Jews, Arabs, and Dogs Unite in 'Red Haifa'

BY CARMIA

A day ahead of schedule, a May Day march took place today on Khoury Street between the working class neighbourhoods of Hadar and Wadi Nisnas.

Residents of Massada Street, which together with Hillel Street is locally known for its alternative scene, had hung up banners announcing the march. This also happens to be the area where the incident with the café that refused entry to a soldier occurred.

A demonstrator selects a placard in preparation of the march.

"Uniting against privatization, exploitation, and capitalistic rule."

There was also a presence of teachers who bemoaned the privatization of the education system and the lack of government funding.

Several dogs clad in red also took part in the march.

The demonstration was formally kicked off with the marching band of the Communist Youth Alliance - Haifa.

The Hammer'n'Sickle Mobile with Hebrew and Arabic signs.

"Yes to a just peace"

A marcher carries a copy of the socialist paper, "The Struggle."

"Jews and Arabs building power for the workers"

Aside from Jews, Christians, Muslims (and dogs), there also seemed to be at least one Druze demonstrator.

Attorney Walid Hamis, a representative of the Balad political party, and the former mayor-deputy of Haifa as well as a recent mayoral candidate.

Perhaps the "The Socialist Zionist Left" (above) and the young man (below) agreed to disagree on this day in a show of unity.

"A Palestinian workers' state from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river"

Cow Sightings

BY CARMIA

Can you spot the two cows crossing the street?

Trying to catch up with the rest of the herd, the cows caused a bit of traffic today at an intersection by the Check Post in the heart of the Haifa Bay.

It was a bit unexpected, but so was that time I saw (the same?) cows walking through the campus of the University of Haifa.

Happy Passover

BY CARMIA

A woman on the bus watches a group of Haredim in the Haifa neighbourhood of Hadar perform the custom of bi'ur hametz, or burning their remaining leaven products.

Haifa Restaurant Refuses to Serve Uniformed Patrons

BY AMOS

View of the Post Office and McDonald's in Hadar at Herzl and Nevi'im Streets

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Azad, a restaurant in the Hadar neighborhood of Haifa (official name, Hadar ha-Karmel, Splendor of the Carmel) has made the national news after a soldier complained that the restaurant's hostess was refusing to serve him because he had come in uniform (see full story). Asked by reporters, the hostess reiterated the restaurant's policy of refusing service to uniformed would-be diners, whether they are IDF soldiers, ambulance personnel, police officers, firewomen, or scouts. The manager on duty explained that the meaning of the restaurant's name is "the free man," and that because "this is the policy [sic], it has to be respected and [the issue] shouldn't be taken to other places." Without saying so explicitly, she denied that the restaurant was discriminating against soldiers for ideological reasons, claiming that the owners are merely trying to maintain a certain atmosphere in the establishment. Meanwhile, city officials are threatening to review the restaurant's license.

Restaurants and clubs can ask patrons to adhere to dress codes, but the refusal to serve uniformed diners, most of whom will most likely be soldiers, police officers, or paramedics, is frankly speaking disgusting. These are servants of the public and they deserve to be seated at any restaurant they choose, even if it wants to maintain a formal atmosphere, provided they behave in a polite manner like all other patrons. As Israeli citizens, the owners of Azad owe these men and women that much. If the restaurant's policy is ideologically-motivated and envisioned as some kind of statement against the state, it is a complete failure and amounts to discrimination.

The restaurant's owners are Arab Israelis. It will be hard for them to escape the perception that they are trying to make some kind of statement against the state and against people serving in the army. A group on the social networking site Facebook, calling for a boycott of the restaurant, has attracted nearly 4,000 members. The tag line of the group warns that "racist comments will be deleted," but many of those who have joined interpret the restaurant's actions as part of a general antipathy toward the state and the army among Israel's Arabs. For more careful and nuanced views, look elsewhere.

The neighborhood in which the restaurant is located is one of the poorest in the city. The largest subgroups in the population are haredi Jews, Arab Israelis, and recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

The Middle East: Picture of the Day

BY CARMIA

It's not every day in Haifa that I run into someone wearing both a keffiyeh and an IDF hat, so I had to take a picture. When I asked the young man if there was a political message behind his get-up, he told me that he "doesn't like extremism".

Sons of the Land at the Holiday of Holidays

BY CARMIA

We are in the midst of the annual Holiday of Holidays festival (also known as חג של החגים or عيد الأعياد) in Haifa. This unique festival celebrates the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim holidays which are observed by Haifans around this time. I attend every year to enjoy the music and atmosphere, so I've posted on the holiday before.

