Haifa

For other uses, seeHaifa (disambiguation).

Haifa חֵיפָה‎ حَيْفَا
City
Downtown andPort of Haifa Sail Tower Baháʼí World Centre IEC Tower Madatech Bat Galim Hadar HaCarmel Stella Maris Monastery
Flag Coat of arms
Map of Haifa
Haifa Location in Israel Haifa Haifa (Israel)
Coordinates:32°49′09″N34°59′57″E
Grid position	145/246PAL
Country	Israel
District	Haifa
Founded	1st century CE
Government
•Mayor	Einat Kalisch-Rotem
Area
•City	63,666dunams(63.666 km2or 24.582 sq mi)
Population (2022)
•City	290,306
• Density	4,600/km2(12,000/sq mi)
•Urban	600,000
•Metro	1,050,000
Website	haifa.muni.il

Haifa(/ˈhaɪfə/HY-fə;Hebrew:חֵיפָה,romanized:Ḥēyfā,IPA:[ˈχajfa];Arabic:حَيْفَا,romanized:Ḥayfā)is thethird-largest cityinIsrael—afterJerusalemandTel Aviv—with a population of 290,306 in 2022. The city of Haifa forms part of theHaifa metropolitan area,the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel.It is home to theBaháʼí Faith'sBaháʼí World Centre,and is aUNESCOWorld Heritage Siteand a destination forBaháʼí pilgrimage.

Built on the slopes ofMount Carmel,the settlement has a history spanning more than 3,000 years. The earliest known settlement in the vicinity wasTell Abu Hawam,a small port city established in the LateBronze Age(14th century BCE).In the 3rd century CE, Haifa was known as adye-makingcenter. Over the millennia, the Haifa area has changed hands: being conquered and ruled by theCanaanites,Israelites,Phoenicians,Assyrians,Babylonians,Persians,Hasmoneans,Romans,Byzantines,Arabs,Crusaders,Ottomans,and theBritish.During theBattle of Haifain the1948 Palestine war,most of the city's Arab populationfled or were expelled.That year, the city became part of the then-newly-established state of Israel.

As of 2016,the city is a majorseaportlocated on Israel'sMediterraneancoastline in the Bay of Haifa covering 63.7 km²(24.6 sq mi). It lies about 90 km (56 mi) north of Tel Aviv and is the major regional center of northern Israel. Two respected academic institutions, theUniversity of Haifaand theTechnion – Israel Institute of Technologythe oldest and top ranked university in both Israel and the Middle East, are located in Haifa, in addition to the largestK–12school in Israel, theHebrew Reali School.The city plays an important role inIsrael's economy.It is home toMatam,one of the oldest and largest high-tech parks in the country; and prior to the opening ofTel Aviv Light Rail,Haifa is the only city withunderground rapid transit systemin Israel known as theCarmelit.Haifa Bay is a center ofheavy industry,petroleum refining and chemical processing. Haifa formerly functioned as the western terminus of anoil pipeline from IraqviaJordan.It is one of Israel'smixed cities,with an Arab-Israeli population of c.10%.

Etymology

Western Haifa from the air

The ultimate origin of the name Haifa remains unclear. One theory holds it derives from the name of the high priestCaiaphas.SomeChristiansbelieve it was named forSaint Peter,whoseAramaicname was Keipha.Another theory holds it could be derived from theHebrewverb root חפה (hafa), from H-f-h root (ח-פ-ה), meaning to cover or shield, i.e. Mount Carmel covers Haifa;others point to a possible origin in the Hebrew word חוֹף (hof), meaning "shore", or חוֹף יָפֶה (hof yafe), meaning "beautiful shore".

Other spellings in English includedCaipha,Kaipha,Caiffa,KaiffaandKhaifa.

Locations and names

Sycaminum and Efa

The earliest named settlement within the area of modern-day Haifa was the city Sycaminum.The remains of the ancient town can be found in a coastaltell,or archaeological mound, known in Hebrew asTel Shikmona,meaning 'mound of theFicus sycomorus', and inArabicasTell el-SemakorTell es-Samak,meaning 'mound of thesumaktrees', names that preserved and transformed the ancient name, by which the town is mentioned once in theMishnah(composed c. 200 CE) for the wild fruits that grow around it.

The nameEfafirst appears duringRoman rule,some time after the end of the 1st century, when a Roman fortress and small Jewish settlement were established not far from Tel Shikmona.Haifa is also mentioned more than 100 times in theTalmud,a work central toJudaism.

HefaorHephainEusebius of Caesarea's 4th-century work,Onomasticon,is said to be another name for Sycaminus.This synonymizing of the names is explained byMoshe Sharon,who writes that the twin ancient settlements, which he calls Haifa-Sycaminon, gradually expanded into one another, becoming a twin city known by the Greek names Sycaminon or Sycaminos Polis.References to this city end with the Byzantine period.

Porphyreon

Around the 6th century,PorphyreonorPorphyreais mentioned in the writings ofWilliam of Tyre,and while it lies within the area covered by modern Haifa, it was a settlement situated south of Haifa-Sycaminon.

Early Muslim Haifa

Following the Arab conquest in the 7th century,Haifawas used to refer to a site established on Tel Shikmona upon what were already the ruins of Sycaminon (Shiqmona).Haifa (or Haifah) is mentioned by the mid-11th-century Persian chroniclerNasir Khusraw,and the 12th- and 13th-century Arab chroniclers,Muhammad al-IdrisiandYaqut al-Hamawi.Nasir-i-Khusrauvisited in 1047; he noted that "Haifa lies on the seashore, and there are here palm-gardens and trees in numbers. There are in this town shipbuilders, who build very large craft."

Crusader Caiphas

The Crusaders, who captured Haifa briefly in the 12th century, called itCaiphas,and believe its name related to Cephas, the Aramaic name ofSimon Peter.Eusebius is also said to have referred to Hefa asCaiaphas civitas,andBenjamin of Tudela,the 12th-century Jewish traveller and chronicler, is said to have attributed the city's founding toCaiaphas,the Jewish high priest at the time ofJesus.

Late Ottoman "Old Haifa"

Haifa al-'Atiqa(Arabic: 'Ancient Haifa') is another name used by some locals to refer to Tell es-Samak, when it was the site of a hamlet of 250 residents, before the settlement was moved in 1764–5 to the site from which the modern city emerged.

Haifa al-Jadida (New Haifa) and modern Haifa

In 1764–5Zahir al-Umarmoved the village to a new site 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to the east, which he also fortified.The new village, the nucleus of modern Haifa, was first calledal-imara al-jadida(Arabic: 'the new construction') by some, but others residing there called itHaifa al-Jadida('New Haifa') at first, and then simplyHaifa.

In the early 20th century, Haifa al 'Atiqa was repopulated with manyArab Christiansin an overall neighborhood in which manyMiddle Eastern Jewswere established inhabitants, as Haifa expanded outward from its new location.

History

Main article:History of Haifa

For a chronological guide, seeTimeline of Haifa.

Jars excavated at Tell Abu Hawam

Bronze Age: Tell Abu Hawam

A town known today as Tell Abu Hawam was established during the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE).It was a port and fishing village.

In the Hebrew Bible

Mount Carmeland theKishon Riverare mentioned in theHebrew Bible.

A grotto on the top of Mount Carmel is known as the "Cave of Elijah",traditionally linked to the ProphetElijahand his apprentice, Elisha.In Arabic, the highest peak of the Carmel range is called theMuhraka,or "place of burning", harking back to the burnt offerings and sacrifices there in Canaanite and early Israelite times.

Persian and Hellenistic period: near Shikmona

In the 6th century BCE, during the Persian period, Greek geographerScylaxwrote of a city "between the bay and the Promontory of Zeus" (i.e., the Carmel), which may be a reference toShikmona,a locality in the Haifa area.

ByHellenistictimes, the city had moved to a new site south of what is now theBat Galimneighborhood of modern Haifa because the old port's harbour had become blocked with sand.AGreek-speaking population living along the coast at this time was engaged in commerce.

