Holiday of Holidays in Haifa Israel

I am also blessed to share information about the interfaith Holiday of Holidays which takes place in Haifa. Israel is the Jewish homeland but also is a nation where Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze live together fairly well. Twenty per cent of Israelis are non-Jewish. We do pretty well together especially in Haifa known as the city of peaceful coexistence. 

Each year we have the annual festival of Hag ha Hagim-the holiday of holidays. This festival attracts each year to Wadi Nisnas tens of thousands of visitors. It is held during the period of Christmas and Hanukkah. I attend this festival to enhance my enjoyment of Hanukkah by sharing the joys of others during their holy days.

Wadi Nisnas is an Arab neighborhood in the city of Haifa in northern Israel. Nisnas is the Arabic word for mongoose, an indigenous animal. The wadi has a population of about 8,000 inhabitants. It is a pleasant community of older but well kept residential buildings, a Shuk (market), small cafes and shops. There is a Christmas store in Wadi Nisnas. Yes, they sell Christmas trees and other holiday items.

A month of festivities, cultural activities, performances and events marks the celebration of the three major religious groups that live in mutual harmony, cooperation, tolerance and respect in Haifa. While the Jewish population celebrates Channukah, the Christians are celebrating Christmas and the Muslims are celebrating Eid-al-Adha.

 

The first Mayor of Haifa - Hassan Shukri - initiated the festival in 1914, and since then it has grown in size and popularity. This festival hi-lights the uniqueness of Haifa and its residents. The current Mayor of Haifa - Yona Yahav - describes the event as one "without boundaries of culture and religion". Yahav said in his 2009 official welcome "We residents of Haifa and its many guests have nothing left but to show up and rejoice".

This year is the 18th year of the festival. The neighborhood - has maintained its Arabic-Christian atmosphere and identity, and is known for the three churches and the market in the center. The festival takes place at this very lively market. At these times of the year, as Christmas approaches, the neighborhood is ornamented beautifully with Christmas ornaments that add a lot of color to the festival. This celebration is just one of Haifa’s advantages.

Notable events during this year's festival include an open-air exhibition on neighborhoods, photography exhibit, Christmas-tree lined boulevard with festive lights and decorations, Christian liturgical music concerts, antiques fair, international writers convention, activities and exhibitions for children, open-air events and free entrance to the museums in Haifa.

The focal point of the Holiday of Holidays Festival is the art trail, an open-air exhibition entitled Neighbors, with a unique display that features a dialogue between the artwork of Jewish and Arab artists through the tales of daily life in the neighborhood. The trail goes through the alleyways, gardens and courtyards of Wadi Nisnas, featuring sculptures paintings and installations by past and present Jewish and Arab artists, as well as international installation artwork.

And if you enjoy liturgical music, Haifa's churches host numerous concerts by Israeli and international performers during the festival. As we come to the close of the Roman calendar – I say to myself – if the people of Haifa can live in relative peace and harmony – why can’t we do it elsewhere. One of the most inspiring rewards of being an immigrant to Haifa Israel is that you have the opportunity to encounter different religions and cultures, and the personal growth that comes with it as result of these encounters.


Yes, one of Haifa’s greatest qualities is that you have a variety of lifestyles to choose and enjoy. Haifa offers the academic environment of the university, the orthodox Jewish community in Hadar, the Christian and Muslim societies in Wadi NisNas. Of course, there is also the Cababbir neighborhood where the Muslim Ahamadiyya majority lives peacefully-in a simple yet elegant middle-class environment. One of my favorite Hanukkah activities is to seat with my friends at the Mercaz center and enjoy the beautiful view of the Haifa waterfront.

Is Doggie Day Care Needed in Israel?

I am sitting at my favorite 'watering hole and source of nutrition' - The Kapiot Café, in Haifa Israel. The restaurant has a beautiful view of the bay and overlooks the east edge of The Baha'i Gardens. The food is traditional American and Israeli cooking. This is due to the fact that many tourists stay at the posh hotels in our community and visit the gardens. You can order hamburgers and French fries or hummus and pita. The cafe seats one hundred customers and the prices are fair. The hamburger and fries cost about seven American dollars without the drink.

The cafe owners are Offir and Avi. They are both in their late 20s. Offir is married with two youngsters, Agam (Lake) and Amok. And, there is also a three year old terrier named Snow. He gets the same love and attention that canines receive in my native United States. Sadly, both of his parents work and therefore he is left home alone much of the time. He may have some problems because of that. He has a crush on an orange blanket and seems to reject many beef products. Avi is single but involved with Tami. She is the mother of a seven year old boy and two year old Schnauzer.

