“Holiday of Holidays” Festival in Haifa: Between Hope and Reality

Festival in Haifa

“Holiday of Holidays” third largest city of Israel, has gained the Festival in Haifa: between reputation of a model of tolerance among mixed localities. This might be partially Hope and Reality explained by the history of Haifa, where Jews and Arabs lived under the same Yelenevskaya, Maria municipality prior to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 (Yacobi 2009, 1). Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, In the empirical study conducted by Falah Israel et al., the ranking for positive perceptions Fialkova, Larisa of coexistence is highest in Haifa for 1 The University of Haifa, Israel Arab respondents and second highest for Jewish respondents (2000, 787). At the Introduction: Haifa as a Mixed City same time, the international conference ll localities in Israel are divided From Mixed to Shared: The Haifa Alternative into three groups according to organized by the NGO New Israel Fund their ethnic composition: Jewish, reported results of a study based on the A discussions with 165 residents in 22 focus Arab and mixed. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), eight groups which indicated that “the majority XUEDQ ORFDOLWLHV DUH GHÀQHG DV PL[HG of the town’s residents live in a sort of These towns “with a large majority of cultural indifference devoid of neither Jews, but with a considerable minority desire to interact with members of other of Arabs” are: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, populations nor outright hostility” (New Haifa, Akko, Ramla, Lod, Ma’alot- Israel Fund 2010). In addition, like in other Torshiha and Nazerat Illit (CBS, Statistical Israeli towns, the interethnic relations in Abstract of Israel 2010, 2011, 29). Life in Haifa visibly deteriorated in the period nd these cities is a subject of heated academic of the 2 Intifada also known as Intifada and public discussions. Academics Al Aqsa (2000-2005), when there were who study planning and development several terrorist attacks in Haifa buses strategies, distribution of housing, public and restaurants and clashes between space and resources believe that on the Arab demonstrators and policemen. one hand, Arab neighborhoods are treated Animosities that soared in that period as ‘internal frontiers’ into which Jewish were hardly alleviated by the fact that presence keeps expanding thus turning among the victims of the terrorists were mixed cities into urban ethnocracies, not only Jewish but also Arab and Druze where citizenship is unequal, and residents of Haifa. resources and services are allocated on The total population of the Haifa the basis of ethnicity rather than residency district which includes the city’s suburbs (Yiftachel, and Yacobi 2003, 680, 690). On is 880,000. The Arab sector makes 213,600, the other hand, the mixed city context may the rest being “Jews and others” (CBS, be favorable for forming perceptions of Statistical Abstract of Israel 2009, 2010, coexistence (Falah et al. 2000, 792). Among 106). 2 Like other mixed cities, Haifa is the mixed urban localities, Haifa, the still ethnically divided into the so called

“Arab” and “Jewish” neighborhoods. the Rubin Conservatory located in one The former are located in the low- of the Arab neighborhoods of the city. prestige areas of the city. In fact, Jews Despite a long history of living under also live there, although not by choice the same jurisdiction and abundance EXW GXH WR ÀQDQFLDO FRQVWUDLQWV 5LFK of contact zones, Jews and Arabs in neighborhoods are primarily occupied Haifa continue being apart maintaining by Jews, although socially upward social networks and engaging in leisure mobile Arab families have corners in activities primarily within their own them as well. One Arab neighborhood in ethno-cultural groups. the old part of the city stayed empty for Attempts to bring Haifa communities 50 years after the War of Independence closer to each other are made by Beit which took place in 1948 after the State of Hagefen—the Arab-Jewish Center Israel had been proclaimed. According to founded in 1963 (information about Beit Israeli law, abandoned houses cannot be Hagefen’s activities can be found on its transferred to other owners for a period website (http://www.beit-hagefen.com/En_ of 50 years. Since Palestinian refugees Web/En_%20Home_Index.htm, accessed are not allowed to return to Israel, the 9/01/2012). Its current head, Asaf Ronen, real estate was appropriated by the city says that from 2003 to 2010 the center and today this district is in the process was in crisis and only now is trying to of renovation. Most of the restored reinvigorate residents’ interest in its EXLOGLQJVKRXVHRIÀFHVDQGVKRSV initiatives (Korin 2012). One of the most On a daily basis interaction between successful among them is the December Jews and Arabs occurs in the work place, festival known as Holiday of Holidays. It for example in hospitals where both Jews was launched in 1993 as a joint venture and Arabs can be found among the staff of the Municipality of Haifa and Beit and patients, in shopping centers and Hagefen. The name and the time of the PDOOV LQ SKDUPDFLHV DQG SRVWRIÀFHV festival was chosen because the holidays and at the universities and colleges (see of the three main religions represented Blumen & Tzafrir 2011). One can add that in Haifa - Christmas, Hanukkah and at the universities, there are many more Ramadan happened to be almost at the Arabs among the students than among same time in that year. Moslems use the the professors, engineers, librarians, and lunar calendar, and since then neither secretaries. Notably, although there are Ramadan nor any other Moslem holiday four mixed bilingual schools in Israel3 has fallen on December, yet in the none of them is in Haifa (Mor-Sommerfeld consciousness of the residents the festival et al. 2007, 11). Yet some Arab and Druze is still associated with the three religions, parents send their children who intend to although the events of the festival are go to the university to Jewish high schools VHFXODU 7KH ÀUVW H[SHULHQFH RI KROGLQJ in order to facilitate their further studies, an intercultural festival was successful because instruction at Israeli universities and from year to year it is getting more is in Hebrew. In addition, both Arab popular attracting Israelis from all over and Jewish children, including Russian- the country as well as foreign tourists. speaking immigrants, study together at Today it is generously covered in the