Shikmona

Haifa was located near the town of Shikmona, a center for making the traditionalTekheletdye used in the garments of the high priests in the Temple. Thearchaeological siteof Shikmona is southwest of Bat Galim.

Early Haifa is believed to have occupied the area which extends from the present-dayRambam Hospitalto the Jewish Cemetery on Yafo Street. The inhabitants engaged in fishing and agriculture.

Roman period

In about the 3rd century CE, Haifa was first mentioned in Talmudic literature, as a Jewish fishing village and the home of RabbiAvdimiand other Jewish scholars. According to the Talmud, fishermen caughtMurex,sea snails which yielded purple dye used to maketallit(Jewish prayer shawls) from Haifa to theLadder of the Tyrians.Tombs dating from the Roman era, includingJewish burial caves,have been found in the area.

Byzantine period

Under Byzantine rule, Haifa continued to grow but did not assume major importance.Akinahspeaks of the destruction of the Jewish community of Haifa along with other communities when the Byzantines reconquered the country from theSasanian Empirein 628 during theByzantine-Sasanian War.

Early Muslim period

Following the Arab conquest of Palestine in the 630s-40s, Haifa was largely overlooked in favor of the port city of'Akka.Under theRashidun Caliphate,Haifa began to develop.

In the 9th century under theUmayyadandAbbasid Caliphates,Haifa established trading relations withEgyptianports and the city featured several shipyards. The inhabitants,Arabsand Jews, engaged in trade and maritime commerce. Glass production and dye-making from marine snails were the city's most lucrative industries.

Crusader, Ayyubid and Mamluk rule

Mount Carmel before 1899

Prosperity ended in 1100 or 1101, when Haifa was besieged and blockaded by European Christians shortly after the end of theFirst Crusade,and then conquered after a fierce battle with its Jewish inhabitants and Fatimid garrison. Jews comprised the majority of the city's population at the time.Under the Crusaders, Haifa was reduced to a small fortified coastal stronghold.It was a part of thePrincipality of Galileewithin theKingdom of Jerusalem.Following their victory at theBattle of Hattin,Saladin'sAyyubidarmy captured Haifa in mid-July 1187 and the city's Crusader fortress was destroyed.The CrusadersunderRichard the Lionheartretook Haifa in 1191.

In the 12th century religious hermits started inhabiting the caves on Mount Carmel, and in the 13th century they formed a new Catholic monastic order, theCarmelites.Under Muslim rule, the church which they had built on Mount Carmel was turned into a mosque, later becoming a hospital. In the 19th century, it was restored as a Carmelite monastery, theStella Maris Monastery.The altar of the church as we see it today, stands over a cave associated with Prophet Elijah.

In 1265, the army ofMamluksultanBaibarscaptured Haifa,destroying its fortifications, which had been rebuilt by KingLouis IX of France,as well as the majority of the city's homes to prevent the European Crusaders from returning.From the time of its conquest by the Mamluks to the 15th century, Haifa was an unfortified small village or uninhabited. At various times there were a few Jews living there and both Jews and Christians made pilgrimages to theCave of Elijahon Mount Carmel.During Mamluk rule in the 14th century, al-Idrisi wrote that Haifa served as the port forTiberiasand featured a "fine harbor for the anchorage of galleys and other vessels.

Ottoman period

Haifa in 1898

Haifa was apparently uninhabited at the time the Ottoman Empire conquered Palestine in 1516. The first indication of its resettlement was given in a description by German travellerLeonhard Rauwolf,who visited Palestine in 1575.In 1596, Haifa appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in theNahiyaof Sahil Atlit of theLiwaof Lajjun. It had a population of 32 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, olives, and goats or beehives.Haifa was subsequently mentioned in the accounts of travelers as a half-ruined impoverished village with few inhabitants. The expansion of commercial trade between Europe and Palestine in the 17th century saw Haifa's revival as a flourishing port as more ships began docking there rather thanAcre.

In 1742, Haifa was a small village and had a Jewish community composed mainly of immigrants fromMoroccoandAlgeriawhich had a synagogue.It had 250 inhabitants in 1764–5. It was located at Tell el-Semak, the site of ancient Sycaminum.

In 1765,Zahir al-Umar,the Arab ruler of Acre and theGalilee,moved the population to a new fortified site 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to the east and laid waste to the old site.According to historian Moshe Sharon, the new Haifa was established by Zahir in 1769.This event marked the beginning of modern Haifa.After al-Umar's death in 1775, the town remained under Ottoman rule until 1918, with the exception of two brief periods.

In 1799,Napoleon Bonaparteconquered Haifa during his unsuccessful campaign to conquer Palestine andSyria,but he soon had to withdraw; in the campaign'sfinal proclamation,Napoleon took credit for having razed the fortifications of "Kaïffa" (as the name was spelled at the time) along with those ofGaza,Jaffaand Acre.

German Colonyin the 19th century

Between 1831 and 1840, the Egyptian viceroyMuhammad Aligoverned Haifa, after his sonIbrahim Pashahad wrested control over it from the Ottomans.When the Egyptian occupation ended and Acre declined, the importance of Haifa rose. In 1858, the walled city of Haifa was overcrowded and the first houses began to be built outside the city walls on the mountain slope.The British Survey of Western Palestine estimated Haifa's population to be about 3,000 in 1859.

Haifa remained majority Muslim throughout this time but a small Jewish community continued to exist there. In 1798, RabbiNachman of BreslovspentRosh HaShanawith the Jewish community of Haifa. In 1839 the Jewish population numbered 124.Due to the growing influence of the Carmelite monks, Haifa's Christian population also grew. By 1840 approximately 40% of the inhabitants were Christian Arabs.

The newGerman Colony, Haifais shown prominently in the 1880PEF Survey of Palestinemap.

The arrival of German messianics, many of whom wereTemplers,in 1868, who settled in what is now known as theGerman Colony,was a turning point in Haifa's development.The Templers built and operated a steam-basedpower station,opened factories and inaugurated carriage services to Acre,Nazarethand Tiberias, playing a key role in modernizing the city.

Haifa 1942 1:20,000

The first major wave of Jewish immigration to Haifa took place in the mid-19th century from Morocco, with a smaller wave of immigration fromTurkeya few years later.In the 1870s, large numbers of Jewish and Arab migrants came to Haifa due to the town's growing prosperity. Jews constituted one-eighth of Haifa's population, almost all of whom were recent immigrants from Morocco and Turkey who lived in the Jewish Quarter, which was located in the eastern part of the town. Continued Jewish immigration gradually raised the Jewish population of Haifa, and included a small number ofAshkenazifamilies, most of whom opened hotels for Jewish migrants coming into the city. In 1875, the Jewish community of Haifa held its own census which counted the Jewish population at about 200.TheFirst Aliyahof the late 19th century and theSecond Aliyahof the early 20th century saw Jewish immigrants, mainly from Eastern Europe, arrive in Haifa in significant numbers. In particular, a significant number of Jewish immigrants fromRomaniasettled in Haifa in the 1880s during the First Aliyah period. The Central Jewish Colonisation Society in Romania purchased over 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) near Haifa. As the Jewish settlers had been city dwellers, they hired the formerfellahintenants to instruct them in agriculture.The Jewish population rose from 1,500 in 1900 to 3,000 on the eve ofWorld War I.

View of Haifa from Mount Carmel in 1930

In the early 20th century, Haifa began to emerge as an industrial port city and growing population center. A branch of theHejaz railway,known as theJezreel Valley railway,was built between 1903 and 1905. The railway increased the city's volume of trade, and attracted workers and foreign merchants.In 1912, construction began on the Technion Institute of Technology, a Jewish technical school that was to later become one of Israel's top universities, although studies did not begin until 1924.The Jews of Haifa also founded numerous factories and cultural institutions.