Sarah is one of my beloved servers. She and her boyfriend also work and leave their two “puppies” in their 'bayt' or home much of the time. They both exhibit the nervous scratching symptoms associated with canine depression. Is a lack of sufficient companionship a cause? I would bet on it! Sarah agrees, "I wish that I could spend more time with Choo Choo" she often exclaims. "He would be less nervous, poor baby". "Moti seems calmer but we try to give him attention when it is possible". The restaurant has a canine trough outside for those traveling in the community with their pets. Moti is a frequent visitor. 

Many Israeli parents need to work two jobs, as people do in America. Does this create some of the problems that exist in my native United States? I worked at an after school program for children at risk aged nine to twelve. Many of the kids came from homes where parents were often absent. The counselors all agreed that lack of parental contact was a primary cause of behavioral issues.

In the meantime, Israelis do see the four legged pets as their best friends. Does the need for pet sitters and other such services exist? Yes. And such supports are widespread. Haifa, like many communities in this country, has animal rescue shelters, many veterinary centers, professional dog walkers, kennels, pet shops, and day care centers. Israel even has a doggy television station for your informed pets. Therefore, for those of you planning to spend time in Israel, do not worry. Your canine friends will have more than ample services, please have them join you!

A few words about the AACI Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel.

English speaking Olim have a myriad of organisations and groups to support their new life in Israel. The largest private organisation that supports all English speaking Olim is the AACI (Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel). It has offices throughout Israel. Twenty five thousand English speaking Israelis belong to this wonderful organization.

The author of this article is especially appreciative of the AACI’s sterling work. The efforts of Yanina Muskinow their representative for the north proved invaluable during my acclimation. AACI, a voluntary, non-profit organization, was established in 1951 to help North American immigrants acclimate to Israeli society and to build strong ties between North American Jewish communities and Israel. AACI is governed by a lay board and administered by a professional staff. Its many activities are financed through the support of foundations, annual membership dues, an annual fundraising drive and private donations.




AACI provides a wealth of services and programs to cater for its membership:

• Professional counseling on Aliyah and Klitah (absorption)
• Employment Resource Center
• Emergency, mortgage and small business loans
• Support groups
• Advice Sessions: tax, banking, translation and more
• Legal consultations
• Blood bank privileges
• The AACI Cohen Library for the Visually Impaired
• Senior Outreach

AACI Acts can move mountains when its members’ welfare is at stake.
AACI Acts:

• Lobbied successfully to modify the effect of new Israeli tax laws on immigrants;
• Produced and distributed a free Emergency Handbook and held gas mask demonstrations prior to and during the Gulf War;
• Confronted the social, economic and psychological pressures affecting its membership through the Seniors Outreach Project.
• AACI Community offers a warm and welcoming environment, with special programs targeting families, young adults, mid-lifers and seniors.   Members participate in:
• Welcome Home events for new olim (immigrants)
• Home Hospitality
• 4th of July/Canada Day & Thanksgiving Celebrations
• AACI Travel Experience & Study Vacations
• Social and Cultural Programs,
• Lectures and more including (our new Writers' Group?)

The challenges of immigrating to this amazing and complicated nation have been overwhelming to me at times. I have often said to myself should I return to my native United States? There is a new language to learn, a diverse and complicated culture to understand and sadly ongoing security threats from within and our neighbors. Yet, I am still here six years later thanks in great part to the support of my friends at AACI. 
They even honored me by choosing me as their volunteer of the year in Northern Israel this year.

Scenes from a Haifa Mall

The Panorama Towers viewed from Hadar

The Ego Food and Coffee in the world famous Dan Panorama Hotel Mall is my favorite place in Haifa to eat Cinnamon rolls and sip an occasional vodka and diet coke. The cafe is located in the center of an upscale shopping mall within the hotel facility. There are two levels of jewelry shops, restaurants, clothing stores, and my spiritual home - the local Habad gift shop and study center. The building is modern and well lighted, unfortunately it seems to always have a musky smell perhaps that of mold in this humid metropolis, and the background music always seems just a bit too loud. The hotel is part of the Dan Hotels Corporation founded by the Federman family in 1947. They own the world famous King David Hotel in Jerusalem and luxury hotels throughout Israel. They operate a school for chefs in Haifa and help cater The Israeli Defense Forces. I am planning to study sugar sculpturing 101 at the vaunted institution of higher learning.

The Ego is owned by Serge and Hannah. They are vatikkim (or old timers) in Israel. Serge is a French oleh or immigrant who came to Israel in 1948. Hannah and family came during the same period from Chelm Poland, yes the famous home of Polish humor. Both of them were fortunate to come from families that managed to escape the horrors of the holocaust. They have two sons in their twenties and five grandchildren.