142 Festival in Haifa

media, including electronic sources. The of Beit Hagefen, Asaf Ronen. We read festival has its own web page which posts and analyzed internet materials devoted the schedule of events, announcements to the festival on institutional and non- and photographs (http://www.haifahag. institutional sites, such as discussion co.il/, accessed 10/12/2011). It is covered forums and blogs in English, Hebrew on the site of the Haifa Municipality and Russian. Unfortunately, we were (http://www.haifa.muni.il/Haifa/Pages/ unable to cover sites in Arabic, although NewsItem.aspx?One1Id=306, last accessed we spoke about the festival with our 20/01/2012) and on the homepage Arabic-speaking colleagues and students. of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Moreover, we conducted a short online (http://www.altawasul.com/MFAAR/ interview with Roseland Daeem, a Ph.D. israel+beyond+politics/society+co- student in the Department of Hebrew and existence+and+peace/Holiday-of-Holidays- Comparative Literature of the University Festival-celebrated-in-Haifa-13122011.htm, of Haifa, specializing in folklore, and a last accessed on 20/01/2012). Note that lecturer at the Academic Arab College of on the municipal site the page is given Education. in Hebrew, Arabic and English, and The Holiday of Holidays in Haifa is the Ministry adds the Russian page. In an attempt to promote Haifa’s image of 2011 we also found that the festival was a tolerant multicultural city by creating advertised on the web pages of travel a unifying festival. At the same time, agencies in Russia and Ukraine (see e.g., for years Haifa has struggled to shed its http://tours-service.ru/news/9161 and http:// image of a provincial city, which has little www.rv.org.ua/blog/prazdnik-prazdnikov- to offer to young and ambitious people.5 v-haife/ ,4 last accessed 20/01/2012). A widely used method of revitalization 7KH DUWLFOHV RQ WKH RIÀFLDO ,VUDHOL VLWHV of a city’s image, developing its economy underscore the inter-confessional and place identity, and capitalizing on nature of the holiday, contributing to cultural resources is conducting festivals peaceful coexistence of ethno-religious (Cheng-Yi and Woan-Chiau 2009, 1317- groups. Sites for tourists, on the other 1322). This trend is a distinctive feature hand, emphasize a playful and happy of post-industrial societies, where atmosphere and the entertaining nature urban landscapes “become less tied to of the events. production and more concerned with This essay is based on participant organization of consumption” (Zukin observation and monitoring of websites. 1991, 57). We have attended events of Holiday of Holidays since the year it was launched, The Festival and Its Chronotope ÀUVW FRPLQJ DV FXULRXV PHPEHUV RI WKH The term “Chronotope” (literally “time- audience, and in the last two years talking space) was introduced into literary to participants, watching behavior studies by Mikhail Bakhtin for the and reactions of children and adults, DQDO\VLV RI QRYHOV +H GHÀQHG LW DV FROOHFWLQJ DGYHUWLVLQJ OHDÁHWV PDNLQJ “intrinsic connectedness of temporal and notes in our ethnographic diaries. In spatial relationships that are artistically January 2012 we interviewed the head expressed in literature” (Bakhtin 1981,

143 Maria Yelenevskaya and Larisa Fialkova Festival in Haifa

84). Although initially understood as Most shows, concerts and happenings of a formally constitutive category of the festival take place in the two adjacent literature, this concept was later extended neighborhoods: Wadi Nisnas7 and the to the study of culture and folklore. German Colony which are populated 6SHFLÀFDOO\%DNKWLQGLVFXVVHGDWOHQJWK primarily by Christian and Muslim the Chronotope of the carnival in the Arabs. The district known as the German feudal society, and some of his insights Colony had been established in 1868 by seem to be relevant to the festivities of our German Templers, whose descendents age. According to Bakhtin, as opposed to were expelled at the beginning of WKHRIÀFLDOIHDVWFDUQLYDOLQ0LGGOH$JHV World War II by the British for pro-Nazi “celebrated temporary liberation from the sympathies. In post-war years the area prevailing truth and from the established gradually deteriorated, but in the 1990s order; it marked the suspension of all its main street, Ben-Gurion Avenue, hierarchical rank, privileges, norms located at the bottom of the Bahai and prohibitions” (Bakhtin 1984, 10). gardens that stretch from the top to the Although there is a marked difference bottom of Mount Carmel was renovated. between feudal and post-industrial Numerous restaurants opened there and societies, hierarchies, norms and turned it into one of the favorite locations prohibitions have not disappeared from of nightlife entertainment. The European- the way our contemporaries celebrate style architecture of the Templers and holidays. We still witness ethnic and the Bahai shrine visible from any point religious divisions: festivals of one group of the street make the street attractive leave members of other groups indifferent and exotic by its “otherness”. This area at best, but sometimes trigger alienation is easy to reach for those who come from and hostility.6 The rejection of national other towns because it is situated close to holidays by Arab citizens of Israel seems a train station and the port. to be strongest on the Independence The second main location of the 'D\ FI DOPRVW LGHQWLFDO FRQÁLFW LQ WKH festival, Wadi Nisnas, is visually separated perception of the Victory day among from the adjacent streets and has just a Estonian and Russian denizens of Kohtla- few narrow entries. The impression of Järve in Jago 2011, 27). separateness and autonomy is reinforced The spatio-temporal framework of the by the absence of public transport and Holiday of Holidays festival has clear-cut scarcity of cars there. With its narrow ERUGHUV7KHRIÀFLDORSHQLQJWDNHVSODFH streets Wadi Nisnas seems to be an RQWKHDIWHUQRRQRIWKHÀUVW6DWXUGD\LQ inappropriate location for mass festive December, which already demonstrates happenings; on the other hand, the the secular nature of the festival, because combination of shabbiness, disorderliness due to the conventions of Judaism, public and often naïve but moving decorations events in Israel are limited from Friday makes it picturesque. Many houses look evening to the Saturday evening, the dilapidated needing repairs badly, but time of Sabbath. The rest of the program this seems to be beyond the means of low- encompasses Thursday nights, Fridays income owners (cf. with the situation of and Saturdays until the 31st of December. the Moorish historical district of Albaicin