Baháʼí faith's shrine

In 1909, Haifa became important to theBaháʼí Faithwhen the remains of theBáb,founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner ofBaháʼu'lláhin the Baháʼí Faith, were moved from Acre to Haifa andinterred in the shrinebuilt on Mount Carmel. Baháʼís consider the shrine to be their second holiest place on Earth after theShrine of Baháʼu'lláhin Acre. Its precise location on Mount Carmel was shown by Baháʼu'lláh himself to his eldest son,ʻAbdu'l-Bahá,in 1891. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá planned the structure, which was designed and completed several years later by his grandson,Shoghi Effendi.In a separate room, theremains of ʻAbdu'l-Baháwere buried in November 1921.

British Mandate

Further information:Battle of Haifa (1918)

Indian troops marching in Haifa in 1918

Kingsway (now HaAtzmaut Road) in the 1930s

Haifa 1945

Haifa was captured from the Ottomans in September 1918 by Indian horsemen of the British Army armed with spears and swords who overran Ottoman positions.On 22 September, British troops were heading to Nazareth when a reconnaissance report was received indicating that the Turks were leaving Haifa. The British made preparations to enter the city and came under fire in theBalad al-Sheikhdistrict (todayNesher). After the British regrouped, an elite unit of Indian horsemen were sent to attack the Turkish positions on the flanks and overrun their artillery guns on Mount Carmel.

Under theBritish Mandate,Haifa saw large-scale development and became an industrial port city.TheBaháʼí Faithin 1918 and today has its administrative and spiritual centre in the environs of Haifa.Many Jewish immigrants of theFourth AliyahandFifth Aliyahsettled in Haifa. The port was a major source of income, and the nearby Jewish towns of theKrayotwere established in the 1930s. At the same time, the Arab population also swelled by an influx of migrants, coming mainly from surrounding villages as well as the SyrianHauran.The Arab immigration mainly came as a result of prices and salary drop.The1922 census of Palestine,conducted by the British authorities, recorded Haifa's population as 24,634 (9,377 Muslims, 8,863 Christians, 6,230 Jews, 152Baha'i,and 12Druze).By the time of the1931 census of Palestine,this had increased to 50,403 (20,324 Muslims, 15,923 Jews, 13,824 Christians, 196 Baha'i, 126 Druze, and 10 with no religion).Between the censuses of 1922 and 1931, the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian populations rose by 217%, 256%, and 156%, respectively.In 1938, 99,000 people (including 48,000 Jews) lived in Haifa.

Haifa's development owed much to British plans to make it a central port and hub for Middle-East crude oil. The British Government of Palestine developed the port and builtrefineries,thereby facilitating the rapid development of the city as a center for the country's heavy industries. Haifa was also among the first towns to be fully electrified. The Palestine Electric Company inaugurated the Haifa Electrical Power Station already in 1925, opening the door to considerable industrialization.The State-runPalestine Railwaysalso built its main workshops in Haifa.

By 1945 the population was 138,300 (75,500 Jews, 35,940 Muslims, 26,570 Christians, and 290 "other" ).In 1947, about 70,910 Arabs (41,000 Muslims and 29,910 Christians) and 74,230 Jews were living there.The Christian community were mostlyGreek-Melkite Catholics.

1947–1948 Civil War in Palestine

Haifa July 1947. British soldiers remove injured passenger fromSS Exodus

Further information:Battle of Haifa (1948)

The1947 UN Partition Planin late November 1947 designated Haifa as part of the proposedJewish state.Arab protests over that decision evolved into violence between Jews and Arabs that left several dozen people dead during December.The Arab city was in a state of chaos. The local Arab national committee tried to stabilize the situation by organizing garrison, calming the frightened residents and to stop the flight. In a public statement, the national committee called upon the Arab residents to obey orders, be alert, keep calm, and added: "Keep away the cowards who wish to flee. Expell them from your lines. Despise them, because they harm more than the enemy". Despite the efforts, Arab residents abandoned the streets which bordered Jewish neighborhoods and during the days of the general strike instigated by theArab Higher Committee,some 250 Arab families abandoned the Khalisa neighborhood.

On 30 December 1947, members of theIrgun,a Jewish underground militia, threw bombs into a crowd of Arabs outside the gates of theConsolidated Refineriesin Haifa, killing six and injuring 42. In response, Arab employees of the company killed 39 Jewish employees in what became known as theHaifa Oil Refinery massacre.The JewishHaganahmilitia retaliated with a raid on the Arab village ofBalad al-Shaykh,where many of the Arab refinery workers lived, in what became known as theBalad al-Shaykh massacre.

British forcesin Haifa redeployed on 21 April 1948, withdrawing from most of the city while still maintaining control over the port facilities. According to Ilan Pappé, although the Jewish mayor of the city,Shabtai Levy,urged the Arab residents to stay, in other parts of town loudspeakers could be heard ordering Arabs to leave "before it's too late."

On 21 April, the downtown, controlled by a combination of local and foreign (ALA) Arab irregulars, was assaulted byJewishforces inOperation Bi'ur Hametzby theCarmeli Brigadeof the Haganah, commanded byMoshe Carmel.Arab neighborhoods were attacked with mortars and gunfire,which, according toIlan Pappé,culminated in an attack on a Palestinian crowd in the old marketplace using three-inch (76 mm) mortars on 22 April 1948.

Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim,a Palestinian Arab municipal leader, described attacks “provoking terror among the women and children, who were very influenced bythe horrors of Dayr Yasin",and provided an eyewitness account of the flight of Haifa's Arab residents:

Thousands of women, children and men hurried to the port district in a state of chaos and terror without precedent in the history of the Arab nation. They fled their houses to the coast, barefoot and naked, to wait for their turn to travel to Lebanon. They left their homeland, their houses, their possessions, their money, their welfare, and their trades, to surrender their dignity and their souls.

The operation led to a massive displacement of Haifa's Arab population, and was part of the larger1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight.According toThe Economistat the time, only 5,000–6,000 of the city's 62,000 Arabs remained there by 2 October 1948.Morris quotes British sources as stating that during the battles between 22 and 23 April 100 Arabs were killed and 100 wounded, but he adds that the total may have been higher.

HistorianWalid Khalididescribed "the mass exodus of Haifa’s Arab population" as "the spontaneous reaction to the ruthless combination of terror and psychological warfare tactics adopted by the Haganah during the attack."[1]

State of Israel

View of Haifa Bay from Mount Carmel in 2004

After theDeclaration of the Establishment of the State of Israelon 14 May 1948 Haifa became the gateway for Jewish immigration into Israel. During the1948 Arab–Israeli War,the neighborhoods of Haifa were sometimes contested. After the war, Jewish immigrants were settled in new neighborhoods, among themKiryat Hayim,Ramot Remez, Ramat Shaul,Kiryat Sprinzak,andKiryat Eliezer.Bnei Zion Hospital(formerlyRothschildHospital) and the Central Synagogue inHadar Hacarmeldate from this period. In 1953, a master plan was created for transportation and the future architectural layout.In 1959, a group ofSephardiand Mizrahi Jews, mostlyMoroccan Jews,riotedinWadi Salib,claiming the state was discriminating against them.Their demand for "bread and work" was directed at the state institutions and what they viewed as an Ashkenazi elite in theLabor Partyand theHistadrut.

Tel Aviv gained in status, while Haifa suffered a decline in the role as regional capital. The opening ofAshdodas a port exacerbated this. Tourism shrank when the Israeli Ministry of Tourism placed emphasis on developing Tiberias as a tourist centre.Nevertheless, Haifa's population had reached 200,000 by the early 1970s, and mass immigration from theformer Soviet Unionboosted the population by a further 35,000.The Matam high-tech park, the first dedicated high-tech park in Israel, opened in Haifa in the 1970s. Many of Wadi Salib's historic Ottoman buildings have now been demolished, and in the 1990s a major section of the Old City was razed to make way for a new municipal center.

From 1999 to 2003, severalPalestinian suicide attackstook place in Haifa (inMaximandMatzarestaurants,bus 37,and others), killing 68 civilians. In 2006, Haifa was hit by 93Hezbollah rocketsduring theSecond Lebanon War,killing 11 civilians and leading to half of the city's population fleeing at the end of the first week of the war.Among the places hit by rockets were a train depot and the oil refinery complex.