The holiday is a long-running tradition and doesn't usually change very much from year to year. However, this year I noticed the presence of a group of people who appeared to want to hijack the message of the festival and were protesting "fake co-existence." What used to be the Tamuz Theater Cafe has been turned into a branch of the ابناء البلد (Abnaa el Balad, "Sons of the Land") movement.

"End the fake co-existence"

In their "office," they're displaying the usual Nakba pictures, along with more recent Gaza ones. Other "decorations" include the Palestinian flag, of course, as well as pictures of keys and Che Guevara.

"We're all Gaza"

I talked to the young guy standing outside, but unfortunately he couldn't seem to produce anything beyond slogans, like the "We are against this fake co-existence" one. His friend was more eloquent. A., the only Jew in the place, told me had grown up attending Arab schools and living in a mostly-Arab neighbourhood. According to him, the goals of the movement were to "educate the Arabs" to rise up so that they would "take the power." I asked him if they voted, and he was proud to say that they do not participate in Knesset elections, since it was a "fake democracy" and would not be able to fulfill their goals. Since the group doesn't vote, I asked him if that meant that "taking the power" would mean through violent means. A. tried to appear mysterious but basically affirmed what I was asking, and supported suicide bombings as a legitimate form of resistance. He proceeded to cite Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez as role models who had been able to "make life better" for their citizens.

"Waiting for their return"

Nineteen-year-old A. also told me that Abnaa el Balad was a secular movement, seeking the return of the Palestinian refugees to a Palestinian state which would be composed of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. This corresponds with what is written about the group on Wikipedia. He was proud to tell me that although the group was sometimes considered communist or socialist, he was actually an anarchist.

Schedule of movies to be screened that day

Does the opening of a branch here in Haifa, in the heart of the Arab Wadi Nisnas neighbourhood, reflect radicalization of Haifa's Arab youth? Their disillusionment? The dozen or so people in the office were all very young. Most of the writing was in Arabic and clearly aimed only at the Arab sector. They weren't so much interested in capturing Jewish attention and seeking cooperation, but rather in convincing and waking fellow Arabs. Is this the flip side of the Lieberman coin?

[Shaul] Mofaz is a war criminal

I agree that the often praised co-existence in Haifa is in some instances seen more on paper than in reality. I do think, however, that the Holiday of Holidays is a festival which is truly multicultural and that people of all of the city's and country's faiths participate in it. In fact, if anyone is excluded from this holiday, it's Sabbath-observing Jews, since most of the festivities take place on Saturdays, as a religious friend of mine pointed out. In any case, Abnaa el Balad aren't pushing for more or better co-existence. They're pushing for a one-state solution, to be called Palestine.

The Difference Between Haifa and Jerusalem

BY CARMIAIn Bat Galim, Haifa: "At this location, the Ruth Children's Hospital will be established."

In Talpiyot, Jerusalem: "At this location, with G-d's help, an integrated medical centre will be opened, which will include family and child medicine and a centre for child development."

Shabbat shalom.

A Movie in the Making

BY CARMIA

The parking spaces in Wadi Salib, one of Haifa's poorest and most run-down neighbourhoods with a complicated history, were filled to the max today. Normally, the main attractions in this historic neighbourhood are the more recent government buildings and the numerous hummusiyot (hummus joints), each one of which has its own devoted followers.

But for the past few days, Avi Nesher, a well-known Israeli director, has been filming scenes here for his latest movie, גמדים (Dwarfs). According to one of the actresses, the film is about a boy from Haifa who time travels from the Second Lebanon War in 2006 to the 1960s, encountering various characters.

The filming took place at the flea market, which has preserved much of its original character. One of the sets built here is the above movie theatre, complete with a 'Bollywood' poster and actors dressed to look like teens from the 60s.

Locals get a close look at the antique car which is part of the props.

One of the young actors, between shots, looks like he is deep in thought. Behind him, part of the still-functioning Istiqlal Mosque is visible.

Even though Israel has become "Americanized" during the past couple of decades, the society has managed to hold on to a few of its fundamental characteristics. The kibbutz ideals of social equality and fraternity are still visible in many aspects of daily life. For example, Nesher's last two movies, סוף העולם שמאלה (Turn Left at the End of World) and הסודות (The Secrets), were big hits in Israel. It's impossible to even imagine an American director of the same relative stature hanging out and filming a movie literally "among the masses," with no visible security present and no roping off the area. Locals mingled with actors taking a break from shooting, due to the rain. I was free to wander onto the sets and examine props, some of them antique or near-antique items, and expensive film equipment, as closely as I wanted to.