144 Festival in Haifa

in Granada discussed in Shaw et al. 2004, through security control, and their bags 1986). Despite its pitiful state, Wadi Nisnas are checked. It is also humiliating for was chosen by Arab and Jewish artists for youngsters to be checked by security at displaying their works. The streets and the entrance to their own house (from houses of the district are decorated with an interview with Roseland Daeem). numerous sculptures, frescos, ceramic bass reliefs, and metal installations which The interconnection of risk and trust is turned it into an open-air museum. On particularly meaningful for Israeli society the pavement of the streets one can see IRU\HDUVWRUPHQWHGE\PLOLWDU\FRQÁLFWV painted foot prints indicating the route and terrorist attacks. According to the of “Coexistence Walks” – guided tours study conducted by Jabareen, the area of organized by Beit Hagefen. Besides its the German Colony is perceived by both art, Wadi Nisnas attracts secular Jews Arab and Jewish Israelis as a safer place who like to visit it on Friday afternoon than other parts of Haifa. This is explained and Saturday, when shops in the Jewish by lively economic and social activities quarters are closed. attracting members of both sectors, and by the belief (unfortunately, mistaken) During festival events these two that Arab quarters and Arab-owned neighborhoods become exclusively businesses are unlikely to be targeted pedestrian and are separated from the by suicide bombers (Jabareen 2009, 97- rest of the city by railings with guarded 98). Our own participant observation entrances. Used to check-ups at the of both the German Colony and Wadi entrance to any public building, members Nissnas based on multiple visits to these of the audience patiently queue at the neighborhoods on week days, weekends gates, opening their bags for inspection and during holidays is ambivalent. which should boost the perception of Although we share with Jabareen’s personal safety (cf. with the importance subjects the feeling of trust and safety, of ‘gateways’ in Shaw et al. 2004, 1991). we know that many Jewish residents Festive atmosphere presupposes the of Haifa avoid Arab neighborhoods. feeling of trust. As Giddens indicates, Moreover, on the occasions we guided “Risk and trust intertwine, trust normally guests from other Israeli towns and serving to reduce or minimize the dangers from abroad through the area, we were to which particular types of activity are often confronted with their fear and subject” (Giddens 1990, 35). At the same suspicion. Sometimes it requires quite time, the clearly marked border between a bit of an effort to convince visitors alleged risk and safety may be viewed to “set foot on the Arab territory” (cf. from a different angle: reluctance of international tourists to visit Although security is vitally important predominantly Moslem neighborhoods during mass public events, a whole in London after 09.11.2001 in Shaw et al. neighborhood is blocked. If residents 2004, 1992). In the last years when the leave it in order to do their shopping events of the festival have become more in a nearby store or have to do some diverse, the Holiday of Holidays has not chores outside their district, when they EHHQFRQÀQHGWRWKHWZRQHLJKERUKRRGV come back home, they have to pass described here. In December admission fee

145 Maria Yelenevskaya and Larisa Fialkova Festival in Haifa

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to Haifa museums is reduced from 30 to 5 The two main locations of the festival shekels, and in the Jewish neighborhood are decorated with garlands lit in the of Bat-Galim artists open doors of their evenings, posters in four languages private apartments and studios for free (Arabic, English, Hebrew and Russian), visits. Thus, the Holiday of Holidays multicolored balloons, Hanukkah festival offers both “high” and popular candlesticks and imitative Christmas culture. In the literature about festivals, trees. The latter deserve a special researchers observe that the audiences description. Some are young cypress that choose high culture events tend to trees, others are plastic. In the last two ignore popular culture and vice versa. years a 10-meter plastic tree assembled 6SHFLÀFDOO\KLJKFXOWXUHHYHQWVZLWKORZ of 5,000 mineral water bottles is mounted ethnic minority participation are more on one of the roundabouts of the German attractive to older audiences (Richards, Colony. Designed by Hadas Itzcovich, and Wilson 2004, 1932, 1940, 1942). We who specializes in ecologically-friendly also observe that during the Holiday of installations, this semi-transparent blue Holidays ethnic groups mix primarily in structure looks slightly weird in the restaurants and open-air happenings. GD\WLPHEXWFORVHO\UHVHPEOHVDÀUWUHHDW

146 Festival in Haifa

night when it is decorated with blinking the same: celebration of coexistence OLJKWV :KHQ LW ZDV ÀUVW LQVWDOOHG LQ in Haifa. The Holiday of Holidays is December 2010, it immediately became the trademark of coexistence in Haifa a curiosity and attracted numerous (from an interview with Asaf Ronen). residents to gaze at it and photograph it. In 2011 one of the Christmas trees in The main events are the opening of the the German Holiday had to be removed festival taking place in Wadi Nissnas, because it had been placed in front of a a happening in the German Colony at synagogue, which was perceived as an the end of December and a Hanukkah offensive gesture by the religious Jews. procession in the old city center, Hadar. All While walking through the area during the three are advertised as “happenings December festivities we looked for for the whole family”. Indeed, the variety decorations associated with Islam, but of entertainment can satisfy people of the only one we found was a crescent GLIIHUHQWDJHVWDVWHVDQGÀQDQFLDOPHDQV crowning one part of the metal installation The Hanukkah procession is organized permanently attached to the building of by the municipality, a Hadar community Beit Hagefen. It presents stylized Christian, center and the Chabad-Lubavitch Center 8 Jewish and Moslem temples, each with of the Russian-speaking Jews of Haifa a respective symbol, and embodies the and suburbs. The procession is headed unity of the three groups of the Haifa by a large truck brightly lit with torches residents. When we asked Asaf Ronen and dubbed in the press the “Habbad about the lack of Moslem symbols in the tank” (Igoshina 2011). Participants of the festival decorations, he explained that procession also carry torches. Although they would be out of place in the absence D ÀUH EULJDGH DQG DQ DPEXODQFH of a Moslem holiday at the time, so on accompanied the procession, some of his initiative, in 2011 posters advertising the Internet users commenting festivities the festival did not mention the names in 2011 expressed anxiety about the 9 of the three holidays. He added that GDQJHU RI ÀUH (http://haifa.israelinfo.ru/ although there were no complaints about comments/?id=7825#rules, last accessed it on the part of the Moslem community, on 02/02/2012). At the same time all it was worth considering how to present admitted that the atmosphere was Moslem symbols during future festivals. festive thanks to the abundance of light, Importantly, 5 % of the festival’s budget +DQXNNDK VRQJV ÀUHZRUNV DQG WRUFK had been spent for Ramadan festivities juggling. Notably in 2011, the two big that took place in August 2012. happenings in Hadar and in the German Colony were held on the same day. So Objectively speaking, we have it was possible for the festival goers to to admit that these are not three attend both, and in their reports about KROLGD\V 'HFRUDWLRQV UHÁHFWHG the festival some bloggers mentioned December holidays: Hanukkah and attending both events. Christmas. Holiday of Holidays is a During the festival events the streets WUDGHPDUNWKDWHPHUJHGXQGHUVSHFLÀF circumstances but they have changed. of Wadi Nissnas are overcrowded. They The dynamics of the festival remain are lined with stalls where crafts, toys, Christmas decorations and religious