Demographics

City of Haifa population by year

Year	Pop.	±%
1800	1,000	—
1840	2,000	+100.0%
1880	6,000	+200.0%
1914	20,000	+233.3%
1922	24,600	+23.0%
1947	145,140	+490.0%
1961	183,021	+26.1%
1972	219,559	+20.0%
1983	225,775	+2.8%
1995	255,914	+13.3%
2008	264,407	+3.3%
2016	279,600	+5.7%

Downtown Haifa and port with theSail Towerin the foreground

Haifa is Israel's third-largest city, consisting of 103,000 households,or a population of 290,306. Immigrants from the formerSoviet Unionconstitute 25% of Haifa's population,thus making Russian one of the three main spoken languages of the city.

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics,Israeli Arabsconstitute 10% of Haifa's population, the majority living in theWadi Nisnas,Abbas and Khalisa neighborhoods.TheWadi Nisnasand Abbas neighborhoods are largelyChristian,Khalisa andKababirare largelyMuslim,whileEin HaYamis a mixedArab Christianand Muslim neighborhood.Haifa is commonly portrayed as a model of co-existence between Arabs and Jews, although tensions and hostility do still exist.

Between 1994 and 2009, the city had a declining andaging populationcompared to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as young people moved to the center of the country for education and jobs, while young families migrated tobedroom communitiesin the suburbs. However, as a result of new projects and improving infrastructure, the city managed to reverse its population decline, reducing emigration while attracting more internal migration into the city. In 2009, positive net immigration into the city was shown for the first time in 15 years.

A development plan approved in 2016 seeks to raise Haifa's population to 330,000 residents by 2025.

Religious and ethnic communities

The population is heterogeneous.Israeli Jewscomprise some 82% of the population, almost 14% areChristians(the majority of whom areArab Christians)and, some 4% areMuslims.Haifa also includesDruzeandBaháʼí Faithcommunities. In 2006, 27% of the Arab population was aged 14 and under, compared to 17% of the Jewish and other population groups. The trend continues in the age 15–29 group, in which 27% of the Arab population is found, and the age 30–44 group (23%). The population of Jews and others in these age groups are 22% and 18% respectively. Nineteen percent of the city's Jewish and other population is between 45 and 59, compared to 14% of the Arab population. This continues with 14% of Jews and others aged 60–74 and 10% over age 75, in comparison to 7% and just 2% respectively in the Arab population.Arabs in Haifa tend to be wealthier and better educated compare to other Arabs elsewhere in Israel.

St. Elijah Cathedral, Haifa;episcopal see of theArcheparchy of Akka.

Haifa is home to the second-largest Arab Christian community in Israel,many of them lives in the Arabic-speaking neighborhoods in the lowlands near the sea; neighborhoods such asGerman Colony,Wadi Nisnasand Abbas, are largelyArab Christian.There are also a significant number of wealthy Christian Arabs in theHadar Westand Central.The Christian communities of Haifa are varied and included various denominations, the most prominent among them theMelkite Greek Catholic,followed byGreek Orthodox,Latin Catholics,Maronites,Armenian Orthodox,andProtestants.The Christian Arab communities in Haifa tend to be wealthier and better educated compare to other Arabs elsewhere in Israel.TheMelkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akkais based in Haifa, and itscathedralepiscopal see isSt. Elijah Greek-Melkite Cathedral.

FollowingIsrael's withdrawal from Lebanonin 2000, some formerSouth Lebanon Armysoldiers and officers who fled from Lebanon settled in Haifa withtheir families.

In 2006, 2.9% of the Jews in the city wereHaredi,compared to 7.5% on a national scale.However, the Haredi community in Haifa is growing fast due to a high fertility rate.66.6% were secular, compared to a national average of 43.7%.There is also a Scandinavian Seamen Protestant church, established by Norwegian Righteous Among the Nations pastor Per Faye-Hansen.

Haifa is the center of liberalArabic-speaking culture,as it was under British colonial rule. The Arabic-speaking neighborhoods, which are mixed Muslim and Christian, are in the lowlands near the sea, while Jewish neighborhoods are at a higher elevation. An active Arab cultural life has developed in the 21st century.The city is the center of many Arab-owned businesses such astheaters,bars,cafes, restaurants andnightclubswhich also host different cultural discussions and art exhibitions.

Geography

Haifa is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain, thehistoric land bridgebetween Europe, Africa, and Asia, and the mouth of the Kishon River.Located on the northern slopes ofMount Carmeland around Haifa Bay, the city is split over three tiers.The lowest is the center of commerce and industry including the Port of Haifa.The middle level is on the slopes of Mount Carmel and consists of older residential neighborhoods, while the upper level consists of modern neighborhoods looking over the lower tiers.From here views can be had across theWestern Galileeregion of Israel towardsRosh HaNikraand theLebanese border.Haifa is about 90 km (55.9 mi) north of the city of Tel Aviv, and has a large number of beaches on theMediterranean.

Panorama of Haifa from Mount Carmel

Flora and fauna

The Carmel Mountain has three mainwadis:Lotem, Amik and Si'ach. For the most part these valleys are undeveloped natural corridors that run up through the city from the coast to the top of the mountain. Marked hiking paths traverse these areas and they provide habitat for wildlife such as wild boar,golden jackal,hyrax,Egyptian mongoose,owlsand chameleons.

Haifa is inundated withboars.The boars began to descend from the valleys around the city from before 2019, and began to roam in the city's streets. In 2019, mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem decided to stop shooting the boars.Boar sighting figures have struggled to go down since theIsrael Nature and Parks Authoritybegan fencing off forested areas, because residents often feed the boars.

Climate

Haifa has ahot-summer Mediterranean climatewith hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters (Köppen climate classificationCsa).Spring arrives in March when temperatures begin to increase. By late May, the temperature has warmed up considerably to herald warm summer days. The average temperature in summer is 26 °C (79 °F) and in winter, 12 °C (54 °F). Frost is rare in Haifa, but temperatures around 3 °C (37 °F) can sometimes occur, usually in the early morning. Snow is very rare, whichlast fell in 1950.Humidity tends to be high all year round, and rain usually occurs between September and May. Annual precipitation is approximately 629 mm (25 in).

Climate data forHaifa Airport(5 m / 16 ft) (Temperature: 1995–2010, Extremes 1898–2011, Precipitation: 1980–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	27.0 (80.6)	30.4 (86.7)	38.0 (100.4)	42.5 (108.5)	44.6 (112.3)	43.5 (110.3)	37.8 (100.0)	37.8 (100.0)	41.8 (107.2)	41.4 (106.5)	36.0 (96.8)	31.5 (88.7)	44.6 (112.3)
Mean maximum °C (°F)	22.6 (72.7)	25.0 (77.0)	29.9 (85.8)	35.5 (95.9)	36.2 (97.2)	34.6 (94.3)	35.2 (95.4)	34.1 (93.4)	34.7 (94.5)	35.4 (95.7)	30.3 (86.5)	24.7 (76.5)	36.2 (97.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	17.8 (64.0)	18.6 (65.5)	20.9 (69.6)	23.8 (74.8)	26.5 (79.7)	29.5 (85.1)	31.6 (88.9)	31.6 (88.9)	30.2 (86.4)	27.9 (82.2)	24.4 (75.9)	19.8 (67.6)	25.2 (77.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	13.9 (57.0)	14.4 (57.9)	16.5 (61.7)	19.4 (66.9)	22.4 (72.3)	25.7 (78.3)	28.0 (82.4)	28.4 (83.1)	26.7 (80.1)	23.7 (74.7)	19.8 (67.6)	15.8 (60.4)	21.2 (70.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	10.0 (50.0)	10.2 (50.4)	12.1 (53.8)	14.8 (58.6)	18.2 (64.8)	21.9 (71.4)	24.4 (75.9)	25.1 (77.2)	23.2 (73.8)	19.5 (67.1)	15.1 (59.2)	11.8 (53.2)	15.9 (60.6)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	5.4 (41.7)	6.1 (43.0)	7.6 (45.7)	9.5 (49.1)	13.7 (56.7)	18.4 (65.1)	21.7 (71.1)	22.7 (72.9)	19.5 (67.1)	14.8 (58.6)	9.9 (49.8)	7.3 (45.1)	5.4 (41.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−1.6 (29.1)	−3.5 (25.7)	2.0 (35.6)	4.3 (39.7)	9.6 (49.3)	13.0 (55.4)	17.0 (62.6)	17.9 (64.2)	14.2 (57.6)	8.5 (47.3)	5.0 (41.0)	0.2 (32.4)	−3.5 (25.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	124.9 (4.92)	95.2 (3.75)	52.8 (2.08)	23.6 (0.93)	2.7 (0.11)	0.1 (0.00)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.2 (0.05)	28.0 (1.10)	77.8 (3.06)	135.5 (5.33)	541.8 (21.33)
Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm)	13.9	11.7	8.6	3.6	1.4	0.1	0.1	0	0.8	3.9	8.0	11.8	63.9
Source:Israel Meteorological Service

