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.
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.
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.
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