147 Maria Yelenevskaya and Larisa Fialkova Festival in Haifa

7KHURRIRIDWZRVWRUH\KRXVHLQ:DGL1LVQDVLVXVHGDVDVWDJHIRUPXVLFEDQGVDQGVWUHHW WKHDWHUJURXSV books in different languages as well Children are drawn to body-art stalls and as various foods are offered to the to young people on stilts dressed as angels, customers. Importantly, shop owners of fairy-queens and various characters of Wadi Nissnas GR QRW QHFHVVDULO\ SURÀW Christmas tales. Street theater groups, from the festival: some of them with Jewish-Arabic casts, perform one after another using the roof Festival goers coming to the Wadi of a low building on a small square as a mostly buy food or toys for children. stage. On the balcony across, young men On the other hand, stores selling disguised as females dance provocatively clothes, shoes, building materials, and exchanging jokes with the audience so on do not attract visitors; just the opposite, the entrances to their stores ÀOOLQJ WKH VTXDUH 1RWDEO\ JXDUGV FDQ are blocked by the stalls, and so traders be seen on other balconies making sure from all over the country, not the local that no provocation would disturb the people try to make a buck. The local festivities. jeweler simply closes his shop for One of the main events of the big this period (from an interview with happening in the German Colony is Roseland Daeem). a parade of Santa Clauses. This made

148 Festival in Haifa

Santa-style red caps with blinking light popular. Made in China, they can be found in numerous shops selling Christmas-tree decorations and paraphernalia in Wadi Nisnas, and many children and young people both Christian and Jewish wear them during festival events. Notably, some caps have one of the following inscriptions in Russian: Ʌɸɛɥɸ ɋɧɟɝɭɪɨɱɤɭ ɂɳɭ ɋɧɟɝɭɪɨɱɤɭɏɨɱɭɋɧɟɝɭɪɨɱɤɭ (I love Snow Maiden, I am looking for Snow Maiden, I want Snow Maiden). Snegurochka, Snow Maiden, is the granddaughter of Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost - the Russian counterpart of Santa Claus. Unlike Santa, Ded Moroz and Snegurochka have a folk rather than a religious background. They are inseparable from childhood memories of those who grew up in the former Soviet Union and who make a large part of the Russian-speaking community in Israel (Fialkova and Yelenevskaya 2007, 275- 280). Noteworthy, when we interviewed The best known Santa-Claus of Haifa is Asaf Ronen, he asked what was missing always in demand: children want to be for us in the festival. Without a minute photographed with him, and journalists of hesitations we both mentioned come to interview him. (Photo courtesy of Snegurochka and were promised to see Avner Korin) her at the next year festivities. It is worth day of the big happening. One can hear mentioning that Snegurochka dolls have classic music performed by chamber been on sale in Russian and Arab-owned ensembles, Latin-American dance music shops for years. This year we also saw the played by guitarists, marches by the typical blue-white-and silver Snegurochka local scout brass band, Arabic music dress in one of the Arab-owned shop. performed on darbuka (goblet drum, Music is an important component an Arabic percussion instrument.) and of the festival. First to be mentioned is Israeli pop. Sometimes these various liturgics concerts in churches which are tunes overlap, but the cacophony does also situated in the area of festivities not disturb listeners wandering from and nearby. The rest of the music stage to stage. Noteworthy, the person program of the festival consists of open- responsible for the music is Professor air performances by professional and Amos Lanir, a retired chemist of one amateur musicians. Several stages are of the Haifa hospitals involved in the installed in the German Colony on the festival organization along with other

