(live here) – A short distance from the colorful Talpiot market and its acclaimed restaurants, lies Herzl Street, once the beating heart of Haifa, now left with empty stores, rampant crime and a sense of abandonment. While Steimatzki's mall branches continue to thrive, the flagship store in Beit HaKaron has closed its doors – and the entire street is fighting for its life.
Hadar – From the Heart of Haifa to the Margins
Herzl Street in the Hadar neighborhood was for decades a shopping, transportation, and cultural hub. Residents of Haifa and the surrounding area flocked to it on foot, by bus, and by taxi to purchase clothes, food, books, and gifts. Hadar was a vibrant neighborhood, with active markets, busy sidewalks, and an undeniable urban charisma. But in recent decades, Hadar has begun to lose its charm for residents, who are wondering where to shop. The rise of malls, the lack of transportation and parking solutions, and demographic changes in the city have led to a slow but consistent decline of the historic center.
The Matron and the Nail in the Coffin
The Matron Project on Herzl Street
With the introduction of the metro about a decade ago, Herzl Street was carved out over a long period, making it almost completely inaccessible. A transportation project that was supposed to upgrade Hadar’s accessibility turned into an ongoing nightmare for business owners. The renovations and blockages kept customers away, and some stores were unable to survive the dry period. Rehabilitation was slow and inadequate. Even today, years after the metro has been running on its route, the street still suffers from the effects of those difficult years. The empty stores on the street are not just an economic sign – they are an urban warning sign.
Against the malls – the fight that can't be won?
The malls in Haifa – the Grand, Horev, Haifa Mall, Panorama and Zout HaMifratz – have changed the map of local consumerism. Convenient parking, air conditioning, a wide selection and a sense of security – all of these make choosing them easy for consumers. In this competition, Herzl Street is struggling to hold its own. The store owners on the inaccessible street are unable to cope with the temptation of the mall. Even stable chains, such as Stametsky, are succumbing to the pressure. The long-standing store in the Fund Building recently closed its doors, although the branches in the malls continue to operate as usual.
Crime doesn't let up – the neighborhood with the highest crime rate in the country
According to an analysis of police data published on the Madelen website last month, Hadar Carmel in Haifa is the neighborhood with the highest crime rate in the country – a grim title that reflects the high rate of property, assault, sex and drug offenses. Even though local residents protest the stigma, emphasizing that crimes occur throughout the city, the general feeling and visibility on the street only reinforce the feeling that Hadar has been abandoned.
A resident who wants to open a shop, raise children, or invest in their future in the neighborhood encounters difficulties that go far beyond their economic situation. Fear, stigma, and a lack of a sense of security are key players in the process of decline.
Urban inequality – the example of Dania
The case of the closure of the addiction treatment center in Dania illustrates the inequality in the city. While Dania residents banded together and exerted pressure that led to the center’s closure within a few months, in complexes like Hadar – where dozens of deviant uses take place – the municipality is not acting with the same apparent determination. This comparison points to a disturbing trend: the weaker the neighborhood’s residents are, economically and politically, the greater the chance that it will be neglected. Thus, Hadar is left in an existential struggle almost alone.
Hope from Below – The Renewal of Talpiot Market
But Hadar is not a lost cause. Anyone who visits Talpiot Market in recent years discovers an impressive boom: quality restaurants, lively bars and an urban community that is beginning to bring the pulse back to the area. The one who led the revolution is Ilan Peron, who in 2015 opened the "Hamara" – a restaurant that became a pioneer in the field. Additional locations followed, and today Talpiot Market enjoys culinary fame even outside of Haifa. This model proves that with initiative, tenacity and investment – Hadar can also change.
The New Hadar – Between Past and Future
Hadar is at a crossroads. On the one hand – closed stores, crime, and a struggle against commercial giants. On the other – local initiatives, students, culture, and urban passion. The question that remains open is whether the municipality and the city have the will and the tools to get Hadar back on track. Haifa, which, like many of Israel’s oldest cities, is experiencing the challenges of an urban periphery – needs to make a decision: Should it continue to be neglected, or should it invest, rehabilitate, and lead change?
If the city chooses the second option, perhaps in a decade we won't have to miss the splendor of the past – because the splendor of the future will be even better.
