Kabbir neighborhood in Haifa - the proof that coexistence is a way of life and not an empty slogan

In Carmel, Jews and Arabs live side by side, in good neighborliness in the Kabbir neighborhood. The Kabvir neighborhood has been used since the 30s as the center of the Ahmadiyya movement in Israel. The Ada communities are scattered in more than 208 countries around the world, with tens of millions of members. In Haifa, the members of the community live in the Kabvir neighborhood, which was founded in 1850. The son of the community's pioneer, Halif II, visited Haifa in 1924 and following his visit, the local residents adopted the principles of the Ahmadiyya faith.

Today, about 2,000 residents live in the neighborhood, of which about 1,500 are Ahmadis and the rest are Christians and Muslims. The Ahmadiyya community is a model for living together among all denominations. Thanks to this, the neighborhood became a tourist center for visitors from the country and the whole world. The visitors tour the neighborhood, receive a warm welcome and hospitality from the members of the Ahmadi community and get to know their way of life up close.

The main street in the Kabvir neighborhood is called "Kabirim", and is perpendicular to Keller Street. Smaller streets branch off from Kabir Street (which are perpendicular to Kabir Street). The neighborhood presents, in practice, coexistence, with Jewish and Arab (Ahmadi) residents living next door for decades. The neighborhoods sit on the side of a mountain, so there are many hills in the neighborhood and walking is not always easy.

Excellent location

One of the great advantages of Kabir is the location. The neighborhood is located within walking distance from the center of Carmel. There is public transportation that allows you to reach the center of Carmel from the neighborhoods themselves, and if you live in the upper part of the Kabir neighborhood, you can also walk without much effort. In addition, since the neighborhood is located in the western part of the city, the air is relatively less polluted than other parts of the city.

The noise of the mosque

In many of the apartments in the neighborhood you can enjoy a view of the sea and in addition, despite the proximity to the center of Carmel, these are quiet residential neighborhoods. The only complaint, which sometimes arises, is regarding the calls in the early morning hours from the mosque. Regarding the intensity of the noise and the time when the calls can be heard, there are residents who claim that they are used to the calls from the mosque and they do not disturb them, and there are those who claim that their sleep is affected by the calls.

Ahmadiyya community conference

Once a year, the Ahmadiyya Islamic community organizes a large conference that takes place every year under the title "Good Neighbor Day". Last year, hundreds of guests from abroad and the country came to the conference. The clergy and guests of the community came from Egypt, Jordan, England, Canada, Norway and Sweden. Along with the guests from around the world, there were also many Haifaites, who were invited to the conference to get to know the community's principles based on values ​​of peace, Justice and love of others Lectures were held on each day of the conference on the principles of the community and its actions to achieve world peace.

Real Estate

A 3-room apartment in the neighborhood according to the Madeleine table costs about 1,150,000 NIS. The price of a 4-room apartment can range from 1,390,000 NIS to 1,760,000 NIS, depending on the street and the condition of the apartment. There are many buildings in the nearby Carmelia neighborhood, which pass TAMA 38 or building evacuation. Kabir neighborhood is newer, so you can't find many building strengthening projects there.

Education:

In Kabvir you can find the Ahmadiyya school, which is considered a good school, which has achieved high marks in the Mitzvah tests in recent years.
The Jewish residents of the neighborhood send their children to Herzl Elementary School in the nearby Carmelia neighborhood. The six-year school is classrooms, but there are also students who study at the school on Bikurim Street, Ironi H.

The bilingual school was opened in the building of the Ahmadiyya school. For years the Yad Yad community in the city asked the municipality for a building that could be used as a bilingual kindergarten and later as a school. The municipality allowed the community to open a growing school in the school building. Since this is a wing of the school, the number of classes that can be opened is limited, and the demand is greater than the possibility of accepting students to the school.

parking lots:

When there is an event in the center of Carmel, all the parking spaces in the upper part of the neighborhood are occupied and along with the loss of parking, traffic jams are also created. Some residents of the neighborhood have private parking lots, and there is no parking problem on the inner streets. The problem is on Kabir Street, where many of the residents, who come to the center of Carmel to do errands or hang out, park their cars, making it difficult for the residents of the street to park. There are streets in the neighborhood, which are marked in blue and white, so that the residents can, according to the instructions, park free of charge, if their vehicle has the appropriate sticker.

Coexistence:

The mosque - quite a few proposals for order in the city council concerned the calls of the muezzin from the mosque. On the one hand, many residents of the city are proud of the coexistence and celebration of the holidays, and on the other hand, it is uncomfortable to wake up in the early hours of the day to the sound of the muezzin calling from the mosque.
Currently, relations between the residents of the two neighborhoods are good. Even when there were tensions around military operations or wars, the fabric of the relationship was not damaged.

[] project Haifa neighborhoods - Michal Yaron presents the unique characteristics of each neighborhood in the city