149 Maria Yelenevskaya and Larisa Fialkova Festival in Haifa

volunteers. During the festival one of the buildings of Beit Hagefen accommodates a fair of antiquities. As usual for such places, most people come to have a look at curious and exotic things without intentions of buying, but those who wish can acquire objects ranging from cheap trinkets to expensive collectors’ items. Like everything else during the festival, the fair is multicultural displaying Passover dishes and crosses, Stars of David and rosaries, antique European dolls and carved oriental boxes and pieces of furniture. In 2011 we visited the fair several times and did not hear Arabic spoken nor did we see visitors wearing traditional Druze and Moslem attire. This made a contrast with open-air events where Moslems and the Druze were both acoustically and visually represented. As mentioned earlier, the Holiday of Holidays attracts craftsmen and caterers offering products for people with different 'UX]HSLWDVEDNHGRQDVWUHHWRI:DGL1LVQDV means. Hand-made chocolate, colored DUHWDVW\WRHDWDQGIXQWRZDWFK glassware and candlesticks, ethnic Participation and Self-Exclusion dresses, jewelry and various other goods According to various scholarly are examined, touched, tasted or tried publications, one of the most important on. One can eat in gourmet restaurants criteria of festivals’ success is growing located in the German colony, but most participation of local residents and relish Hanukkah sufganiot (doughnuts), outsiders, although all admit that hard Druze pita, Middle-Eastern falafel with GDWDRQWKHQXPEHUVLVGLIÀFXOWWRREWDLQ humus and tehina, or Chinese ravioli (see e.g., Quinn 2005, 932; Lin, and Hsing sold on the streets and served on plastic 2009, 1321). The article devoted to Holiday plates. Advertisers also take advantage of of Holidays which is posted on the site the amicable atmosphere of the festival, of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs cites and young girls wearing stylized Santa the following numbers: approximately GUHVVHV DQG 6DQWDFDSV GLVWULEXWH ÁLHUV 200,000 visitors across Israel and abroad, of cell phone companies, galleries and with over 40% of festival goers being UHVWDXUDQWV $OWKRXJK ZH GLG QRW ÀQG out-of-towners (http://www.altawasul.com/ any reports about the economic impact of MFAAR/israel+beyond+politics/society+co- Holiday of Holidays, the festivalization existence+and+peace/Holiday-of-Holidays- of consumption seems to be an additional Festival-celebrated-in-Haifa-13122011. factor attracting audiences.

150 Festival in Haifa

htm, last accessed on 20/01/2012). As with Hanukkah but also with New mentioned earlier, festivals attract Year celebrations, much loved in their diverse audiences and some groups country of origin. While on the whole are more noticeable than others. Like the attitude to New Year celebrations in other societies, in Israel members of by Jews is negative in Israeli society GLIIHUHQW JURXSV DUH LGHQWLÀHG E\ WKH and is often critically discussed in the elements of clothes such as skull caps, media, the attachment to it by Russian wigs and head dresses of religious Jews, Jews is gradually making government black dresses and white scarves of Druze institutions and individuals more tolerant women, sherwal and tarboush of Druze of it: men, and Hijabs of Moslem women. In addition, members of different groups ȼ ɷɬɨɦ ɝɨɞɭ ɜ ɮɟɫɬɢɜɚɥɟ ɩɪɢɧɢɦɚɟɬ may be recognized by symbols worn on ɚɤɬɢɜɧɨɟ ɭɱɚɫɬɢɟ ɍɩɪɚɜɥɟɧɢɟ the neck, such as the cross and the star- ɚɛɫɨɪɛɰɢɢɝɨɪɨɞɚɏɚɣɮɚɏɚɧɭɤɚɷɬɨ ɛɥɢɡɤɢɣ ɧɚɦ ɩɨ ɞɭɯɭ ɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɤ ɦɵ ɫ of-David pendants. In a divided society ɞɟɬɫɬɜɚɩɪɚɡɞɧɨɜɚɥɢɇɨɜɵɣȽɨɞɂɷɬɨɬ like Israel, people are used to taking ɮɟɫɬɢɜɚɥɶ ɩɪɟɞɨɫɬɚɜɢɬ ɜɨɡɦɨɠɧɨɫɬɶ notice of such distinguishing artifacts ɧɚɲɢɦ ɫɨɨɬɟɱɟɫɬɜɟɧɧɢɤɚɦ ɭɫɬɪɨɢɬɶ in order to identify members of one’s ɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɤɞɥɹɜɫɟɣɫɟɦɶɢɩɨɨɛɳɚɬɶɫɹ own group and “others”. At the same ɫ ɤɥɨɭɧɚɦɢ ɢɡɜɟɫɬɧɵɦɢ ³ɪɭɫɫɤɢɦɢ´ time, there are secular individuals in all ɚɪɬɢɫɬɚɦɢ ɜɟɥɢɤɨɥɟɩɧɵɦ ɚɧɫɚɦɛɥɟɦ ethnic groups who do not wear any of ɤɥɟɣɡɦɟɪɨɜ ³Ʉɚɥɢɧɤɚ´ Ɂɚɦɟɫɬɢɬɟɥɶ WKHVH LGHQWLÀFDWLRQ VLJQV 7KHQ LW LV WKH ɦɷɪɚɏɚɣɮɵɘɥɢɹɒɬɪɚɣɦ language they speak or their accent in +HEUHZWKDWVHUYHVDVDQLGHQWLÀHU &I This year the Haifa Division of the description of the language as the marker Ministry of Absorption will take an of group belonging in Janev 2011, 15). active part in the festival. We closely Against this background we could see identify with the holiday of Hanukkah very few religious Jews at the popular because we have been celebrating the culture events in Arab quarters. The New Year since childhood. And this prevailing languages spoken by festival festival will enable our compatriots to goers were Arabic, Hebrew and Russian. make a holiday for the entire family: One could also see and hear multilingual to meet clowns, famous “Russian” Asian tourists and guest workers. Judging artists, and the Klezmer ensemble from the abundance of Russian speakers “Kalinka”, (Yulia Shtraim, Deputy Mayor of Haifa , http://ru.local.co.il/ and the detailed coverage of the festival (YHQW3DJHDVS"QDY 8, last events on Israeli Russian-language web accessed 31/01/2012) sites, it attracts members of this group, which is numerically almost as large as This statement is interesting in the way the group of Arab citizens of Israel, and D JRYHUQPHQW RIÀFLDO LV PL[LQJ XS WZR makes up approximately one sixth of traditions. While it is ideologically the total population. For secular Russian “correct” to celebrate the Jewish speakers, whether they are Jews or non- Hanukkah, Shtraim inadvertently Jews, this festival is associated not only admits that it is the New Year that the

