Since the arrival of immigrants from Europe and North Africa from the beginning of the XXth century, Haifa has undergone a metamorphosis and has become an industrial, scientific and intellectual center where it is good to live.
This city has five trump cards
beauty of Nature
high quality education
scientific and economic dynamism
quality of life
pluralistic cultural life
King Salomon wrote about this site in the Songs of Songs:
Your head is high as the Carmel
The town is quoted in the Talmud and in the Mishna, was also the town ofthe prophet Elyah.
The Elyiah cave which is to this day a place of pilgrimage, gives to the city an important spiritual aur
The sounds of Pireus remind me of Haifa a presentation by Miri Harel
Haifa today
Old Photos presented by the Rotary Club of Haifa
Know your town, Haifa in the past Haifa history Society
Presentation
All the tall buildings in Haifa
Israel's third largest city, population 270,000
Location: Northern Israel on the slopes between the Mediterranean Coast and the Carmel Mountains
Religious Life: Active religious communities; at last count there were 250 synagogues in Haifa -Ashkenazi, Habad, Hassidic, Sefardi, Conservative, Reform
Age Range: All ages
Number of English Speaking Olim: approximately 6,000
Accessibility to Places of Employment: Hi Tech Industrial Park (with Intel Israel R&D, Microsoft, GE Medical Imaging, Elbit etc) at entrance to city, Haifa University, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Rafael (defense industry), IBM R&D, chemical, engineering and pharmaceuticals in Haifa Bay Area, Israel Electric Company, oil refineries. Train to places of employment in Tel Aviv, Herzlia, Netanya, etc all under one hour.
Medical Care: All Health Funds represented plus many excellent private doctors and dentists- Three major hospitals- Rambam, Bnai Zion and Carmel plus a number of small private ones.
Commercial Establishments: Three major malls and several smaller ones for all shopping needs. Also, a number of traditional shopping streets and a large shuk.
Climate:Temperate winters and summers, ideal Mediterranean climate.
Housing availability: Apartments and private homes of all sizes available for rent and purchase at all price ranges - reasonably priced compared to other big cities. Many with breathtaking views.
Haifa is Israel's best kept secret. It is a quiet, beautiful, residential city with a decidedly European flavor, great beaches, two major university campuses, and a high quality of life.It has rich and diverse cultural offerings, a young caf? and bar scene along the main drag on the Carmel and many family-oriented activities. Haifa is friendly to olim: it has absorbed the largest number of Russian immigrants proportionate to its size and it has a veteran Anglo community. There is a steady flow of English speaking olim and many services are available for new immigrants through the municipality and the Ministry of Absorption. Haifa has strong ties with Boston through the Haifa-Boston Connection (http://www.haifa-boston.org ).
Physical Surroundings
The most outstanding feature of Haifa is its green, lush panoramic views. Because it is situated on the slope of a mountain, the magnificent combination of sea and mountain provide never-ending opportunities for breathtaking views as you climb up the mountain. Haifa is divided into three areas ? the downtown area at the bottom includes the port, bus and train stations, government buildings and businesses, the Hadar section in the middle features commercial and shopping districts and some older residential areas and the third area is the Carmel ridge which is mostly residential. At the very bottom are some of Israel's best beaches and at the very top, some of Israel's most magnificent forests ?the Carmel Forest (also called Little Switzerland). So for people to whom pleasing physical surroundings are important, Haifa has it all.
Religious Life and Neighborhoods:
Haifa has a wide variety of religious communities ranging from Hassidic (Vishnitz, Habad), Haredi, Religious Zionists, Masorati, and all other shades. In most neighborhoods the population is mixed but there are a number of areas in Haifa where there are religious communities with a concentration of English speaking olim. These communities are interspersed within the non-religious population and are well integrated, as individuals and as communities, within the general population. For those seeking the services needed to conduct a full religious life at their own level and are also interested in all the amenities which a big city can offer, Ahuza and Neve Shaanan are excellent choices.
