(haipo) - On the morning of Sunday, June 22, 2025, at 7:30 AM, the Hadar neighborhood in Haifa woke up to a harsh reality. Shortly after the American attack on Iran, a nationwide warning was sounded – but no alarm was raised in Haifa. About five minutes after the warning, fragments of an interceptor or missile struck the heart of the Hadar neighborhood. The impact caused significant damage to buildings, vehicles and property. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the feeling of neglect – and especially the lack of protective preparation – caused a stir among the neighborhood’s residents.
A family was trapped in an apartment – and miraculously rescued
In the center of one of the damaged buildings, a family with small children was trapped. Yitzhak Erlich, a volunteer with United Hatzalah who lives a few blocks away, arrived immediately and helped rescue the children. According to him, “There were a few critical moments, and the real miracle is that there were no fatalities here.” Beyond the central building, several other buildings were damaged and windows shattered within a radius of tens of meters from the center of the impact.
"A visible miracle" or municipal negligence?
The attack occurred early in the morning, when most residents were still in their homes. Haredim who arrived at the scene described the event as an "apparent miracle." According to them, only divine providence meant that there were no physical injuries. However, at the same time, they also criticized the municipality and planning institutions - mainly due to the lack of protected spaces and police stations in the neighborhood.
Mayor Yona Yahav: Charged debate with residents
Mayor Yona Yahav arrived at the scene of the crash with a large team of municipal workers. The confrontation with several ultra-Orthodox residents escalated after Yahav called them "idlers." According to them, their request for a solution to the issue of the municipal police stations was met with disdain: "Contact your representative," he told them.
"I can't run with three small children."
An ultra-Orthodox woman who arrived at the scene with her three young children said that there is no emergency room in their home, and that the road to the nearest public shelter is particularly difficult: "I live not far away, but when there is an alarm, I have no chance of getting there quickly with three children. There is a shelter - but getting there in time? It is almost an impossible task."
Between Kiryat Tivon and Hadar: Gaps in Protection
At Tivon, we have protection.
Dotan Kraus, 30, a resident of Hadar, hosted his girlfriend Taya Rasa from Kiryat Tivon. She was surprised by the lack of protected spaces in the city: "We have protection in Tivon, here you have to run to a public shelter." The experience they had this morning – a clear warning sign for many residents of the city.
Haredi business owners are worried: "The neighborhood is being forgotten"
The owner of a pub near the scene of the attack, which does not bear a name, looked at the destroyed pub and wondered when she would be able to host customers again. She said the city has no sense of responsibility for the infrastructure and safety of the neighborhood.
Protection vs. Conservation: Is Neglect Intentional?
Many residents in the neighborhood are wondering – is the lack of emergency shelters the result of mere preservation considerations or deliberate neglect? According to them, there is no justification for preventing the construction of emergency shelters in old buildings, especially when the residents are willing to pay for it themselves. "Anything for preservation? That sounds like an excuse."
Council member Miki Alper sharply attacks
City Council member Michi Alper did not mince words: "I'm sorry to say, but my feeling is that the municipality comes to do PR in places where missiles fall. Yahav comes with his team, they take pictures, say a few words, and then leave. The workers really do a dedicated job - but the residents are left alone, when they want to start understanding how to deal with the damage to their homes. This also happened in Neve Sha'anan, and it's happening again in Hadar."
Alper added: “Yahav keeps talking about how Neve Sha’anan is full of Haredim, as if that’s a bad thing. But here, when there was an alarm – the residents acted exactly according to the instructions, there were no casualties. And they still continue to be disrespected. Hadar too – almost all the houses there are for preservation. The family that was affected today – tried to add a mamd and didn’t get permission. Preservation is important, but human life is more important. It seems that all the negative answers about the mamdim, and all the talk about Haredim – are part of the same attempt to hurt and humiliate. We will not accept this.”
Residents: "We live with a sense of lawlessness"
Feeling of helplessness
During the hours after the impact, heavy equipment was operating to remove debris and trees. Residents gathered and spoke mainly about the feeling of lawlessness: "There are no alarms, no fire brigades, no answers. Someone in the municipality needs to ask themselves what will happen if next time there is an alarm and there is not only the destruction of walls – but also of lives."
The global media arrives – and the gaps are exposed
Journalists from all over the world arrived at the scene. A journalist from India, wearing a helmet, said: “I’ve been here for a week. What I’ve seen here is less severe than what I’ve seen in the south – but the feeling of the people here is no less difficult. They feel alone.”
United Hatzalah volunteer: "The Haredim are not the problem"
The volunteer who rescued the children concluded: "When members of United Hatzalah – some of them Haredi – risk their lives to save, you can't say that Haredi are idlers. It's simply a distortion of reality."
Municipality response: Yahav's words were spoken out of concern for the residents
"The mayor is angry out of concern, and rightly so," the municipality said. "The gathering of dozens of members of the Haredi community at the scene of a crash, and not for the first time in recent days, is extremely dangerous and hinders security and rescue forces. In addition, cluster bombs could explode at the scene, and another alarm could be raised. This is a matter of life and limb. The mayor has warned many times that such behavior could lead to a mass disaster, and has also discussed the issue with the leaders of the Haredi community, but unfortunately nothing helps."
Additional photos from the scene of the crash (Photo: Sharon Leibel)
The previous mayor, along with her deputy, Michi Alper, only cared about sukkah balconies in Hadar. They were very Haredi about this and took care of a special permit just for them. Did they care about the municipal building code? No, the sukkah balconies were more important. The crazy construction irregularities in Vizhenitz and in the Haredi neighborhoods can only be called a ticking time bomb. They are a blatant violation of the law and a terrible disaster that will claim its victims, and who will they blame? The engineering supervision that did not destroy them in time.
The Haredim excel at getting close when it suits them and completely evading all of life's obligations. They wave at ZAKA, but we already know what ZAKA was established for and what Meshi Zahav did with it.
Yona Yahav is angry and rightly so. The Haredim are not partners in life, but are only looking for ways to profit from us who bear the burden. It is time for everyone to tell the truth and act to stop this social and economic destruction. The Haredim should live like ordinary people who earn their living through real work and bear the security burden.
There are still many people of all kinds living in Hadar. Everyone knows how to find shelter and protection for themselves. If the Haredim continue to believe that God will protect them and then come to the authorities with complaints, then they will look for us in a roundabout way.
The Haredim are just waiting for something to be done for them, something to be given to them, and they will sit in the cafeteria, go to the army, work and build yourselves up, they don't want to finance you.
What did you fall for the Haredim? In every city, in every neighborhood, there is an influx of curious people to the crash sites. If the crash had occurred in Sweden, it is likely that most of the people gathering would be Swedes. Basic logic.
A racist dove, of the old and terrible kind, he always was and is also a criminal in his own right. He turned the municipality into a private mafia organization.
I hope he is brought to justice for this statement and especially for insulting a person when these are not the people he wants to visit.
Am I delusional? I live in Hadar, about 200 meters from the impact. We received an early warning from Oraf and I don't have a room from my mother and I can't get to the public shelter either because of the stairs, but I have an internal corridor and I went there immediately. I was as safe as I could be. I don't remember there not being an alarm there, even though there were a few booms far ahead of it.
At least my mayor's racism isn't just against Arabs... 🙁
Excellent article. Comprehensive and interesting.