151 Maria Yelenevskaya and Larisa Fialkova Festival in Haifa

“Russians” are attached to. Another the crazy guys, to tempt those who have amusing detail pointing to the hybridity never tried it before. As far as I know, the of Russian-speaking Israelis is the name price is 39 shekels. It was cool (Sharon, of the ensemble mentioned by Shtraim. 20/12/2011). Founded by immigrants in the early 1990s, it is a frequent participant in ʤʬʥʥʠʩʥʫʬʤʹʰʤʤʩʤʧʢʬʫʬʤʣʺʥʺ ʤʬʥʥʠʩ Haifa public events. Although today ʥʰʬʮʣʬʧʩʥʺʩʧʣ ʠʦʩʢʩʲʮʹʩʧ

the musicians position themselves as I wish there were holidays of all the performers of traditional Klezmer music religions all year round. I wish we of the shtetl, they have preserved the could learn to live together. (And then name “Kalinka” – the title of a famous the Messiah will come, 21/12/2011) Russian folk song. Clearly, members of the public show ʬʠʮʲʰʩʩʯʬʠʤʮʷʥʭʥʬʠʤʠʩʸʥʲʩʭʡʦʡʥʦʫʱʴʩ their attitude to the festival by either ʠʸʰʥʰʤ ʩʤʥʣʤʩʹʸʠʬʩ attending its events or avoiding them. In addition, popular attitudes to it can It’s of no interest. Neither the place be traced in web talk-backs. Holiday of nor the event. It’s a waste of land-tax the Holidays festival triggers narratives money. (Yehuda Israeli, 01/12/2011) evaluating inter-ethnic relations as part of the urban culture. According to our observations, the discussion about the festival was livelier in Russian than in Hebrew. The attitudes of the Where is the synagogue? Where is commentators range from extremely Hanukkah? Why don’t we celebrate positive to negative and angry, and it is Hanukkah in Haifa? (Erosion of the latter that prevail on the Hebrew sites national identity, 01/12/1/2011) ʸʩ ʩʤ ʮʢʰʭ ʢʤʮʣʩʰʤ ʰʢʣ ʹʮʴʢʩʰʩʭ ʧʩʴʤ ʲʸʡʩ we found. The contrast in the assessment ʢʥʬʹʺ ʠʥʩʩʡʩʰʥ" ʥʡʲʣ of the festival can be summarized as dichotomies of “our own” vs. “their” Haifa Arabs who demonstrate holiday, interesting vs. a waste of time against the state and support our and public money. The nicknames of enemies? (Browser, 02/12/2011) WKH FRPPHQWDWRUV DUH VRPHWLPHV ÀUVW (http://www.ynet.co.il/Ext/App/TalkBack/ names, but others are ethnonyms or &GD9LHZ2SHQ7DON%DFN/ phrases expressing political statements.10 KWPl last accessed 30/01/2012)

Hebrew comments: Russian comments:

ɧɟ ɩɨɧɢɦɚɸɤɚɤɨɟ ɨɬɧɨɲɟɧɢɟ ɢɦɟɟɬ ɫɢɥɶɜɟɫɬɪ ɤ ɟɜɪɟɹɦ ɪɭɫɫɤɢɦɪɭɫɫɤɢɦ ɟɜɪɟɹɦ ɚɪɚɛɚɦɢ ɫ ɤɚɤɨɣ ɫɬɚɬɢ ɜɟɫɶ ɢɡɪɚɢɥɶɟɝɨɩɪɚɡɞɧɭɟɬɱɟɣɷɬɨɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɤ ɢ ɱɬɨ ɨɧ ɨɡɧɚɱɚɟɬ ɟɫɥɢ ɟɝɨ ɩɪɚɡɞɧɭɟɬ Among other wonderful things, they ɤɚɬɨɥɢɱɟɫɤɚɹɟɜɪɨɩɚɤɚɤɨɟɨɬɧɨɲɟɧɢɟ built a skating rink in the Azrieli mall, for ɷɬɨɢɦɟɟɬɤɢɡɪɚɢɥɸɢɥɢɚɪɚɛɵɤɚɬɨɥɢɤɢ

