. It was Mayor Abba Hushi's job to "attract" writers and theater actors to Haifa and to arrange their residences. Here, at 10 Bezalel Street, lived a slightly red-haired boy who responded to the name: Ehud Manor. Back to Arlozorov Street: at house number 71, on the corner of Spinoza Stairs, lived the "lead duo": Esther and Avraham Reichstadt. I used to visit their house. If I'm not mistaken: the composer Bick also lived on Arlozorov. Gadi Yagil - in the "clock house" on Herzl; Edna Lev – in Yosef, Tel-Hai. Composer Poldi Shatzman, who composed music for dozens of plays (at the Haifa Theater and in Tel Aviv), lived at 43 Michael Street. Finally (for now), Kobi Oshrat was also a Haifa native. Haim Topol, at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Haifa Theater, hinted in his own special way that if so many actors started their careers at the Haifa Theater and wandered south – it is worth checking the… mezuzot!!!
Bik lived at 98 Arlosorov Street, across from Bar Giora. A smiling man, always cheerful and singing.
I remember Yardena with her braids walking down Arlozorov Street with her dog, and her mother and brother too. I lived not far from there – Arlozorov at the corner of Bar Giora. Hadar Elyon was a sought-after and vibrant neighborhood in the 50s and 60s. The best of the population lived there, and the Leo Beck Elementary School on Hillel Street (later moved to Golomb Street) was among the most prominent schools in Haifa and produced famous people like Yona Yahav and Kobi Asherat. Over the years, most of the population moved up to Carmel and the neighborhood lost its luster. Immigration from Russia saved the street from its gloom.
Across the street, facing Balfour, stands the father's electrical store, closed and empty since his passing.
Not only did Yardena grow up there, but Amir also grew up there.
Thanks for the information, Shabbat Shalom!
What a cute, really smart girl.
Thank you very much, I really enjoyed reading.
I enjoyed browsing.
Thank you for your response, Shabbat Shalom.
I know the building and my father's store.
I lived nearby on HaEmek Street.
I enjoyed the article.
Thanks.
Thank you for your response, Shabbat Shalom!
It's a shame that the lady we've loved so much all these years refused to serve as Minister of Culture to lead a funeral procession and was labeled (even if it's not clear whether as a result of taking a political or innocent stance) on the side of the left and the protesters.
I was very disappointed in her that I would remember her this way, but that is her right, of course.
As for the structure, it has its charm, but it was clear that it was intended for young people at the beginning of their lives, and access to it was particularly difficult with shopping baskets and strollers, and installing an elevator in this place was complicated, not to mention very expensive.
The Minister of Culture?? In my opinion, she is the Minister of Transportation. The evil-hearted minister also did not condemn the B.I.B.ists who called Yardena a traitor, just because she is not a B.I.B.ist.
Are you also that disappointed with the observers? Shame on you, Tzipora, for condemning Yardena Arazi instead of your chosen ones.
Limat is indeed the Minister of Transportation. A typo on the keyboard. Thanks for the correction, of course.
The lady disappointed me greatly because we grew up listening to her beautiful songs, and suddenly at her age we remember that she took a political side and was identified with the left and the protesters, and again it is not clear whether she was taking a stand or to avoid confrontations.
Regarding your other claims, let me point out that for almost three years, a significant portion of the rioters and rioters who are unwilling to accept the election results and insult our elected officials have been on your side and they should be condemned.
Thank you for your response, Shabbat Shalom.
Tsifra is right..you wrote exactly what I think about Yardena. A brazen woman who closed a deal with the chaplains
The house where Yardena Arazi now lives, like Mitzna and other famous Haifa residents who fled Haifa and live in Gush Dan and the surrounding area
The city of Haifa is a city many times more beautiful than Tel Aviv. I moved there. Because life there is different. There is a difference between us. A city of culture and entertainment. We are working people. I love the city of Haifa. The types are different.
Edmond Peleg Street in Haifa is the street with the most shit in the country. Respect to the residents of the street. Everyone takes their dog to shit two blocks from their house and everything is fine. The street should be renamed Shit Street after the people, the dogs and of course the impotent municipality that is unable to file a report on dog shit even if it does it at the entrance to the house of the demented Yona Yahav.
It's a great nostalgia for me and as said there are a lot of very, very special buildings and houses in Haifa that need to be taken care of and nurtured. Haifa is beautiful, I currently live in the Krayot but I regularly come to the downtown area and the Hadar neighborhood. Hadar has good neighbors, which is something we should always maintain and nurture. I meet people who are improving their Arabic language and that makes me very happy. With our own hands we will preserve the unity of the city and its beauty. I have a lot to write about the city of Haifa, which I really love. Thank you.
Thank you for your response, Shabbat Shalom
What exactly am I supposed to do with all this detailed information? So it grew there, so what??? The plaster, the stairs, the renovation… and so on. Okay, so what? What did I learn from this, Dr.? How did it develop my spirit?
Thanks for your response, but you don't have to like the building stories - that's legitimate! Some people actually like them. Shabbat Shalom!
Go drink some cold water, an inappropriate sarcastic response.
Current, real photos of these sites would have been a perfect addition to the illustrations.
Thank you for your response, but in this section the articles are only accompanied by drawings. Shabbat Shalom!