Climate data for University of Haifa (475 m / 1558 ft) (Temperature: 1995–2010, Precipitation: 1980–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	23.6 (74.5)	26.2 (79.2)	32.9 (91.2)	36.6 (97.9)	39.0 (102.2)	38.9 (102.0)	36.6 (97.9)	34.9 (94.8)	38.9 (102.0)	36.3 (97.3)	30.0 (86.0)	28.3 (82.9)	39.0 (102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	13.3 (55.9)	14.2 (57.6)	16.8 (62.2)	20.2 (68.4)	23.3 (73.9)	25.1 (77.2)	26.5 (79.7)	26.9 (80.4)	26.2 (79.2)	24.2 (75.6)	19.9 (67.8)	15.5 (59.9)	21.0 (69.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	11.0 (51.8)	11.5 (52.7)	13.8 (56.8)	16.5 (61.7)	19.7 (67.5)	22.0 (71.6)	23.7 (74.7)	24.2 (75.6)	23.4 (74.1)	21.3 (70.3)	17.2 (63.0)	13.1 (55.6)	18.1 (64.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	8.6 (47.5)	8.9 (48.0)	10.7 (51.3)	12.9 (55.2)	16.1 (61.0)	18.8 (65.8)	20.8 (69.4)	21.5 (70.7)	20.6 (69.1)	18.4 (65.1)	14.6 (58.3)	10.7 (51.3)	15.2 (59.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−0.3 (31.5)	1.3 (34.3)	1.0 (33.8)	4.2 (39.6)	10.1 (50.2)	11.5 (52.7)	16.7 (62.1)	18.1 (64.6)	15.9 (60.6)	8.8 (47.8)	5.1 (41.2)	2.5 (36.5)	−0.3 (31.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	166 (6.5)	128 (5.0)	71 (2.8)	21 (0.8)	5 (0.2)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	2 (0.1)	36 (1.4)	93 (3.7)	161 (6.3)	683 (26.8)
Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm)	14	12	9	4	1	0	0	0	1	4	8	12	65
Averagerelative humidity(%)	68	67	63	61	63	74	80	82	74	67	59	65	69
Source:Israel Meteorological Service

Neighborhoods

Main article:Neighborhoods of Haifa

Bat Galim neighborhood andHaifa Bay

Panorama Towers

Haifa has developed in tiers, from the lower to the upper city on the Carmel. The oldest neighborhood in modern Haifa is Wadi Salib, the Old City center near the port, which has been bisected by a major road and razed in part to make way forgovernment buildings.Wadi Salib stretches across toWadi Nisnas,the center of Arab life in Haifa today. In the 19th century, under Ottoman rule, the German Colony was built, providing the first model ofurban planningin Haifa. Some of the buildings have been restored and the colony has turned into a center of Haifa nightlife.

The first buildings in Hadar were constructed at the start of the 20th century. Hadar was Haifa's cultural center and marketplace throughout the 1920s and into the 1980s, nestled above and around Haifa's Arab neighborhoods. Today Hadar stretches from the port area near the bay, approximately halfway up Mount Carmel, around theGerman Colony,Wadi NisnasandWadi Salib.Hadar houses two commercial centers (one in the port area, and one midway up the mountain) surrounded by some of the city's older neighborhoods.

Neve Sha'anan,a neighborhood located on the second tier of Mount Carmel, was founded in the 1920s. West of the port are the neighborhoods of Bat Galim, Shikmona Beach, and Kiryat Eliezer. To the west and east of Hadar are the Arab neighborhoods of Abbas and Khalisa, built in the 1960s and 70s.To the south of Mount Carmel's headland, along the road to Tel Aviv, are the neighborhoods ofEin HaYam,Shaar HaAliya, Kiryat Sprinzak and Neve David.

Above Hadar are affluent neighborhoods such as the Carmel Tzarfati (French Carmel),Merkaz HaCarmel(Carmel Center),Romema(Ramot Ben Gurion), Ahuzat HaCarmel (Ahuza), Carmeliya,Vardiya,Ramat Golda,Ramat AlonandHod Ha'Carmel (Denya).While there are general divisions between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods, there is an increasing trend for wealthy Arabs to move into affluent Jewish neighborhoods.Another Carmel neighborhood isKababir,home to the National Headquarters of Israel'sAhmadiyya Community;located near Merkaz HaCarmel and overlooking the coast.

Urban development

Ben-Gurion Avenue and the German Colony

Recently, residential construction has been concentrated around Kiryat Haim andKiryat Shmuel,with 75,000 m²(807,293 sq ft) of new residential construction between 2002 and 2004, the Carmel, with 70,000 m²(753,474 sq ft), and Ramot Neve Sha'anan with approximately 70,000 m²(753,474 sq ft)Non-residential construction was highest in theLower Town,(90,000 sq m), Haifa Bay (72,000 sq m) and Ramot Neve Sha'anan (54,000 sq m).In 2004, 80% of construction in the city was private.

Currently, the city has a modest number of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings.Though buildings rising up to 20 stories were built on Mount Carmel in the past, the Haifa municipality banned the construction of any new buildings taller than nine stories on Mount Carmel in July 2012.

The neighborhood of Wadi Salib, located in the heart of downtown Haifa, is being redeveloped. Most of its Jewish and Arab residents are considered squatters and have been gradually evicted over the years. The Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd is developing two 1,000 square meter lots for office and commercial use.Some historic buildings have been renovated and redeveloped, especially into nightclubs and theaters, such as the Palace of the Pasha, aTurkish bathhouse,and aMiddle Eastern musicanddance club,which has been converted into theaters and offices.

In 2012, a new, massive development plan was announced for Haifa's waterfront. According to the plan, the western section of the city's port will be torn down, and all port activity will be moved to the east. The west side of the port will be transformed into a tourism and nightlife center and a point of embarkation and arrival for sea travel through the construction of public spaces, a beach promenade, and the renovation of commercial buildings. The train tracks that currently bisect the city and separate the city's beach from the rest of Haifa will also be buried.A park will be developed on the border of the Kishon River, the refineries' cooling towers will be turned into a visitors' center, and bridges will lead from the port to the rest of the city. Massive renovations are also currently underway in Haifa's lower town, in the Turkish market and Paris Square, which will become the city's business center.In addition, the ammonia depository tank in the Haifa bay industrial zone will be dismantled, and a new one built in an alternative location.

The Carmelite Compound inParis Square

Another plan seeks to turn the western section of Haifa Port into a major tourism and nightlife center, as well as a functioning point of embarkation and arrival for sea travel. All port activity will be moved to the western side, and the area will be redeveloped. Public spaces and a beach promenade will be developed, and commercial buildings will be renovated.As part of the development plans, theIsraeli Navy,which has a large presence in Haifa, will withdraw from the shoreline between Bat Galim and Hof Hashaket. A 5 km (3.1 mi) longesplanadewhich will encircle the shoreline will be constructed. It will include a bicycle path, and possibly also a small bridge under which navy vessels will pass on their way to the sea.

