Church Beach in Bat Galim is one of the most special places in Haifa, and certainly one of the most well-known and beloved spots among windsurfers and kitesurfers. Anyone who knows the place knows that it is not just another beach, but a unique point where the wind, the sea, the community and the Haifa landscape meet in a way that is difficult to explain until you stand there and feel it in your body.
Church Beach in Beit Galim ◄ View
This week I was spontaneously invited by my uncle, Aki Flexer, a veteran kitesurfer and native of Bat Galim, who knows the beach and its wind well, to come and film a short video on the new grass installed in the church spot area.
On the surface, grass. In reality, much more than that.
The new grass is part of a long process of cleaning, improving and making the beach more accessible for windsurfers, kitesurfers and anyone who comes to enjoy the special surfing conditions there. After a struggle and activity by people who care about the beach, the community and the ability to use the place more comfortably and safely, this is a seemingly small upgrade, but one that has great significance on the ground.
During the photo shoot, we also talked about the technical aspects of the improvement, the needs of the surfers, the steps taken to make the place more accessible and pleasant, and the potential of this beach to continue to be a significant focus for the Haifa surfing community.
An opening ceremony is also expected to take place next week, marking the completion of the move and the upgrade of the coastal area. For me, this little video is perhaps the beginning of a broader documentation of the place, the people, and the spirit that has sustained this community over the years.
I finished editing late at night, and that's when the thought occurred to me that there's not always a reason to hoard materials, wait for the perfect moment, or conserve energy. Sometimes you just have to publish, share, and let things happen.
And may you be in a good mood, because that gives strength for more.
Thank you to Aki Flexer for the invitation, the conversation, and the spirit.
Aki spoke of a small breakwater that was built of five or six boulders supposedly facing the water, and the municipality cleared it, but along its entire length there were hundreds of tons of construction waste with building iron that made it dangerous for people to enter, and all this waste was cleared. It is true that further on, more waste is discovered because the entire surface itself is unnaturally elevated, and nature always triumphs over the wrongs that man does.
Enough to turn every piece of beach into a concrete gravel lawn
There is a nature that is not suitable for you, pass on.
There is enough area that has been destroyed, leave the beach to be a beach.
In the 70s, the entire coastal strip was a place for the removal of construction waste. Six years ago, the Coastal Department initiated and cleared dozens of truckloads of construction waste and restored the narrow strip of beach that remained. Today, they have created a grassy surface on the fill and elevation that is not natural, but the sandy coastal strip will always remain natural after the remains of the concrete and construction in the past have been removed... Grass cannot cover the sand and it will remain natural.
This is Ein Hayam Beach, not the church.
Enough with the names, we are in the Land of Israel.