Sitting at the Ego cafe

The cafe serves family style meals in respects similar to a mid-priced cafe in the states. Patrons and employees come from every nation and background on earth. The world famous Bahai Gardens is a few hundred yards behind the hotel, which means that we hear several languages spoken every time we enjoy the culinary delights of The Ego. Baha'i visitors come from all over the world. The languages of Israel, Hebrew, Arabic, and English are dominant but Spanish and Russian are widely spoken as well. My favorite servers Samantha and Eileen are from Argentina and converse in Spanish at home and work. My American style Espanol is a great source of joy to them due to my accent plus hesitancy in pronouncing the words. We just laugh and enjoy the sense of camaraderie. Samantha is about twenty five and studying graphic arts. Eileen is just twenty and recently completed two years of national service in place of the required military service for women in Israel. Her family is Haredi or Orthodox and she chose to do volunteer service for our country. She had the option as a religious Jew to avoid any commitments. Eileen, like many Israelis never forgets the lesson of Nazi tyranny and found a way to serve her country. We have no other choice. Many of our enemies still vow our destruction.


Katia is another one of my favorite servers. She is razor thin, aged twenty, and a former citizen of Russia. She informed us yesterday with great joy that she just got married. We inquired about the details. All of us were taken by surprise. She responded by telling us that they eloped to Cyprus. It was not done simply for romantic purposes. She and her spouse are not from religious backgrounds and never received formal Jewish studies. The laws relating to marriage in Israel are strictly Halacha based. As a result, non-traditional Jewish couples are forced to submit to an Orthodox marriage ceremony with an Orthodox rabbi and are compelled to classes on family purity. No Israeli may marry outside his faith community. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens from the former Soviet Union who are not Jewish or whose Jewish ancestry is in doubt are unable to marry at all inside Israel.

Britt, Katia, and Danit

Mati is another of the employees of The Ego. She is twenty and from Jerusalem. Her family is very Haradi or Orthodox Jewish. They immigrated from Morocco in 1952 along with tens of thousands of Olim from Arabic countries. Many of the citizens of Israel come from similar backgrounds. She has jet black hair and is a student of architecture at The University of Haifa. Sadly, my friend is now living in Haifa because she fled her Orthodox home to study and learn about the world outside of traditional Judaism. Her family in many ways has rejected Mati. "I wanted to learn to be an architect she moaned". Woman should have the right to learn, study, and travel. Her story is not unusual in this complicated nation. She is leaving next month to work in Canada for a year. She wants to earn money of course, but fine tuning her English skills is her main goal. This is very common among young Israelis.

Earl and Mati

Serge is a hair stylist. He and his wife also own the upscale beauty salon in the mall. The services include pedicures, manicures, and facials. Liah who performs these wonderful services is in her late 30s, married, and the mother of two teen aged sons. 
She was born and raised in a Kibbutz or collective settlement in northern Israel. Her family moved to Haifa five years ago to enjoy the benefits of city life. "We were just plain bored and grew tired of agricultural life" explained Liah. The trend from rural to urban life in Israel is fairly widespread as it is in much of the world.


Today is Monday and, as usually is the case, the mall is filled with shoppers, employees, and hotel guests from virtually every background and nation on earth. I am writing this post while listening to numerous languages spoken simultaneously around me. Jews, Christians, Druze, Muslims and of course Baha'i work together, shop together, and of course enjoy the food at the wonderful cafes. The is a reflection of life in this wonderful city. The manager of the elegant Dan Panorama dining room is a Christian with Italian roots. His family came here long before 1948.
Another of the cafe managers, Muad is a follower of the Ahmadiyya stream of Islam. There are about one hundred million Ahmadis in the world. They rarely get much attention due to the fact that are universally peaceful. 

Ego Cafe (All rights reserved to www.haifacity.com site)

Haifa indeed earns its reputation as The City of Peaceful Coexistence. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and others live together with a fair degree of respect and freedom. The mall is a panorama of life in our beloved city. People often ask me why life in Israel and the rest of the region is not similar to the one that we share. The answer is that this is a unique and separate urban entity. The conditions that exist in Haifa differ from those in other communities in our region. Is life in Detroit the same as San Francisco? Hebron and Ramallah are also different places. Israel has a wide variety of political parties, social views, family backgrounds, and ethnic origins. The same is true of our Palestinian neighbors. Life here does offer hope that people can live together in harmony in this troubled region. Will it happen? Haifa is an example of one community in this region where it has been done. Hopefully, others will do the same.