In addition, a 50,000 square-meter entertainment complex that will contain aDisneytheme park, cinemas, shops, and a 25-screenMultiplex theaterwill be built at the Check Post exit from the Carmel Tunnels.In 2014, a new major plan for the city was proposed, under which extensive development of residential, business, and leisure areas will take place with the target of increasing the city's population by 60,000 by 2025. Under the plan, five new neighborhoods will be built, along with new high-tech parks. In addition, existing employment centers will be renovated, and new leisure areas and a large park will be built.

In 2016, a new plan for the city was approved. The plan included a new main downtown business district, the creation of a park in a current industrial area, new construction and renovation of public buildings and hubs of higher education, tourism, culture, commerce, leisure, and residence.

Economy

Haifa Oil Refinery

Matam hi-tech park

The common Israeli saying, "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel Aviv plays" attests to Haifa's reputation as a city of workers and industry.The industrial region of Haifa is in the eastern part of the city, around the Kishon River. It is home to theHaifa oil refinery,one of the twooil refineriesin Israel (theother refinerybeing located in Ashdod). The Haifa refinery processes 9 million tons (66 million barrels) ofcrude oila year.Its nowadays unused twin 80-meter highcooling towers,built in the 1930s, were the tallest buildings built in the British Mandate period.Matam(short forMerkaz Ta'asiyot Mada– Scientific Industries Center), the largest and oldestbusiness parkin Israel, is at the southern entrance to the city, hosting manufacturing andR&Dfacilities for a large number of Israeli and internationalhi-techcompanies, such asApple,Amazon,Abbot,Cadence,Intel,IBM,Magic Leap,Microsoft,Motorola,Google,Yahoo!,Elbit,CSR,Philips,PwCandAmdocs.The campus of the University of Haifa is also home to IBM Haifa Labs.

The Port of Haifa is the leader in passenger traffic among Israeli ports, and is also a major cargoharbor,although deregulation has seen its dominance challenged by thePort of Ashdod.Haifa malls andshopping centersinclude Hutsot Hamifratz, Horev Center Mall, Panorama Center, Castra Center, Colony Center (Lev HaMoshava), Hanevi'im Tower Mall, Kanyon Haifa,Lev Hamifratz MallandGrand Kanyon.In 2010,Monoclemagazine identified Haifa as the city with the most promising business potential, with the greatest investment opportunities in the world. The magazine noted that "a massive head-to-toe regeneration is starting to have an impact; from scaffolding and cranes around town, to renovated façades and new smart places to eat". The Haifa municipality had spent more than $350 million on roads and infrastructure, and the number of building permits had risen 83% in the previous two years.

In 2014, it was announced that a technology-focusedstock exchangewould be established to compete with theTel Aviv Stock Exchange.Currently, some 40 hotels, mostlyboutique hotels,are planned, have been approved, or are under construction. The Haifa Municipality is seeking to turn the city into Northern Israel's tourist center, from where travelers can embark on day trips into Acre, Nazareth, Tiberias, and the Galilee.A newlife sciencesindustrial park containing five buildings with 85,000 square meters of space on a 31-duman (7.75 acre) site is being built adjacent to the Matam industrial park.

Tourism

See also:Terraces (Baháʼí)

Interior ofStella Maris Monastery

In 2005, Haifa had 13 hotels with a total of 1,462 rooms.The city has a 17 km (11 mi) shoreline, of which 5 km (3 mi) are beaches.Haifa's main tourist attraction is theBaháʼí World Centre,with the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding gardens. Between 2005 and 2006, 86,037 visited the shrine.In 2008, the Baháʼí gardens were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The restored German Colony, founded by the Templers, Stella Maris and Elijah's Cave also draw many tourists.Located in the Haifa district are theEin Hodartists' colony, where over 90 artists and craftsmen have studios and exhibitions,and the Mount Carmelnational park,with caves whereNeanderthaland earlyHomo Sapiensremains were found.

A 2007 report commissioned by the Haifa Municipality calls for the construction of more hotels, a ferry line between Haifa, Acre andCaesarea,development of the western anchorage of the port as a recreation and entertainment area, and an expansion of the local airport and port to accommodate international travel andcruise ships.

Arts and culture

Promenade along Dado Beach

Folk dancing on Dado Beach

Despite its image as a port and industrial city, Haifa is the cultural hub of northern Israel. During the 1950s, mayorAbba Hushimade a special effort to encourage authors and poets to move to the city, and founded theHaifa Theatre,arepertory theater,the first municipal theater founded in the country.The principal Arabic theater servicing the northern Arab population is theal-Midan Theater.Other theaters in the city include the Krieger Centre for thePerforming Artsand the Rappaport Art and Culture Center.The Congress Center hosts exhibitions, concerts and special events.

The New Haifa Symphony Orchestra, established in 1950, has more than 5,000 subscribers. In 2004, 49,000 people attended its concerts.TheHaifa Cinematheque,founded in 1975, hosts the annualHaifa International Film Festivalduring the intermediate days of theSukkotholiday. Haifa has 29movie theaters.The city publishes a local newspaper, Yediot Haifa,and has its ownradio station,Radio Haifa.רדיו חיפה - 107.5FMThe Israeli Arabic-language newspapersAl-IttihadandAl-Madinaare also based in Haifa. During the 1990s, Haifa hosted the Haifa Rock & Blues Festival featuringBob Dylan,Nick Cave,BlurandPJ Harvey.The last festival was held in 1995 withSheryl Crow,SuedeandFaith No Moreas headliners.

Museums

National Museum of Science, Haifa

Haifa has over a dozen museums.The most popular museum is the Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space, which recorded almost 150,000 visitors in 2004. The museum is located in the historic Technion building in the Hadar neighborhood. TheHaifa Museum of Arthouses a collection of modern and classical art, as well as displays on the history of Haifa. TheTikotin Museum of Japanese Artis the only museum in theMiddle Eastdedicated solely toJapanese art.Other museums in Haifa include the Museum of Prehistory, the National Maritime Museum andHaifa City Museum,the Hecht Museum,the Dagon Archaeological Museum of Grain Handling,theRailway Museum,theClandestine Immigration and Naval Museum,the IsraeliOil IndustryMuseum, and Chagall Artists' House.As part of his campaign to bring culture to Haifa, Mayor Abba Hushi provided the artistMane-Katzwith a building on Mount Carmel to house his collection of Judaica, which is now a museum.The former home and studio of artistHermann Struckis now the Hermann Struck Museum.The Haifa Educational Zoo at Gan HaEm park houses a small animal collection including Syrian brown bears, now extinct from Israel. Wןthin the zoo is the Pinhas House biology institute. In the close vicinity of Haifa, on the Carmel, the Northern "Hai-Bar" ( "wild life" ) operated by Israel's Parks and Reserves Authority for the purpose of breeding and reintroduction of species now extinct from Israel, such as Persian Fallow Deer.

Government

As an industrial port city, Haifa has traditionally been a Labor party stronghold. The strong presence of dock workers andtrade unionsearned it the nickname 'Red Haifa.' In addition, many prominent Arabs in theIsraeli Communist Party,among themTawfik Toubi,Emile Habibi,Zahi Karkabi,Bulus FarahandEmile Toma,were from Haifa.

Haifa court building

There has been a drift toward the center.This was best signified by, inthe 2006 legislative elections,theKadimaparty receiving about 28.9% of the votes in Haifa, and Labor lagging behind with 16.9%.Before 1948, Haifa's Municipality was fairly unusual as it developed cooperation between the mixed Arab and Jewish community in the city, with representatives of both groups involved in the city's management. Under mayor al-Haj, between 1920 and 1927, thecity councilhad six Arab and two Jewish representatives, with the city run as a mixed municipality with overall Arab control. Greater cooperation was introduced underHasan Bey Shukri,who adopted a positive and conciliatory attitude toward the city's Jews and gave them senior posts in the municipality.In 1940, the first Jewish mayor,Shabtai Levy,was elected. Levy's two deputies were Arab (one Muslim, the other Christian), with the remainder of the council made up of four Jews and six Arabs.