152 Festival in Haifa

ɬɚɤ ɡɧɚɱɢɬ ɷɬɨ ɚɪɚɛɫɤɢɣ ɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɤ ɚ The organizers of the Holiday of ɱɬɨ ɨɧ ɨɡɧɚɱɚɟɬ ɟɜɪɟɣ Holidays festival make their best to make I cannot understand what Sylvester the festival all inclusive. The reaction of has to do with Jews-Russians-Russian the residents differs: some embrace the Jews-Arabs. Why on earth would the whole of Israel celebrate it? Whose possibility to have fun, whatever motives holiday is it and what does it mean are behind it; others militantly reject if it is celebrated by Catholic Europe? the very idea of combining holidays of What does it have to do with Israel? Or the three religions, still others remain if Christian Arabs celebrate it, then it is completely indifferent and are not even an Arab holiday. This is what it means aware of the festivities.11 (Jew, 21/12/2011). Conclusions ɑɟɦɫɩɨɪɢɬɶɞɚɜɚɣɬɟɛɭɞɟɦɩɪɚɡɞɧɨɜɚɬɶ In Israeli context, the Holiday of Holidays ɜɫɟɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɤɢɟɜɪɟɣɫɤɢɟɯɪɢɫɬɢɚɧɫɤɢɟ is a unique attempt to bring Arabs and ɦɭɫɭɥɶɦɚɧɫɤɢɟ ɛɭɞɞɢɣɫɤɢɟ ɗɬɨ Jews together in terms of the scope of ɥɭɱɲɟ ɱɟɦ ɛɭɤɨɣ ɫɦɨɬɪɟɬɶ ɞɪɭɝ the events and the involvement of both ɧɚ ɞɪɭɝɚ ȼɫɟɯ ɫ ɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɤɨɦ governmental institutions and NGOs. It ɍɊȺȺȺȺȺȺ ɜɥɚɞɢ is not accidental that the festival emerged Instead of arguing, let’s celebrate in Haifa boasting peaceful coexistence of all the holidays, Jewish, Christian, Moslem, Buddhist. It’s better than ethnic groups. The celebration of “unity to look surly at each other. Happy in diversity”—the catch phrase used in Holiday to all. HURRAYYYYYY (vladi, scholarly discussions of multicultural 21/12/2011), (http://haifa.israelinfo. XUEDQ IHVWLYDOV DQG LQ WKH RIÀFLDO ru/comments/?id=7799, last accessed discourse of festival organizers serves 02/02/2012). to boost the political image of Israel as a whole, and Haifa in particular. The festival also contributes to the upgrading Ȼɵɥɨ ɨɱɟɧɶ ɤɪɚɫɢɜɨ ɜɫɟ ɭɥɢɰɵ of the city image. During the Holiday of ɭɤɪɚɲɟɧɵ ɟɥɤɚɦɢ ɫɚɧɬɚɦɢ Holidays it is no longer perceived as a ɢ ɜɫɹɤɢɦɢ ɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɱɧɵɦɢ ɭɤɪɚɲɟɧɢɹɦɢ ɉɟɪɜɵɣ ɪɚɡ ɡɚ ɥɟɬ “sleepy” provincial city that is only good ɜ ɫɬɪɚɧɟ ɦɧɟ ɩɟɪɟɞɚɥɚɫɶ ɚɬɦɨɫɮɟɪɚ for work, but turns into a boisterous 12 ɩɪɚɡɞɧɢɤɚ Ⱥɥɟɧɚ and vivacious center of recreation. It was very beautiful, all the streets Notably, one of the singers addressed ZHUH DGRUQHG ZLWK ÀUWUHHV 6DQWDV his audience in the German colony in and various festive decorations. For exhilaration: “Look around! This is no WKHÀUVWWLPHLQWKH\HDUV,·YHOLYHG longer Haifa, it’s Champs-Élisées”. Even in this country I was overwhelmed though the comparison of the German with festive atmosphere-)))), Colony with the celebrated Parisian http:// (Aliona, 24/ 12/2011, DYHQXH LV SUHSRVWHURXV LW UHÁHFWHG WKH www.babyblog.ru/community/post/ izrael/1691521#comments, last accessed pride of some residents in their city. Yet 02/02/2011). for those who prefer the city space to be predominantly Jewish this was hardly a compliment.

153 Maria Yelenevskaya and Larisa Fialkova Festival in Haifa

According to our observations and but also the Druze. We can also infer that informal discussions with residents “Jews and others” primarily refers to non- of Haifa belonging to different ethnic Jewish members of mixed families perceived groups, political agenda of the festival as members of the Jewish sector. does not really concern those who attend 3 In 2005 the Jewish-Arab Center at the its events. People come to enjoy the festive University of Haifa began implementing the program “Into the Future - Towards Bilingual atmosphere of the carnival. Among Education in Israel” sponsored by the ZEIT those who avoid the festival, however, foundation (Mor-Sommerfeld et al. 2007, 16). the rejection or skepticism towards the 4 One of the reasons why Holiday of Holidays political agenda of the festival is more has been advertised on the sites of Russian pronounced. and Ukrainian travel agencies is that Israel In the last two years the scope of the is one of the few countries which citizens of festival and its popularity among Israelis Russia and Ukraine can visit without a visa. and international tourists has clearly Moreover, many of potential tourists have increased, which makes the organizers friends and family among Russian-speaking think of how to expand its territory to the Israelis, which makes visits easier and more attractive. rest of the city. Indeed, the events of high culture take place in a variety of districts 5 Paradoxically, the image of the city has improved thanks to the 2nd Lebanon where concert halls and museums are war, when the city suffered from heavy located. But is it possible today to place shelling. The government allocated money Hanukkah candlesticks side by side with to renovate the city’s infrastructure and Christmas trees not only on the streets build roads. Among the projects aimed at of mixed districts, but also in the Jewish attracting the young was construction of a ones? new campus in the area adjacent to the port. According to Bakhtin, the carnival Buildings that stayed empty for years were and similar marketplace festivals are renovated and the new ones constructed. The “Port Campus”, as the project was dubbed, “the second life of the people, who provided universities and colleges with new for a time entered the utopian realm buildings where teaching is conducted, and of community, freedom, equality and opened the doors of new dorms to out-of- abundance” (Bakhtin 1984, 9). Although town students. Moreover, it breathed new WKH ORQJWHUP EHQHÀWV RI WKH IHVWLYDO LQ life into a previously rundown area. In the terms of politics and economy remain last several years the municipality has also unresearched, the presence of numerous undertaken various projects to develop children exhilarated by the cultural mix tourism in the city which did not use its gives hope. potential of a coastal town with sandy beaches and picturesque terrace streets on

the green slopes of Mount Carmel. Notes 6 A good example of hierarchical and sectoral 1 The research reported here is a joint project. approach to festivals of different ethnic and The authors alternate priority of authorship religious groups in Israel is the university in their publications. system. There are no classes during Jewish holidays, while on the days of Christian, $OWKRXJKQRWVSHFLÀHGE\WKHDXWKRUVRIWKLV Moslem and Druze festivals classes are document, the Arab population, apparently, not cancelled. However, professors do not includes not only Christians and Muslims

