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Municipality of Haifa (Israel)

Iriyat Kheifa

image by Ivan Sarajcic |

Coat-of-arms adopted c.1935,
confirmed 16th April 1959

Description
Local Committee of Qiryat Haim (Va'ad Qiryat Haim)
Local Committee of Qiryat Shmu'el (Va'ad Qiryat Shmu'el)
Port of Haifa
Haifa Region Fire Department

See also:

Municipal Flags (Israel)
Israel

Description

Haifa is the only town in Israel that has a real coat-of-arms, registered at the College of Arms in London in the early 1930's during the British Mandate period. Haifa is also the only town in Israel to have a mural crown above the shield. I once went to the Haifa city archive to look for more information on the coat-of-arms. The only thing that I found was a resolution from the very first years after Independence regarding the background colour of the city flag (changing from red to blue/azure, but I am not sure). Which indicates that the flag is probably official. I lived in Haifa for many years and I also remember only this [blue] colour on the flag.

Nahum Shereshevsky, 16 April 1999

Coat-of-arms (blue-white-red) on azure bedsheet. Originally the English name was in the middle of the coat-of-arms, but it was changed (sometime in the 60's) after Israel's independence and the Hebrew name was moved to the center. I cannot tell how official is the flag, however, it has been used as such for at least the last 40 years or so. Haifa is the third largest city in Israel and the capital of Haifa District. It is situated in the north part of Israel, on the slopes of Mount Carmel and on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is Israel's main harbour. Pop. 250,000.

Dov Gutterman, 20 June 1999

I visited Haifa city archive once looking for information on the coat-of-arms. The only thing they could say about the emblem was that its first appearance on documents was around 1935. I guess that the College of Arms in London should have more info since the emblem is registered there, but is it accessible?

As for the meaning — as with the Jerusalem emblem, all you need is some background and common sense — we see a ship and lighthouses (or wave breakers), we know that Haifa is an important port city — hence the ship symbolizes commerce, and the other elements — the port. The booklet on the Jerusalem one mentioned that this emblem was designed by Esther Berlin-Yoel, who owned a graphics studio in Haifa. In 1942 she sent a proposal for an emblem for Jerusalem to the City Mayor.

Nahum Shereshevsky, 26 June 1999

The municipal emblem was published in the official gazette (Rashumot), YP 663, 16 April 1959.

Dov Gutterman, 4 September 2001

Local Committee of Qiryat Haim

Va'ad Qiryat Haim

image by Ivan Sarajcic |

Blue logo and inscription of the name on white bedsheet. Qiryat Haim (pop. 35,000) was establish in 1933 as the first settelment in Zevulun Valley. It was named after the Zionist leader Haim Arlozrov who was murdered the same year. In the late 40's its inhabitants decided to became part of Haifa, as it regarded until now, however some municipal duties were kept by its local committee.

Qiryat Haim has a unique situation by being about 12 Km far from the municipality that it belongs to, and by having that local committee. Even though it is legally part of Haifa, it is in some aspects considered as a separate entity, eg. it has a different postal code series and it hosts some government institutes that serve only the Zevulun Valley area. It is the only sub-city area that has its own government in Israel.

Dov Gutterman (Qiryat Haim Local Committee member), 7 June 1999

Up to now, I found seven different ways how my hometown name is written in English on road signs etc. The official way (which nobody uses!) is Qiryat-Hayyim, and the most common way it appears on signs is Qiryat-Haim. Concerning the emblem, when the local committee chairman was asked about it by the local press, responsed that the people of the community use 'Kiryat Haim' for ages so he decided to use this form in the emblem.

Dov Gutterman, 26 September 2002

Local Committee of Qiryat Shmu'el

Va'ad Qiryat Shmu'el

image by Dov Gutterman,
14 September 2002 |

Qiryat Shmu'el ia a small religious community in Haifa Bay bordering Qiryat Haim (South), Qiryat-Yam (West and North) and Qiryat Motzkin (East). As Qiryat-Haim, it is also under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Haifa but has got its own Local Committee with some municipal powers. In front of the Local Committee offices there is the flag of the community which is yellow charged with bold initials of its name and its full name below it. Source: author's own observation, 9 September 2002.

Dov Gutterman, 14 September 2002