Today, Haifa is governed by its 12th city council, headed by the mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem. The results of municipal elections decide on the makeup of the council, similarly to theKnessetelections. The city council is the legislative council in the city, and has the authority to pass auxiliary laws.The 12th council, which was elected in 2003, has 31 members, with the liberalShinui-Greensticket holding the most seats (6), andLikudcoming second with 5.Many of the decisions passed by the city council are results of recommendation made by the various municipal committees, which are committees where non-municipal organs meet with representatives from the city council. Some committees are spontaneous, but some are mandatory, such as the security committee, tender committee and financial committee.

Mayors

See also:Mayor of HaifaandMayoral elections in Haifa

City hall

• Najib Effendi al-Yasin(1873–77)
• Ahmad Effendi Jalabi(1878–81)
• Mustafa Bey al-Salih(1881–84)
• Mustafa Pasha al-Khalil(1885–1903)
• Jamil Sadiq(1904–10)
• Rif'at al-Salah(1910–11)
• Ibrahim al-Khalil(1911–13)
• Abd al-Rahman al-Haj(1920–27)
• Hassan Bey Shukri(1914–20, 1927–40)
• Shabtai Levy(1940–51)
• Abba Hushi(1951–1969)
• Moshe Flimann(1969–1973)
• Yosef Almogi(1974–1975)
• Yeruham Zeisel(1975–1978)
• Arie Gur'el(1978–1993)
• Amram Mitzna(1993–2003)
• Giora Fisher(interim mayor, 2003)
• Yona Yahav(2003–2018)
• Einat Kalisch-Rotem(2018–present)

Medical facilities

Rambam Medical Center

The Technion is the first higher education institution with teaching the Hebrew language. It was listed multiple tilmes in the top 100 of the ShanghaiAcademic Ranking of World Universities.

Rabin Building, University of Haifa

Haifa medical facilities have a total of 4,000 hospital beds. The largest hospital is the government-operatedRambam Hospitalwith 900 beds and 78,000 admissions in 2004.Bnai Zion Medical Centerand Carmel Hospital each have 400 beds. Other hospitals in the city include the Italian Hospital,Elisha Hospital(100 beds), Horev Medical Center (36 beds) and Ramat Marpe (18 beds).Haifa has 20 family health centers.In 2004, there were a total of 177,478 hospital admissions.Rambam Medical Center was in the direct line of fire during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and was forced to take special precautions to protect its patients.Whole wings of the hospital were moved to large underground shelters.

Education

Nazareth Nuns' School, a prestigious Arabic school in Haifa.

Haifa is home to two internationally acclaimed universities and several colleges. The University of Haifa, founded in 1963, is at the top of Mt. Carmel. The campus was designed by the architect ofBrasíliaandUnited Nations HeadquartersinNew York City,Oscar Niemeyer.The top floor of the 30-story Eshkol Tower provides a panoramic view of northern Israel. TheHecht Museum,with important archeology and art collections, is on the campus of Haifa University.

TheTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology,was founded in 1912, and became the first higher education institution where the language of teaching is Hebrew (seeWar of the Languages). It has 18 faculties and 42research institutes.The original building now housesIsrael National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space,also known as Madatech.

TheHebrew Reali Schoolwas founded in 1913. It is the largestk-12school in Israel, with 4,000 students in 7 branches, all over the city.

The first technological high school in Israel, Bosmat, was established in Haifa in 1933. It was affiliated with the Technion. Because of financial difficulties, it was closed in 2007, and later re-established as part of the Mofet network, which was started by science teachers from the1990s post-Soviet aliyah.

Other academic institutions in Haifa are theGordon College of Educationand Sha'anan Religious Teachers' College, theWIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education,and Tiltan College of Design. The Michlala Leminhal College of Management and theOpen University of Israelhave branches in Haifa. The city also has a nursing college and the P.E.T Practical Engineering School.

Among Israeli higher education institutions theUniversity of Haifahas the largest percentage (41%) ofArab-Israelistudents.TheTechnion Israel Institute of Technologyhas the second largest percentage (22.2%) ofArab-Israelistudents.

As of 2006–07, Haifa had 70elementary schools,23middle schools,28 academichigh schoolsand 8 vocational high schools. There were 5,133 pupils in municipal kindergartens, 20,081 in elementary schools, 7,911 in middle schools, 8,072 in academic high schools, 2,646 in vocational high schools, and 2,068 in comprehensive district high schools. 86% of the students attended Hebrew-speaking schools and 14% attended Arab schools. 5% were inspecial education.In 2004, Haifa had 16 municipal libraries stocking 367,323 books.Two prestigious Arab schools in Haifa are the Orthodox School, run by the Greek Orthodox church, and the Nazareth Nuns' School, a Catholic institution.About 70% of Arab students in Haifa (Christians, Muslims, and Druze) attendChristian schools(6 schools) that found in the city.

Transportation

Public transportation

The Carmelit is currently Israel's only subway system.

Haifa is served by sixrailwaystations and theCarmelit,currently Israel's only subway system (another is planned in Tel Aviv). TheNahariya–Tel AvivCoastal Railwaymain line ofIsrael Railwaysruns along the coast of the Gulf of Haifa and has six stations within the city. From south-west to north-east, these stations are:Haifa Hof HaCarmel,Haifa Bat Galim,Haifa Merkaz HaShmona,HaMifrats Central,Hutzot HaMifratzandKiryat Haim.Together with theKiryat Motzkin Railway Stationin the northern suburbKiryat Motzkin,they form the Haifa – Krayot suburban line ( "Parvarit" ).There are direct trains from Haifa to Tel Aviv,Ben Gurion International Airport,Beersheba,Hadera,Herzliya,Modi'in,Nahariya,Karmiel,Akko,Kiryat Motzkin,Binyamina,Lod,Ramla,Beit Shemeshand others.

Haifa'sintercity busconnections are operated almost exclusively by theEggedbus company, which operates two terminals:

• HaMifratz Central Bus Station,adjacent to the HaMifrats Central Railway Station
• Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station, adjacent to the Hof HaCarmel Railway Station

Lines to the North of the country use HaMifratz Central Bus Station and their coverage includes most towns in the North of Israel. Lines heading south useHaifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station.

Destinations directly reachable from Hof HaCarmel CBS include Tel Aviv, Jerusalem,Eilat,Raanana,Netanya,Hadera,Zikhron Ya'akov,Atlit,Tirat Carmel,Ben Gurion International Airport and intermediate communities. There are also three Egged lines that have their terminus in theRamat Vizhnitzneighborhood and run toJerusalem,Bnei Brakand Ashdod. These used to be "mehadrin"(i.e. gender segregated) lines.

All urban lines are run by Egged. There are alsoshare taxisthat run along some bus routes but do not have an official schedule. In 2006, Haifa implemented a trial network of neighborhood mini-buses – named "Shkhunatit" and run by Egged.In December 2012,GetTaxi,an app and taxi service which allows users to hail a cab using their smartphone without contacting the taxi station (by identifying and summoning the closest taxi) began operating. In the current initial phase, 50 taxis from the service are operating in Haifa.

CompletedMetronittrack in downtown Haifa

Haifa and the Krayot suburbs also have a newPhileas conceptbus rapid transitsystem called the Metronit. These buses, operating withhybridengines, follow optical strips embedded in designated lanes of roads, providing tram-like public transportation services. The Metronit consists of 100 18-meter buses, each with the capacity for 150 passengers, operating along 40 km (25 mi) of designated roadways.The new system officially opened on 16 August 2013 serving three lines.