Municipality: We are working to rehabilitate the Hadar neighborhood and strengthen personal security
The municipality said it is working to rehabilitate the Hadar neighborhood and strengthen personal security in the neighborhood, including through security cameras, increased patrols, and the establishment of a new municipal police unit. "The municipality is doing this together with the Israel Police, which is responsible for law enforcement. Mayor Yona Yahav is committed to this, and all the parties involved in the municipality are committed to this. The municipality is currently in the process of formulating a comprehensive plan for the neighborhood, which will focus on all aspects."
Thursday should be set as a market day, along which restaurants and food producers will be located to offer Shabbat dishes, which will have electricity connected to the nearest store. Low-priced goods will also be placed on the sidewalk, which residents of Haifa and Kiryat Shmona will come to buy, to be impressed again, full lighting, signage on the store name sign and Raveh windows, to remove shutters from the stores, to subsidize through property taxes to encourage the renovation of storefronts.
What drives buyers away from Hadar Carmel?
Surely you have noticed the number of welfare cases, money seekers and drug addicts in Hadar Carmel and the lower city? So here is the explanation: This is a phenomenon of municipalities in the Krayot and the north that send their drug addicts and homeless people to Haifa and have gone as far as to do so – renting apartments in Haifa through their own straw men and housing homeless people and drug addicts in these apartments so that they become a problem for Haifa.
Have you noticed that recently, miraculously, in Hadar, you can't walk around without encountering dozens, and soon hundreds, of drug addicts and welfare cases on the streets? Oh, that's not surprising. Other municipalities are moving them to Haifa, and even buying cheap apartments for rent in Haifa to rehouse them here.
After the explosion of the hostels for the disabled in Kiryat Haim years ago, where families from all over the country flocked to fall on Haifa's shoulders, literally like an industry, here is the new industry that has arisen in Hadar Carmel.
When apartments for rent in Hadar undergo a "change of purpose" to become hostel apartments for municipalities that transfer their distressed populations, which will become a problem for Haifa, then it is no wonder that businesses are closing, that buyers are abandoning or are afraid to walk around Hadar, and that even residents of the neighborhood are afraid to walk around it.
And last year I lived at 34 Ibn Gabirol Street and one day I said and mentioned I am, you two are Muslims, that's not where most Muslims would blame me for not parking my car in the parking lot I am allowed to park in, not even Blue and White, everyone is allowed there, how much more so for a disabled person with a disabled card. They came and pushed me with very severe violence and the Israel Police are getting away with it. It depends on the detour. All the crime that is rampant here in Hadar with all the drug stations and with all the underage boys who think that everything is allowed for them. This thing needs to be put to an end.
The article was interesting and I live in the Hadar neighborhood on Sokolov Street and I hope that the Israel Police, which is responsible for the day-to-day affairs, will bring order here regarding the issue of crime and that the municipality will open up the city. Overall, there is a good community here in Carmel, in Neve Sha'anan, there is also a good society here, not just a rotten society. Let's hope that in the future the Israel Police will put an emphasis on this crime.
Yona Yahav directed against Hadar with a clear mind and with premeditation, in order to create
A neighborhood area that will transfer to it the
The problematic population. From the city down to turn the city into a neighborhood
A magnificent collection of students and creation
A problematic neighborhood center in Hadar and thus
Eliminate Haifa's downtown, which has about a thousand active businesses.
He belittled us businessmen in Hadar when we warned him about the failed plan to eliminate the urban center.
In Haifa, which is in full swing, the main focus of the elimination is to stop traffic.
To consolidate and sever ties with the Krayot
In the new world, everywhere in the world
The urban centers constitute the most important neighborhoods in the city.
And not the shopping malls of the wealthy like
The Ofer family and Israel Savyon as an example. I have no problem with Yahav bowing down to them, but not at the expense of the proper conduct of a city.
Third largest in Israel, the wealthy blinded it and so the city deteriorated and was reduced to a peripheral city.
Poor
Nothing will help. Every few years, millions are thrown away in idle investments and nothing. Vandalism and crime, mainly by Muslim Arabs who are just spreading ..
The orchard must be destroyed.
For 30 years, the street and all of Hadar has been considered the worst neighborhood in Haifa with a level of crime, drugs, prostitution and delinquency… Don’t tell stories. Maybe 60 years ago the street was as you described. The market is also “colorful.” With sales of synthetic drugs in the bastas for those who know and are familiar, garbage, irresponsibility and ongoing neglect.