The Ahuza area runs from the Central Carmel to Denya, the up-scale villa neighborhood near Haifa University. Neve Shaanan is the large area facing the Haifa Bay near the Technion. Also Kiryat Shmuel, a largely religious suburb in the Haifa Bay area, is a viable alternative. Generally speaking, English speaking olim are spread out all over metropolitan Haifa and can be found in every neighborhood, but for those seeking religious community life the above three areas provide the best alternatives.
Ahuza has over twenty orthodox synagogues, as well as active conservative and reform congregations. There is an excellent local municipal religious elementary school for boys and girls, s. There are four first-rate religious high schools in Haifa, two for boys and two for girls, and even more in the greater Haifa area. There is an active, bustling Bnai Akiva snif in the neighborhood, with children from fourth grade through senior high school, and it provides them with a strong and binding social, educational and ideological framework .The Ahuza synagogues sponsor joint holiday celebrations and events and publish a bimonthly community journal. There is a rich variety of shiurim on offer, including several Daf Yomi groups.
The English-speaking religious community in Ahuza is very involved in local activities and holds leadership positions in many synagogues and other institutions. They are warm and welcoming to newcomers.
Neve Shaanan has a large, vibrant religious community which boasts a community center with round the clock activities. The large local Bnai Akiva snif meets there. Neve Shaanan has a large religious elementary school for girls and boys, and many synagogues. The municipal religious girls high school is located in Neve Shaanan, and the community also boasts a haredi mini-market. The religious population of Neve Shaanan is concentrated around ages.
Kiryat Shmuel is a largely religious neighborhood where secular people are a definite minority. Some streets are closed on Shabbat.
Education:
Haifa has a wide range of educational institutions, from nursery to university, including programs for special needs children, and many choices are available both in the secular and the religious streams. There are too many secular options to list here but a variety of religious educational institutions in Ahuza and Neve Shaanan are available as follows:
Ganim: there are excellent religious cr?ches (maonot) and kindergarten (ganim) available in both neighborhoods and some of the secular gamin have rich traditional programs.
Elementary Schools: the Carmel School (Netiv Eliezer) in Ahuza, and the Rambam School in Neve Shaanan, are state religious elementary schools for boys and girls with a religious Zionist orientation. Some of the elementary school age children in Haifa attend the Barkai school (run by a national religious school organization) with separate classes for boys and girls which is located in Kiryat Eliezer - about 15 minutes away from Ahuza and Neve Shaanan. Another alternative is Beyachad.
High Schools: for girls ? Ironi Vav is the municipal religious girl's high school located in Neve Shaanan. There is also a Tzvia High School (run by a national religious school organization) for girls, located in the Hadar. For boys, Yavne is the state religious Yeshiva High School and it is relatively close to both neighborhoods, and theBranco-Weiss Torah High School is close by on the Carmel. In addition, there are a number of outstanding secular high schools ( Reali, Hugim and Leo Beck) nearby as well as municipal high schools.
Universities: Haifa boasts two of Israel?s leading universities, the Technion (Israel?s MIT) and Haifa University. The Technion has a Kollel and Midrasha within the synagogue complex, which are a component of the Humanities campus-wide program. Haifa also has three major teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Technion Medical School, which even has an American medical program.
Cultural Life and Entertainment: Haifa has many excellent cultural resources: the Haifa Municipal Theater, the Rappaport Auditorium complex (home to the Haifa Symphony Orchestra), the Cinematheque, the Haifa Chamber Music Society, an annual International Film Festival, thriving community centers, and more. Haifa is one of the three homes of the Israel Philharmonic, with performances all year round. It also has a well-developed network of public libraries including children's books and books in English. There are a number of sports complexes, four large cinema multiplexes, a zoo and to top it all off, an excellent amateur English theater with performances for the general public two or three times a year. Haifa also has active branches of all the large volunteer organizations, including an English speaking Hadassah chapter. Haifa has a thriving School for Hazanut, one of only three in the country, and hosts regular Hazanut concerts.
There is a multitude of museums ranging from archaeology, science, train, art, naval, etc.
Housing: A large variety of housing is available in Haifa. A 3-4 bedroom apartment in Ahuza or Neve Shaanan can be purchased for between $150,000 -$300,000 and rented for $500 and up. Kiryat Shmuel is about 20% cheaper.
giyus-haifa@gmail.com. for Nefesh l'nefesh