Yet, it seems like many famous Israelis have a love-hate relationship with this quality of approachability/social equality. On the one hand, they love feeling "like a family" and being able to walk on the street undisturbed and live normal lives but are disgruntled because they know that, in America, they would be making oh-so-much more money and be treated with all the perks that come with being a celebrity there.

ADDENDUM: The movie was actually released with the title of "פעם הייתי," (English title: "The Matchmaker") rather than the original "Dwarfs."

Interfaith Kishkushim?

BY CARMIA

Event advertisement on campus: "When was the last time you met a swami/chief rabbi/imam/bishop/lama/Sikh?"

This evening, the University of Haifa hosted the fourth meeting of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders. Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Ramakrishna, and Sikh representatives came to share their views on issues of religious leadership. Druze and Bahai leaders were also expected. The audience, mostly, but not only, composed of University of Haifa students, was almost as diverse.

Opening remarks were made by Professor Majid al-Haj, Vice-President and Dean of Research at the University of Haifa.

He addressed the audience in Hebrew (simultaneous English translations were provided via headsets). He started out with a citation commonly invoked in these types of gatherings. Here is a partial transcript:

"As a Muslim, I have to mention that in the Quran there is a passage that says, 'We have made you nations and tribes so that you may meet one another.' That's the main concept that exists in Judaism, in Christianity, and in all religions... The function of religion is to improve the society, and to regulate the relationships within the society and between the different groups."

As I've attended a few interfaith gatherings in the past, the concept and the content didn't seem entirely novel to me. One of the Buddhist monks described what often happens at these gatherings in a very humorous way: "You're nice, I'm nice, bye bye!" He did add that this was not his experience in this case, as these religious figures have been traveling together extensively for the past few days and have shared intimate experiences with each other.

One thing that sometimes frustrates me with these kind of meetings is that in order to stay civil and maintain their peaceful and unified stance, they must remain at the level of "interfaith kishkushim." No doubt that the visual message of all these different religious leaders together, highlighted by the various head coverings and robes and different ethnic backgrounds, is powerful. However, it seems obvious to me that there were many subjects that speakers shied away from (or possibly were told to avoid) for the sake of unity. And yet, that is not what will help people clear up misconceptions they may hold or understand the point of view of other religions.

Advertising for this gathering promised people the chance to meet different religious leaders. That means that it is potentially an opportunity for people to get answers about very real questions they may have about other religions. However, those very questions, though they represent dialogue, might also at the same time shut down real dialogue. I think there are two basic conditions which must exist at this type of gathering in order for real dialogue - by which I mean dialogue which transforms the people it engages - to occur. The first is that the leaders must be willing to speak openly and bravely about their faith, and the second is that the audience must not ask questions in order to provoke or to prove their own religion "right," but rather to learn and understand.

In my opinion, there were two highlights at the conference. The first was Imam Dr. Abduljalil Sajid from England, who was brave enough to speak about what he termed, "religiously-motivated violence." He said very clearly that this is an issue in his faith community which will not go away by wishful thinking or by prayer alone, and in fact will grow. He elaborated that imams and sheikhs must stand up and challenge it. Collective actions with others (including people from other faith communities and "people with no faith") is what is needed. He also said, "My appeal to all of you is do not ignore or deny it. Accept it and do something about it. Share the concerns with your community and work against violence."

The second highlight was the "meet and greet" which followed the more official part of the program. Here came the real chance for the audience to approach, question, and learn from the international visitors. Unfortunately, some of the local leaders left a little early.

International Film Festival in Blue-and-White

BY CARMIA

One of the draws at Haifa's annual International Film Festival is the park in the Carmel Centre, which fills up with little booths selling lots of funky stuff. Admittedly, some of the products look a little too familiar already: the "I've-just-been-to-India" clothes and accessories, the Henna tattoos, and the cheap jewellery, for example.

But here's what I found interesting at the festival:

Udi (left) and his Israeli-invented Discovery ironing board cover which he so passionately demonstrated to me. Honestly, if I ironed more, I would buy it. I don't even know how to explain what that cover does, but it works. He had me stick my hand under it while running a hot iron over it; he left the iron sitting on it for a good few minutes; and he showed me how nothing falls off from it (like the shirt in the picture, hanging off its collar) and more neat tricks. He promised to email me the link.

Then I ran into "Hebrew Goat" (עז עברית), made in Kibbutz Hazorea. The Kachuta cheese below is said to have won 18 competitions,

while I was told that this cheese is the only "yellow" goat cheese (גבינה צהובה) in existence! I was urged to take a picture of it.

