(haipo) Following the public struggle surrounding the "Chief Rabbi's House" at 26 Horev Street in Haifa, Attorney David Etzioni and Mr. Zeev Sonenzon from the "Our Home" faction A proposal for the City Council agenda, calling for the establishment of the "Haifa Preservation Fund" - a municipal fund that will transform Haifa's built heritage from an economic burden to an obstacle to tourist and aesthetic growth.
The struggle over the rabbi's house exposes the failures of preservation policy
According to the proposal submitted to the City Council, the public struggle over the Chief Rabbi's house at 26 Horev Street constitutes a "glaring warning sign" symbolizing the urgent need to change the city's preservation policy. Attorney David Etzioni, the faction's chairman, claimed that "Haifa is a unique open museum on a global scale. The built heritage is the soul of the city. The public has sent us a clear message: the abandonment of these buildings is an attack on our identity. We are not just looking for nostalgia, but also an investment in the future of Haifa as a tourist and cultural capital thanks to the incredible assets we have in Haifa." The proposal states that "preservation" status on paper is not enough to protect the city's heritage assets, and that without close supervision and financial support, historic buildings become victims of "demolition under the guise of neglect" due to the enormous maintenance costs imposed on property owners.
The business model: building rights transfer, improvement levies and international models
The proposal presents a business plan based on several financial tools. Chief among them is the adoption of a building rights transfer mechanism similar to the existing model in Tel Aviv-Yafo, in which owners of buildings for conservation who cannot build to a height due to conservation restrictions receive building rights that they can sell to developers in development areas, with part of the profit being set aside for the fund. In addition, it is proposed to allocate part of the improvement levies from municipal projects and a designated development budget for 2027 for emergency grants for buildings in danger of collapse. The proposal also refers to international models, including funds in London and New York that finance conservation as an economic tool that increases the value of real estate in the area and encourages tourism.
Requirement to establish a professional committee within 60 days
Council member Zeev Sonenzon clarified that the faction is demanding the establishment of a professional committee within 60 days, which will include representatives of academia, professional entities from the forefront of conservation, residents and representatives of civil society and the third sector. "We will not wait for the municipal conservation survey, which continues to be delayed without a justifiable reason," said Sonenzon. "The time has come for the city engineer to publish a clear policy for the transfer of rights that will save our historic buildings before it is too late." In addition, the motion for order requires the council to receive a detailed review from the city engineer's office regarding the progress of preparing the municipal conservation survey, as well as to make a decision on allocating an initial amount to the fund from the municipality's development budget for 2027. A resident representative and conservation activist supported the motion, saying that "declaring a building for conservation cannot be a sentence of decay and an invitation to pressure from real estate agents. "We need a fund that will provide grants and facade renovations, just as Etzioni and Sonenzon are proposing. This is the key to preserving Haifa's rare architectural mosaic."
A very good move. There are many buildings to preserve in Haifa and it is definitely an engine for tourism.
As stated, an idea from the Sami
David Etzioni and Zeev Sonenzon are invited to live there.
The house is about to collapse, without a roof, elevator, parking, or any of the basic things required today.
There are perhaps 15 buildings worth preserving in Haifa, such as the Fundraising House, the old Technion building, the City Hall, etc.
Instead of preserving something that is not suitable for life today, it is better to demolish it and build a modern structure in 50 years, which they will preserve.
The only thing that must be taken into account in the new building is the architecture of the old building.
This must be taken care of, so that the spirit of construction is preserved.
The Haredim are experts in taking over properties.
They did this to dozens of public buildings in Neve Sha'anan, in the mansion and in the coastal neighborhoods.
When the Ramban Center in Ramat Soroka was taken over, police were needed to remove the yeshiva students who had turned the building into a yeshiva.
God punished them for their foolishness.
We saw the damage in Beit Shemesh and Bnei Brak.
But, fools don't learn anything, it's beyond their ability.