Haifa is one of the few cities in Israel where buses operate onShabbat.Bus lines operate throughout the city on a reduced schedule from late Saturday morning onwards, and also connect Haifa with Nesher, Tirat Karmel,Yokneam,Nazareth,Nazareth Illitand intermediate communities. Since the summer of 2008, night buses are operated by Egged in Haifa (line 200) and theKrayotsuburbs (line 210).During the summer of 2008 these lines operated 7 nights a week. Since 2013, along with route 1 of the Metronit, they operate 7 nights a week, making Haifa as the only city in Israel with 24/7 public transportation. Haifa is also the only city in Israel to operate a Saturday bus service to the beaches during summer time. Egged lines run during Saturday mornings from many neighborhoods to theDadoand Bat Galim beaches, and back in the afternoon.

ACable Cardescending from Mount Carmel to Bat Galim

The Haifa subway system is calledCarmelit.It is a subterraneanfunicularrailway, running from downtown Paris Square to Gan HaEm (Mother's Park) on Mount Carmel.With a single track, six stations and two trains, it is listed inGuinness World Recordsas the world's shortest metro line. The Carmelit accommodates bicycles.

Haifa also has two cable cars. TheBat Galim cable carconsists of six cabins and connects Bat Galim on the coast to the Stella Marisobservation deckand monastery atop Mount Carmel. It serves mainly tourists.Opened in April 2022,Rakavlit,the second cable car, is a 4.4 kilometre commuter cable car service, running from HaMifratz Central Bus Station at the foot of Mount Carmel to the Technion, and then to the University of Haifa.

Air and sea transport

The Port of Haifa

Haifa Airportserves international charters toCyprus(LarnacaandPaphos).BeforeCOVID-19 pandemicHaifa Airport operated flights toEgypt,Greece,JordanandTurkeyas well as domestic flights toTel Aviv(Sde Dov Airport) andEilat(Eilat Airport).

There are currently plans to expand services from Haifa.

airHaifais planning to launch operations duringSeptember 2024,when at the beginning it will issue flights on theHaifa-Eilatroute and later it will also fly toCyprus,GreeceandTurkey.

Roads

Travel between Haifa and the center of the country is possible by road withHighway 2,the main highway along the coastal plain, beginning at Tel Aviv and ending at Haifa.Furthermore,Highway 4runs along the coast to the north of Haifa, as well as south, inland from Highway 2.In the past, traffic along Highway 2 to the north of Haifa had to pass through the downtown area of the city. TheCarmel Tunnels,opened for traffic 1 December 2010, now route this traffic under Mount Carmel, reducing congestion in the downtown area.

Sports

Sammy Ofer Stadium

The main stadiums in Haifa are: Sammy Ofer Stadium, aUEFA-approved 30,942-seat stadium, completed in 2014, replacing the 14,002-seatKiryat Eliezer Stadiumthat was demolished 2016,Thomas D'Alesandro Stadiumand Neve Sha'anan Athletic Stadium that seats 1,000.The city's two mainfootball clubsareMaccabi HaifaandHapoel Haifawho both currently play in theIsraeli Premier Leagueand share the Sammy Ofer Stadium as their home pitch. Maccabi has won twelve Israeli titles, while Hapoel has won one.

Haifa has 4professional basketballclubs.Hapoel HaifaandMaccabi Haifaboth play in theIsraeli Basketball Super League,the top division. They both also play at theRomema Arena,which seats 5,000.

Maccabi Haifa Women plays inIsraeli Female Basketball Premier League1 division.

Hapoel Haifa Womanplays in the 3 division, the team plays at Kiryat Eliezer Arena.

The city also has an American football club, theHaifa Underdogs,that are a part of theIsraeli Football Leagueand play in Yoqneam Stadium. The team lost in the championship game of the league's inaugural season, but won one title as part ofAmerican Football Israel,which merged with the Israeli Football League in 2005. The city has several clubs in the regional leagues, includingBeitar HaifainLiga Bet(the fourth tier) andHapoel Ahva Haifa,F.C. Haifa Ruby ShapiraandMaccabi Neve Sha'anan EldadinLiga Gimel(the fifth tier). TheHaifa Hawksare an ice hockey team based out of the city of Haifa. They participate in theIsraeli League,the top level of Israeli ice hockey. In 1996, the city hosted theWorld Windsurfing Championship.TheHaifa Tennis Club,near the southwest entrance to the city, is one of the largest in Israel.John Shecter, Olympic horse breeder and owner of triple cup champion Shergar was born here.

Notable people

Main article:List of people from Haifa

Gene Simmons

Leila Khaled

• Abed Abdi(born 1942), Arab Palestinian painter and sculptor
• Ralph Bakshi(born 1938), animator and filmmaker
• Orr Barouch(born 1991), footballer
• Naftali Bennett(born 1972), politician
• Aaron Ciechanover(born 1947), biologist; Nobel Prize, Chemistry
• Jonathan Erlich(born 1977), tennis player
• Ari Folman(born 1962), filmmaker, creator ofWaltz with Bashir
• Anastasia Gorbenko(born 2003), swimmer
• Lea Gottlieb(1918–2012), founder and fashion designer ofGottex
• Avram Hershko(born 1937), biochemist, 2004 Nobel Prize, Chemistry
• Leila Khaled(born 1944), Former Palestinian militant and hijacker
• Jonatan Kopelev(born 1991), swimmer
• Shiri Maimon(born 1981), Hebrew singer, represented Israel in Eurovision 2005
• Adam Maraana(born 2003), swimmer
• Shahar Perkiss(born 1962), tennis player
• Yehuda Poliker(born 1950), Hebrew songwriter and folk singer
• Odeya Rush(born 1997), Hollywood actress and model
• Shem-Tov Sabag(born 1959), Olympic marathoner
• Yulia Sachkov(born 1999), world championkickboxer
• Shachar Sagiv(born 1994), Olympic triathlete
• Gene Simmons(born 1949), musician
• Josef Singer(1923–2009), President of Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
• Uri Sivan(born 1955),physicist,professor, and President of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
• Hillel Slovak(1962–1988), founding guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Lior Suchard(born 1981), Mentalist or Mind Reader
• Avi Wigderson(born 1956), mathematician and computer scientist, recipient of the 2021Abel Prize

Terrorist attacks

• Haifa Oil Refinery massacre (1947)
• Haifa bus 16 suicide bombing (2001)
• Matza restaurant suicide bombing (2002)
• Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing (2003)
• Maxim restaurant suicide bombing (2003)

Twin towns – sister cities

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel

Haifa istwinnedwith:

• Marseille,France (1962)
• Portsmouth,United Kingdom (1962)
• Hackney,United Kingdom (1968)
• Manila,Philippines (1971)
• San Francisco,United States (1973)
• Aalborg,Denmark (1973)
• Cape Town,South Africa (1975)
• Bremen,Germany (1978)
• Newcastle upon Tyne,United Kingdom (1979)
• Antwerp,Belgium (1986)
• Mainz,Germany (1987)
• Düsseldorf,Germany (1988)
• Rosario,Argentina (1988)
• Odesa,Ukraine (1992)
• Shanghai,China (1994)
• Limassol,Cyprus (2000)
• Fort Lauderdale,United States (2002)
• Erfurt,Germany (2005)
• Mannheim,Germany (2005)
• Shenzhen,China (2012)
• Chengdu,China (2013)
• Shantou,China (2015)

See also

• Haifa Pride
• List of people from Haifa
• Wikimania 2011
• List of clock towers– Haifa has an Ottoman clock tower next to the El-Jarina Mosque and the Saraya (government house), inauguratedc. 1898-1900

Sources

• Lane-Poole, Stanley(1906),Saladin and the Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem,Heroes of the Nations, London:G. P. Putnam's Sons

Further reading

See also:Bibliography of the history of Haifa

• Carmel, Alex (2002).The History of Haifa Under Turkish Rule(in Hebrew) (4th ed.). Haifa: Pardes.ISBN978-965-7171-05-9.
• Shiller, Eli; Ben-Artzi, Yossi (1985).Haifa and its sites(in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Ariel.

External links

• "Haifa".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 12 (11th ed.). 1911.
• City of Haifa