(haipo) A storm in Haifa's artist community: After decades of cultural and artistic activity in the heart of the city, the Marc Chagall Artists' House at 24 Zionut Street has received a notice to evacuate. This is one of the oldest and most central cultural institutions in Haifa, established in 1954 by the Haifa and North Painters and Sculptors Association, a non-profit organization.
The house, established by the Haifa and Northern Branch of the Israel Painters and Sculptors Association, has served as a center for diverse and accessible art for seven decades. Within its walls, changing exhibitions, gallery discussions, performances, and many activities for the general public take place.
"We are in shock," says the association's chairwoman Zhava Ziv Amzalag In a conversation with Haifa: "On 7/7/25 we received a warning letter without any real solution. I was forced to cancel four exhibitions that were planned until the end of the year. This is a vital institution that operates without profit, and we support it on our own from membership fees and income from exhibitions. The Artists' House is a cultural anchor, not a commercial one. Taking the house away from us is taking part of the soul of the city."
Debt of over a million shekels – and without support
The municipality is demanding that the association pay an accumulated property tax debt that currently stands at over a million shekels, a debt that began accumulating decades ago, due to the association's financial problems that prevented regular payments. "This is a debt that has been going on for many years," says Ziv Amzalag. "There has never been regular support. This is an institution that was built entirely on donations and public support. Even Chagall himself inaugurated the building. Now they want to close it down as if it never existed."
According to her, attempts to settle the debt were unsuccessful: "Last January, I paid 5,000 shekels and another third of the 150 shekels when I was asked, but the debt remained without any settlement. We asked to reach committees that would determine discounts or partial cancellation, but the meetings were postponed again and again, and finally the war broke out and the committee did not meet at all. All our attempts to reach an agreement are documented in letters and correspondence."
"It's not just another building – it's an institution with a soul, with a history, with thousands of exhibitions that have come out of it. Taking the Chagall House is like taking part of the soul of Haifa."
A cultural institution in danger
The Chagall House regularly hosts exhibitions by veteran and young artists from all over the country, and serves as a springboard for artists just starting out. "This house provides a stage, a home, literally, for artists," says Ziv Amzalag. "There is art and community here, and it's not something you replace like a light bulb."
According to her, the discrimination against other cities is clear: "In Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, artists' houses receive exemption from property taxes or discounts from the government, and we in Haifa do not."
Seven decades of culture
The Haifa Artists’ House hosts at least two national exhibitions every month. It is an institution that brings together the entire spectrum of plastic arts – from video art and photography, through glass art and mixed techniques, to patchwork art and design. Since its establishment, the house has served generations of Haifa and national artists and has been an active partner in the city’s cultural fabric. The place has become a symbol of Haifa creativity – and now it seems that this symbol is in danger of being erased.
Demand for a fair solution
"Culture is not a luxury, it is part of our lives," say artists who have exhibited at the Chagall House over the years. "We demand that the municipality stop the eviction, sit down with us and find a real solution that respects the institution's work and the city's need to continue nurturing the next generation of creators."
The Haifa Municipality responded: "The Haifa Municipality encourages cultural activities throughout the city, and therefore, decades ago, it allocated a building to the Painters and Sculptors Association. Unfortunately, the activities there did not serve the well-being of the community in Haifa. Furthermore, there have been recent talks between the Haifa Municipality and the Association in an attempt to settle the payment of the Association's debts to the Municipality - debts that have been going on for many years.
"Unfortunately, and despite the municipality's desire to settle the issue, including various alternatives offered to the association and thus allowing its continued activity at the Artists' House, the municipality encountered a lack of cooperation and is therefore acting as required by law to enforce payment of the debts."
A debt of a million shekels – annual property taxes of 40 thousand shekels, meaning you didn't pay property taxes for about 25 years, but you continued to collect membership fees and exhibition fees from artists who thought you were acting legally while you were acting like the last of the offenders. It's not at all clear how you were allowed not to pay property taxes for so many years. And if you wanted an exemption, you would have to act transparently, and there was no transparency, it's run like some closed cult. The building is outdated. Maybe a municipal gallery for Haifa artists should be built, for example, in the Mintz House, there's an entire floor that burned down 7 years ago. Why not build a Haifa Artists' House there and give artists from Haifa a gallery to exhibit in. There's the Haifa Museum of Art and the local art incubator, they can manage it much better.
And this is another space that charges thousands of shekels from the artists who exhibit..
Let the municipality finance the exhibitions instead.
The municipality's response is not just a bunch of words that have no basis. First, the municipality did not "allocate" the building to the association. The building was built for the association with donor funds.
Secondly, the building served the well-being of the residents. Since its establishment, the association has put on two exhibitions every month, admission is free. At each exhibition, a gallery discussion was held that was open to the general public. Poetry reading evenings and lectures on art topics were held there.
The municipality has shown no desire to settle the debt and has not offered any alternatives. While the associations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other areas receive support amounting to hundreds of thousands of shekels, the Haifa municipality is not prepared to exempt the Artists' House from paying annual property taxes of 39000 shekels. This is a shame for the Haifa municipality.
The Artists' House has volunteered for community activities in the WIZO network and is ready to continue doing so in any setting. We are ready to host students from Jewish and mainstream schools and provide on-site instruction. Activities that will educate in art, creativity, and living together.
The municipality only needs to be willing to allow the Artists' House to exist and allow its continued existence.
It's impossible! It doesn't make sense for this house to close!
Without getting into the debt issue, this is not a place for an artists' house: at a very busy intersection with air pollution, no parking, no public transportation. It should be moved to a more respectable location.
I agree, a public building that wants to be bustling with life first and foremost cares about accessibility – the place looks like some kind of island with a river of traffic flowing around it. Once I finally decided to visit it and had a hard time finding parking. After a long hour, I succeeded. Then I arrived at a deserted and lifeless ghost building – where only one woman worked and it was obvious that I surprised her with my visit.
The municipality's response that we did not cooperate is very strange. I was the association's chairman in all the meetings with Mrs. Tami Almog, the attorney in charge of property taxes. I attended meetings with the association's attorney and with our volunteer at the association, Michael Wexler. The association's office has all the correspondence and emails with municipal officials in an attempt to address the issue. Furthermore, after the mayor personally approached me, we paid NIS 13.200, a third of the annual property tax debt, 2025. We were not offered an alternative. We submitted forms to the property tax department in order to be accepted to the committee that deals with discounts.
What is happening with the artists' house is disgusting!!
There is a million shekels in debt.
But, if the municipality had any remaining spirit, it would find a solution.
This is a classic case of acting outside the law.
What do we live for? For the spirit, for the well-being of the soul, for art.
Does anyone in the city understand this?