Dear Michal Gruber, how long does it take to "process" my responses?
"Freedom of speech" – remember?????😘
"Please behave accordingly"…!!!!!@@@@@😭
Where is my "positive response" to the performance of the RAEA - Mr. "Yahav"?
Your intentions are clear in advance!!!@@@
And you don't allow "freedom of expression"!
"Determined" just like the "protesters" against the state leadership...!!!@@@
"The Beautiful Haifa"✨️ – has progressed and developed a lot… In the honorable city of Sukkot Rad – Mr. Yona "Yahav"🙏, who threw Yahav where it needed to be… "and the hand is still outstretched"…!!!@@@😭
"The Honorable Mayor – Mr. Yona Yahav"
"Excellent" – Professional
It is required to fix what was broken by its predecessor, who was elected
By a terrible mistake, only due to the drift of "innocent"
"After "Post" the colored poster"
"And he who understands – will understand"
So, stop resenting and blaming.
Instead – recommends
Start asking/demanding
'.What is logical and required as a "change"/correction, etc.
Depending on the situation…
The city and accordingly the residents
Including... Including...
Hadar's advantage is its cheap prices compared to malls due to significantly lower expenses. I was in the mall for 11 years and now I've been in Herzl for 12 years. I sell cheaper and earn more. You need to know how to market it and also make student dormitories. This will bring in a new, young population that will lead to the opening of new businesses and leverage.
Hadar's advantage is its cheap prices compared to malls due to significantly lower expenses. I was in the mall for 11 years and now I've been in Herzl for 12 years. I sell cheaper and earn more. You need to know how to market it and also make student dormitories. This will bring in a new, young population that will lead to the opening of new businesses and leverage.
Yona Yahav does nothing for the city. Except killing pigs, which is what he's best at.
A serious mistake for such a mayor.
Continue to elect a failed mayor. Years of mischief from the city and the mayor will receive property taxes. They pay security tax. Where is security in the mansion? There is no need for it. It's a shame for our city. And let's say the Moriah axis. There's nothing there. Herzl is the most straightforward place in Haifa where you can go and see what parking lots there are today. Only mayors are to blame. Period.
An elderly mayor who cares about his cronies ruled and killed pigs. He promised friends and kept his promise to kill animals. A crime. Shame on such a mayor.
Right. Nothing and nothing. Does nothing. Except promote himself as an old woman.
"The Honorable Mayor – Mr. Yona Yahav"
"Excellent" – Professional
It is required to fix what was broken by its predecessor, who was elected
By a terrible mistake, only due to the drift of "innocent"
"After "Post" the colored poster"
"And he who understands – will understand"
So, stop resenting and blaming.
Instead – recommends
Start asking/demanding
'.What is logical and required as a "change"/correction, etc.
Depending on the situation…
The city and accordingly the residents
Including... Including...
The metro does not travel on Herzl Street,
But on the parallel street: Hehalutz Village.
The matron enters Hadar Herzl and leaves Halutz Yalg
The Arab people destroyed this beautiful city
One person many people not with an s.
Hey,
It's sad that this is the case.
If the municipality does not act to change and does not provide discounts on property taxes and free parking, as well as additional steps after engaging financial advisors, the situation will only get worse!!!
Too bad
It's a shame this is the mayor of Haifa. I'm moving to another city soon. A mayor who does nothing for the city and its residents. Except killing animals.
The article is too extreme and does an image injustice to the neighborhood and the business owners in it. I know many businesses that make a decent living and in the Fund House, for example, almost 90% of the space is actually rented. The crime described is also not noticeable during the day, except for a few homeless people and drug addicts who regularly hang out in the area, but they are not violent. If the authorities, and especially the municipality, want it, Hadar can return to its glory days.
The elderly Haifa Biden is too tired to invest in Hadar and the police don't exist at all...very sad
I would distinguish between the southern Herzl from the corner of Arlozorov to Neviim, where many from the sector live and what can be expected, and the northern Herzl from Beit Ha'Ta'eshia to Arlozorov, where more of the ultra-Orthodox population lives in and around it, and it is a little quieter, certainly on Shabbat, when the section there is closed.
