Haifa - The Workers City: Aliyah & Living in Haifa

Hebrew: חיפה - עיר הפועלים - לגור בחיפה וקליטת עולים חדשים

Haifa is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in northern Israel. The third largest city in Israel with a population of over a quarter of a million. Whether you have immigrated, planning your immigration, on vacation or a business trip, the city of Haifa has much to offer.

Demographics

Haifa is a multi-cultural city. People from five different religions: Jews, Moslems, Christians, Druze and Bahai co-exist, and live side-by-side in harmony, peace and mutual respect. The city has some 103,000 households and a population of more than a quarter of a million residents

	Layout Haifa has developed into three tiers, from the lower to the upper city on the Carmel. The oldest neighborhood is Wadi Salib, the Old City center, or the down-town area, which is near the port.  Wadi Salib stretches to the west across to Wadi Nisnas which is the center of Arab life in Haifa today.  In the 19th century the German Colony, near the port, was built by the Templars. Nestled above the first tier is the Hadar neighborhood - it was constructed in the early 1900’s .  The Hadar is situated above and around Haifa's Arab neighborhoods, around the port area and approximately halfway up Mount Carmel. Above Hadar, in the third tier, are the more affluent neighborhoods such as the French Carmel, Merkaz HaCarmel, Romema, Carmeliya, Vardiya, Ramat Golda, Ramat Alon and Denya.
	Haifa’s natural beauty includes kilometers of golden beaches and blue seas, a variety of breathtaking panoramas from the Carmel Mountain range, greenery and forests with deep trails and the wildlife of the Carmel National Park.  Unlike many other cities around the world, Haifa's beach-front properties are not prime real-estate. The most affluent suburbs are on top of the Carmel Mountain.  The reason for this is simply the weather.  There are vast differences in temperature and humidity levels.  Most people prefer the cooler, more moderate conditions that prevail on the mountain top.
	Economy & Comerce Haifa plays an important part in Israel’s economy. The Hadar neighborhood - the second tier - , is  a commercial center s well as being a residential area, .  The shuk (fruit and vegetable market) is located in the Hadar.  Herzl street is a popular shopping district for inexpensive clothing and household items.  Shopping in the shuk is an unique experience in Israel .
	The Neve Sha'anan neighborhood, to the east, is also located on the second tier of Mount Carmel.  Near the Technion, Neve Shaanan has a large commercial center with a selection of suburban shops, supermarkets and pubs etc.  The Grand Kanyon – Haifa’s biggest shopping mall is in Neve Sha’anan. Other malls and shopping centers in Haifa include Hutsot Hamifratz, Horev Center Mall, Panorama Center, Castra Center and Haifa Mall. More about shopping in Haifa
	Transport Haifa is a hub for public transport that serves the north and north-eastern parts of Israel.  Haifa has 3 main bus and train stations; the Merkazit Hof HaCarmel at the southern entrance to Haifa, Bat Galim and Hashmona serving the down-town areas and Merkazit Hamifratz in the Haifa Bay area. Many bus routes to and from Merkazit Hamifratz, incorporate the newly opened Carmel Tunnels (Minharot HaCarmel) thereby cutting traveling time down significantly. Night-time bus lines - Kavei Leila; were introduced a few years ago across the country. They operate, during the night on weekends and during school holidays when the regular buses routes come to a halt.  There a 7 night-time bus routes that serve the Haifa area. The Carmelit is a fernicular that goes from the Paris Square (Kikar Paris) - downtown - to the Central Carmel (Gan HaEm).  The entire journey takes about 7 minutes and there are 6 stops along the route.

Industry & Academia Haifa is home to two respected academic institutions, the University of Haifa and the Technion. Many Technion and university graduates are employed in the hi-tech park – MATAM (short for Merkaz Ta'asiyot Mada - Scientific Industries Center) at the southern entrance to the city. The Park offers about 10,000 job opportunities and hosts numerous Israeli and international hi-tech companies such as Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Google, Yahoo!, Elbit, Zoran, Philips, and Amdocs some of them having their manufacturing and R&D facilities here.
Employment & Job Opportunities Enter our Job Board for a list of job opportunities in Haifa and its vicinity.

The Port

The Haifa port is Israel’s second largest with Ashdod being the largest.  The petroleum refinery lies just to the east of the city in the heart of the industrial area after the Check-post.  Check out our videos of activity in the Haifa port

Entertainment In the past few years, many of the buildings in the German Colony have been restored and the colony, especially along Ben-Gurion Blvd., has turned into a center of Haifa nightlife with wonderful restaurants and pubs.  You get a magnificent day and night views of the Bahai Temple and terraces from Ben Gurion Blvd. There are lots of other wonderful attractions in Haifa, things to do and places to go.

 

Museums Hadar was also home to the first Technion campus - today this historic building houses the Madatech Museum.  Other museums in Haifa include:  The Israel National Museum of Science & Technology, The Maritime Museum, The Railway Museum, The Tikotin Japanese Art Museum, The Natural History Museum, The Prehistoric Museum at the zoo, The Hecht Museum at Haifa university, The Haifa Art Museum and the Mane Katz Museum all exhibit a large variety of collections.
The English Speaking Community For the past few years, Haifa Municipality and the Ministry of Absorption have been actively promoting Haifa as an Aliyah destination.  In addition to the regular benefits, Haifa Municipality offers the new oleh additional, extra Aliyah benefits.  The English speaking community has grown significantly in the past 5 years; Americans, Canadians, South Africans, Brits and Australians all making up the mix.  Besides the more affluent suburbs on the Carmel, the Hadar has become a popular residential option for these olim, who are looking for more economical housing alternatives. Religion There are many Orthodox synagogues in Haifa, the main one being on Derech HaYan in the Central Carmel.  Many Orthodox English speakers belong to the Maor Yehuda Synagogue in Ramat Almogi as well as the Denya Shul.  The Conservative Moriah Congregation is on Horeve Street in Ahuzza and the Reform Congregation, at the Leo Baeck Synagogue in the French Carmel, as well as at Or Hadash in Ahuzza. Social Numerous social and networking activities have been introduced and among them: the weekly Anglos-Walk, Haifa Young EnglishSpeakers (under 35's), Haifa Professional Networking Group and many other Facebook groups. It is said "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel Aviv plays".  If you live, are planning on living in Haifa or just visiting, the city is filled with an abundance of scenery, colors, voices, scents and flavors and is sure to offer you many wonderful opportunities.

 

 

 

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