When I saw the product below, I just knew this had to be an Israeli invention. It was designed to replace the traditional "threading" method, which lots of Israeli women use to remove facial hair. It's a spring and works by trapping and pulling out the hairs between it. It was marketed under both the name "Spring" and "epi-face," which is a cute word play since most Israelis pronounce the word "happy" as "epi," which is short for epilate here.

Then, of course, there was "The Druze Woman Who Bakes Pita with Za'atar." But in order to appeal to as many taste buds as possible, she not only offered the traditional Labaneh cheese as a topping, but also hummus and chocolate spread.

I also met Asaf Elazary, a student at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. His T-shirt, "Suck My Shmok" (top right), was just one of the original designs he was selling for 40 NIS a piece.

Lastly, I discovered some very young entrepreneurs selling home-made lemonade and magnets for modest prices of 2-3 NIS.

The film festival will wrap up on 10.10.09.

And the Winner is.... "Ajami"!

BY CARMIA

Ajami movie poster up in Nazareth

The Israeli Film Academy has just wrapped up its annual awards ceremony. The Ophir Prize is often called the "Israeli Oscar" and this year, Haifa was awarded the honour and hosted the ceremony in the Auditorium (the same complex where the Cinematheque is located). This makes the city look really happening, especially as the decorations for the annual International Film Festival, which launches next week, are already up.

The film that came out as the big winner this year was none other than "Ajami," named after the Jaffa neighbourhood which it is based in. It took home the Ophir Prize for best film, best directing, best script, best editing, and best composition. Co-directed by the Jewish-Arab duo of Scandar Copti (resident of Ajami) and Yaron Shani, the film reflects the mixture of Jaffa. It's a gripping tale of all the balagan that goes on in Ajami: relations between Jewish and Arab neighbours, West Bankers and Israeli Arabs, Christians and Muslims, and everything in between. Most of the dialogue is in Arabic, but the local version of it, which is peppered with Hebrew.

I couldn't find an English trailer; for now it seems there's only Hebrew and Arabic.

ADDENDUM: It seems that the people at Global Voices really enjoyed my piece. Their post on Ajami, published a day after this one, is surprisingly similar to mine.

The Other Gilad?

BY CARMIA

$10,000,000 for any information which leads to the finding of the missing soldier Majdi Halabi

It's been almost four and half years since the disappearance of the Israeli soldier Majdi Halabi. The then 19-year old soldier from the Druze town of Daliyat-el-Carmel was on his way to his base, but never made it to his destination. He hasn't been heard from since, and the Israeli public hasn't heard much about him, either. While everyone knows the names Gilad Shalit or Ron Arad, hardly anyone could tell you who Majdi Halabi is.

The fact that for a while already there has been a $10,000,000 reward on any information that leads to his discovery hasn't brought about any results either. You might see a sign about him if you are the Horev Centre in Haifa or pass by the University of Haifa, or catch the huge billboard up at the entrance of Halabi's hometown. That's how I learned about Halabi a few years ago. Someone has opened a Facebook profile in his name to "support the family." The Hana Fitness Centre in Daliyat-el-Carmel held a "sports event," sponsored by Speedo and others, on the fourth year anniversary of his disappearance. These all seem to organized by family members and fellow townspeople. But that's all. It just doesn't seem to be enough for a state that prides itself on its high concern for its soldiers.

Burning Crosses in the Middle East

BY CARMIA


Cross burning in Haifa

If you were in Haifa last night, you may have seen the burning crosses. Although burning crosses has different connotations in the United States, here it is done by Christian Arabs to mark the eve of عيد الصليب (Eid el-Salib), or the Feast of the Cross. The sight is pretty similar to the Jewish holiday of Lag Ba-Omer, with lots of children out until late, making fires. Along with that, there is the non-stop sound of fireworks going off. Today, the actual day of the holiday, it is quieter and there are special ceremonies at the churches. Hebrew readers can find out more about the holiday and its local customs here, under "חג הצלב".



Cross burning in Sakhnin

Dolls and Wheelchairs

BY CARMIA

There is a prevalent belief in Israel that everything that happens "abroad" (which usually means North America and Europe) gets here ten later. Witness the relatively recent sushi craze. Or, to cite another example, recycling has made its inroads but is still limited to plastic bottles and paper, at least in Haifa. Yet, environmental awareness is practically non-existent. So, too, is the concept of wheelchair accessibility.