154 Festival in Haifa

penalize students for absences and avoid _____. 1984. Rabelais and His World, holding exams and tests on these days. translated by Jacques LeClercq. 7 Wadi is Arabic for a dried-up river bed. Bloomington: Indiana University 8 Chabad-Lubavitch is a branch of Hasidic Press. Judaism. Blumen, Orna, and Tzafrir, Shay. )HDURIÀUHPD\KDYHEHHQH[DFHUEDWHGE\ 2011. Sentenced to Commute: WKHIUHVKPHPRULHVRIDGHYDVWDWLQJIRUHVWÀUH Indigenous Young Women at a in the suburbs of Haifa in December 2010. City University. Cultural Analysis 10 Like her predecessor, Yulia Shtraim is an 10. 67-89. immigrant from the former Soviet Union and Falah, Ghazi, Noy, Michael, and Sarker, settled in Israel in the 1990s. Rakhal. 2000. “Coexistence in 11 The style and spelling of the comments Selected Mixed Arab-Jewish has not been edited. Cities in Israel: By Choice or by 12 From time to time the local media reports Default?” Urban Studies no. 37(4): incidents of interethnic clashes and damage 775-796. to property in mixed districts. Most of them DUHFODVVLÀHGDVSHWW\FULPHEXWRQ'HFHPEHU Fialkova, Larisa, and Yelenevskaya, 24, 2011, there was one that had clear political Maria. 2007. Ex-Soviets in Israel: background. All four tires were punctured From Personal Narratives to a in a car parked in the German Colony Group Portrait. Detroit: Wayne because the owner put a scarf colored as a State University Press. 3DOHVWLQLDQ ÁDJ DQG KDYLQJ WKH LQVFULSWLRQ Giddens, Anthony. 1990. The in English “Palestine” on the windshield Consequences of Modernity. (Cf. Janev 2011, 9-10 about the incident with Stanford: Stanford University WKH$OEDQLDQÁDJ 1RWHWKDWWKLVKDSSHQHG Press. during Holiday of Holidays. The article Igoshina, 2011ɂɝɨɲɢɧɚɌɚɬɶɹɧɚ reporting the incident on the portal Israel.info ©Ɏɚɤɟɥɶɧɨɟɲɟɫɬɜɢɟɨɫɜɟɬɢɥɨ was headlined “Who punctured the tires of the car with Palestinian accessories?” (http:// ɝɨɪɨɞɫɜɟɬɨɦɏɚɧɭɤɢªɇɨɜɨɫɬɢ haifa.israelinfo.ru/news/7818, last accessed ɏɚɣɮɵɞɟɤɚɛɪɹ http://haifa. 03/02/2012). israelinfo.ru/news/7825, last 13 In common parlance, each of the three accessed on 02/02/2012. biggest cities of Israel is assigned its own Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2009. role: Jerusalem prays, Tel Aviv entertains Statistical Abstract of Israel 2009. itself and Haifa works. Localities and population. http:// www.cbs.gov.il/shnaton60/ Works cited st02_08.pdf , 23/12/2012. Bakhtin, M. M. 1981. Forms of Time BBBBB2011. Statistical Abstract of Israel and of the Chronotope in the 2010. Population. http://www.cbs. Novel: Notes toward a Historical gov.il/www/shnaton61/st_eng02.pdf Poetics. In The Dialogic , accessed 05/01/2011. Imagination: Four Essays by M. Jabareen, Yosef. 2009. “Ethnic Groups M. Bakhtin, edited by Michael and the Meaning of Urban Holquist, translated by Caryl Place: The German Colony and Emerson and Michael Holquist, Palestinians and Jews in Haifa.” 84-258. Austin and London: Cities no. 26: 93-102. University of Texas Press.

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Jaago, Tiiu. 2011. One Area, Several Shaw, Stephen, Bagwell, Susan, and Cultural Spaces: Comparative Karmowska, Joanna. 2004. Analysis of Stories As the “Ethnoscapes As Spectacle: Bases of Local Identity. Cultural Reimaging Multicultural Analysis 10, 23-43. Districts As New Destinations Janev, Goran. 2011. Narrating the for Leisure and Tourism Nation, Narrating the City. Consumption.” Urban Studies Cultural Analysis 10, 3-21. vol. 41(10): 1983-2000. Korin – ɄɨɪɢɧȺɜɧɟɪ©ɐɟɧɬɪ Tzfadia, Erez and Yacobi, Haim. 2011. ɚɪɚɛɨɟɜɪɟɣɫɤɨɣɞɪɭɠɛɵ Rethinking Israeli Space: Periphery ©ȻɟɣɬɯɚȽɟɮɟɧª 7KH&HQWHU and Identity. London and New IRU$UDE-HZLVK)ULHQGVKLS York: Routledge. LQ5XVVLDQ ȼɟɫɬɧɢɤ©Ȼɟɣɬ Yiftachel, Oren, and Yacobi, Haim. Ɉɥɟªɉɟɪɢɨɞɢɱɟɫɤɨɟɢɡɞɚɧɢɟ 2003. “Urban Ethnocracy: ɏɚɣɮɫɤɨɝɨɍɩɪɚɜɥɟɧɢɹ Ethnicization and the Production Ⱥɛɫɨɪɛɰɢɢ No. 13: 2. of Space in an Israeli ‘mixed Lin, Cheng-Yi, and Hsing, Woan-Chiau. city’.” Environment and Planning 2009. “Culture-Led Urban D: Society and Space no. 21(6): Regeneration and Community 673-693. Mobilization: The Case of the Yacobi, Haim. 2009. The Jewish-Arab Taipei Bao-an Temple Area, City: Spatio-Politics in a Mixed Taiwan.” Urban Studies vol 46(7): Community. London and New 1317-1342. York: Routledge. Mor-Sommerfel, Aura, Azaiza, Faisal, Zukin, Sharon. 1991. Landscapes of and Hertz-Lazarowitz, Rachel. Power: From Detroit to Disney 2007. “Into the Future: Towards World. Berkley and Los Angeles: Bilingual Education in Israel”. California University Press. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice no. 2(1): 5-22. New Israel Fund. 2010. “From Mixed to Shared: The Haifa Alternative”, http://www.nif.org/component/ content/article/13-stories/490-from- mixed-to-shared-haifa-as-a-shared- city-international-conference , accessed 09/01/2012. Quinn, Bernadette. 2005. “Arts Festivals and the City.” Urban Studies vol. 42)5/6: 927-943. Richards, Greg, and Wilson, Julie. 2004. “The Impact of Cultural Events on City Image: Rotterdam, Cultural Capital of Europe 2001.” Urban Studies vol. 41(10): 1931-1951.

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