Trade has generally declined because of the large shopping malls, but on the other hand, real estate has sometimes risen 10 times since the 2005 low, and in southern Herzl, high returns can be achieved, and there is a demand for shared rental of Filipino workers who are considered good and reliable and are in the apartments only one day a week anyway.
Michali, an amazing article. I remember Herzl well. The road to Gan Binyamin, the Ora Cinema, the falafel, the taxi stand, the tunnel under Balfour, the projection house and the restaurant that was there, the stamp shop, the short street with shops crowded with people. May we see him like this again.
From the moment apartment owners became greedy and started renting to cousins, Haifa became Sodom and Gomorrah. Most of the trafficking in women, extortion through threats, arms and drug trafficking are run by crime families from the sector, and the Hadar neighborhood is an attractive target for them.
Check who the population is that lives in Hadar and you will understand why crime is growing so much. Haifa gave up Hadar and also Bat Galim, Badach and other poor neighborhoods. What will become of it?
It would be better if Yona retired a year after his term and handed the reins to a younger man.
Herzl Street is neglected. What about the pioneer of the prophets, Hassan Shukri?:
And the municipality's response, as usual, is stupid and unrelated to anything.
I wouldn't rush to eulogize.
The Hadar neighborhood
City Hall needs to wake up.
And invest in this beautiful neighborhood
The street was lively and you could find amazing clothes that only exist in Hadar.
Goodbye dear nineties
The municipality's response to vandalism in Hadar is slow, if at all...
The dirt and grime add to the sad story.
of Hadar
Lack of enforcement by the authorities continues to signal an increase in crime.
Look at the bus stops: polluted,
They look like faded, glass billboards.
Who have never seen cleanliness….
This is Hadar's picture today.
shame!!!!!
Mo moved to Hadar? You can take the crime out of the city, first take the crime out of the people who moved there and we all know who moved to Hadar. They wear black with almost bald haircuts and a circle of hair in the front. It's easy to identify them. They're also my cousins. I was at their wedding. There were gunshots and fireworks.
A circle of hair in front? Simcha Rothman moved to Hadar, I find it hard to believe.
The most effective way to eliminate crime is ultimately to strengthen the population in the area. A weak population creates a favorable environment for crime. People who do not have the mental strength or ability to demand treatment accept the evil of fate and suffer in silence. And by the way, there is no need to replace the population, there is no need to push out everyone who currently lives in Hadar, it is enough for all the abandoned and dilapidated apartments to be renovated, that will already bring a change compared to today. The problem is the municipality's concept of strengthening the problematic population. They give scholarships to students to live in Hadar, they are not the future of the place because most of them have nothing to do in Hadar right after their degree ends. From there they go on to real work, start a family or travel the world. The scholarships or assistance should be for people who came to the city to settle there, and there is a way to attract more of them, the artists and creators from Tel Aviv who can no longer afford the rent there, people with liberal professions of the kind that don't require proximity to the workplace, etc. Give them incentives to renovate apartments in Hadar, to live in them. Not to rent them out. Those who don't live in a place aren't working to rehabilitate it.
This is the beginning of Yona Yahav's term. It's all a combination of the former CEO of the municipality, if Yona Yahav is now the CEO of the Grand Canyon, then they raised the Grand and made sure there was an exit through the Carmel Tunnels to the Grand, and they don't care at all about the development.
Another term for Ben Gvir and a break from governance
The situation has worsened throughout the country, Ben Gvir is just a poser and a joke for his cronies.
They can bring the gamblers to Tirat Carmel. A court has approved bringing pedophiles into the city, and Tirat Carmel will collect all the goods to Eliyahu.
I think the residents of Dania are right. Why do they need Haifa's garbage in their neighborhood? They pay a lot of money to the municipality, which exists thanks to them.
There is no hope for animal killers.
Absolutely right…
The heart of Haifa…the mythological Herzl Street
It's a shame they're not restoring the street that was beautiful in its time... and are encouraging crime there and in the city in general. It hurts my heart!
Yesterday I was in Hadar. I was really disappointed by what I saw. Alcoholics roaming the streets. It's really scary. There's no supervision.
There's a smell of urine all over the street, rats roam freely, and of course there are the drug addicts and drinkers, but they're less visible and probably more dominant in the crime statistics. The city does nothing.