For just over a week and ending tonight, Beit Hecht in Haifa hosted an exhibit, called "Magic of the Dolls." The building of Beit Hecht itself is quite unique. Most people who have been to Haifa know that there is a German Colony downtown, where German Templars used to live. Few people, however, know that there are still Templar buildings in other neighbourhoods of Haifa: Neve Sha'anan and the Carmel Center. Beit Hecht is one of such buildings.

The dolls exhibit hosted works by many different artists, each unique in its material, theme, size, and style. Unfortunately, for anyone who has limited mobility, which included someone in my party, almost half of the exhibit was off-limits as the only way to access the second floor was by a long and steep stairway. There was an elevator, but it didn't work, and I'm not sure when the last time it ever worked was. Though the staff did express sympathy, apparently it hadn't occured to anyone to try to make the entire exhibit accessible, or at least to warn us before we purchased our tickets.

The dolls which we did manage to see were captivating. They ranged from the realistic to the fantastical and cartoonish.

The doll below, however, puzzled me. It was labeled, "The Druze Woman Who Bakes Pita with Za'atar." "The Druze woman" baking pita is indeed a familiar sight in Haifa and the surrounding area. But I've never seen a Druze woman wearing this kind of costume, which looks closer to the clothes worn by some Bedouin women.

Maybe in ten years, this lovely exhibit, in its entirety, will be accessible to all.

Talk of the Town

BY CARMIA

MadaTech: Israel's National Museum of Science

Ever since the "Body Worlds" exhibit arrived in Haifa a couple of months ago, it has been the talk of the town. Here, like elsewhere around the world, people are alternately fascinated and grossed out by the idea of plastinated human bodies, stripped of their skin, displayed in various poses.

The exhibit has already been hosted by major cities around the world such as Tokyo, Berlin, Los Angeles, and London. It's a bit surprising that little Haifa has been put on the map in this way. Though there have been various controversies surrounding this exhibit or other ones like it in the past, here "Body Worlds" had to contend with angry rabbis. Haifa's chief rabbi, She'ar-Yashuv Cohen, asked the public to boycott the exhibit. It seems, however, that the call to boycott had little success. People are advised to buy tickets in advance online, and even with that option, tickets are fully sold out on weekends. This is despite the fact that the exhibit is open until 22:00 on Thursdays-Saturdays - quite unusual hours for an Israeli museum - and the regular entry price of 85 NIS, which is far from cheap by Israeli standards. It's that popular.

The first time I had heard about this exhibit was when I was in Berlin in 2001. I read about it in the newspaper and my first reaction was disbelief and horror. Over these last eight years, I've become desensitized to the idea and therefore was ready to go when "Body Worlds" showed up in Haifa. Coming out of the exhibit, my feelings on it are that it is less about education (which it claims to be) and more about making money. I think that even though part of the exhibit includes listing lots of facts about the human body, unless one has a background in anatomy or biology, most of the information will be meaningless at the end of the day.

Let's face it: we've come to see "Real Human Bodies," not for a science lesson.

Halakha in the Zoo

BY CARMIA

Entrance to kohanim [Jewish priests] forbidden

I found this curious sign at the Haifa Educational Zoo, and I'm pretty sure that Israel is the only country in the world in whose zoos you will find warnings of this sort, aimed at preventing a violation of halakha, or Jewish law. Other than the usual caged animals, the Haifa Zoo also hosts little museums and exhibits (which look rather old-fashioned), at the entrance to one of which I stumbled upon this sign and observed an interesting scene.

A group of school children were invited into the room, but after reading the sign which forbids entrance to kohanim, i.e., descendants of priests in the Jewish Temple, some of the kids started shouting to the guide that their classmate wasn't allowed in since he was a kohen. The boy, who looked about 13, seemed confused. He didn't know whether to follow his classmates into the room or not, and kind of hung around the door. After having settled everyone else down, the guide looked at the poor kid who was the source of great disruption, and said, "You're either in or you're out!"

After darting in and out of the door a few more times, he finally decided to stay.

I think what confused him the most was that he wasn't really sure who was supposed to forbid him to enter the room: the zoo authorities (and hence the guide), he himself, G-d, or someone else.

When I peaked into the room, I understood why the sign had been posted. Most of the room's display consisted of stuffed, mounted animals such as birds and desert mammals. However, there was one old display case with human fetuses in formaldehyde, which obviously caused very strong reactions in the visitors.

Although the rules derived from the Torah are complex, in brief, dead bodies and body parts are considered ritually defiling and therefore kohanim are not allowed to be close to them.