Located in the front courtyard of the MadaTech building in Haifa is an impressive garden. In recent years, the garden was neglected and deserted. With the support of Friends of JNF-KKL Germany, the garden’s renovation was recently completed, and its inauguration ceremony was held on March 26, 2018, in the presence of MadaTech’s Chairman & CEO, the Mayor of Haifa, the President of the Technion, and a representative of JNF-KKL Germany.
MadaTech, the National Museum of Science, Technology and Space, is Israel’s largest science museum, and is located in the Hadar neighborhood on Haifa’s Mount Carmel, on an area of 2.8 hectares. The MadaTech is housed in a historic landmark, a structure that was originally designed in 1910 by Jewish-German architect Alexander Bervald to serve as the home of the Technion. The building served as the Technion’s campus from 1925 to 1965, following which it housed the Faculty of Architecture until 1985. In 1986, the building was vacated and converted into a Science Museum, and was restored and preserved according to Bervald’s original plans. Standing in the campus’s northern garden is a palm tree that was planted by Albert Einstein during his visit to Israel in 1923, as well as the central boulevard, which was upgraded and restored by KKL-JNF with the support of Friends of JNF-KKL Germany.
Until recently, the impressive garden of trees was deserted and neglected. At the initiative of the MadaTech team, and with the help of Friends of JNF-KKL Germany, a comprehensive restoration program for the garden was undertaken. Upon its completion, the garden was inaugurated on March 26th 2018 in a festive ceremony, which included a fair and fun family activities.
Over the course of the renovations, a huge stone cavern, dug by the Turks to supply water to the city, was discovered under the building’s front courtyard. The renovation team decided to preserve this important historic relic, and KKL-JNF obtained additional funding to install a secure glass ceiling through which the impressive display can safety be seen.
The trees, lawns and landscape development have transformed the northern garden into an ideal gathering place before entering the museum. And thus, on a pleasant afternoon during the Passover holiday, the restored stone courtyard was opened to the public. On the spacious lawns, activity booths were set up for children, enabling them to create weather vanes and colorful masks, and construct creations with domino and Lego. Various food stands erected in the courtyard served and delighted the visitors.
The ceremony was hosted by Eli Shermeister, Director General of MadaTech, and participants included Leon Recanati, Chairman of the MadaTech Board, Yona Yahav, Mayor of Haifa, and Prof. Peretz Lavie, President of the Technion. Danny Atar, World Chairman of KKL-JNF, was unable to attend the ceremony, and his speech was read by Zipi Roitman, who serves on the JNF-KKL Germany directorate.
"Although not all the work has been completed, today we are officially closing the construction site”, said Eli Shermeister, Director General of MadaTech, "and opening the beautiful, inviting and blossoming space, and celebrating the Technion's historic garden, now the magnificent square leading to the national museum. This is the outcome of a long process of partnership with the community, with the great help of Mr. Jacob Ruder and representatives of the community. We decided to convert the reservoir into a museum space that can be seen from above”.
"The MadaTech is representative of the State of Israel," said JNF-KKL’s Zipi Roitman on behalf of Danny Atar, "it preserves the past, but also strives towards the future. KKL-JNF's commitment to Zionist heritage also leads us to continue to operate in a wide range of fields, such as developing education, science and technology, strengthening of the periphery and more. In the future, we will continue to act so as to preserve and support the history of the State of Israel, and we will raise the necessary funds for this purpose”.
"Thirty years ago, I stood in front of this historic building”, said Leon Recanati, Chairman of MadaTech, “inspired and moved by the people who, years ago, on the rocky terrain, were capable of shaping a vision and mission, and working at full power to realize it. During those moments, I was exhilarated and excited by the challenge of formulating a new vision that would transform this impressive site into a vibrant center of technological experience and education. A magnet for children and youth from the immediate and distant surroundings. And indeed, since its establishment, over 10 million visitors have passed through the museum's gates – above and beyond our projections”.
"This is the essence and goal of a museum, and its role in the community”, continued Recanati. "A museum must maintain a relationship with its environment and surroundings - the city, the neighborhood, the community, its habits and culture. All of these guided us in the development of the northern garden - to create a well-tended garden around the museum, to share it with the community and preserve the historical landmark. Working hard in collaboration with the KKL-JNF, the Technion, the Haifa Municipality and the neighborhood residents, we endeavored to preserve the unique nature of the garden and to provide us all with a public gathering place, and a beautifully-cultivated green lung. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to KKL-JNF's management for their trust and fundraising work, and I call upon its management to join in implementation of MadaTech’s educational vision”.
"We took upon ourselves, as a matter of ideology, to rehabilitate the Hadar neighborhood and restore it to its former glory - Hadar [Hebrew for ‘glory’]”, said Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav. "I believed that the policy should be to rehabilitate the lower part of the city, and the five hundred people who live in the apartments there, who assumed responsibility of the place in terms of education, values and in practice have joined forces with us, and we are very proud of the results. We are investing extensive funds because the city needs more green spaces. We want to return green leaves and foliage to the city. And what you have done here, in the throbbing heart of this city, is extraordinary. We thank all those who collaborated on this project, and first and foremost Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund. We wish to convey the gratitude of the city for the contribution and actions”.
“Legend has it that it was Herzl who decided to establish the Technion in Israel”, noted Prof. Peretz Lavie, the President of the Technion. "And that it was Ahad Ha'am [considered the founder of Cultural Zionism] who convinced Wissotzky to raise 100,000 rubles for its establishment, with Yaakov Schiff contributing an additional sum. This complex is a jewel, a living and breathing jewel, and it is here that we cultivate the next generation of the start-up nation. And now, a diamond has been added to this jewel – this lovely garden. I wish to thank the KKL-JNF, and to express our gratitude to everyone who joined in and supported this important enterprise”.
Dr. Schaul Chorev, who participated in the ceremony with his wife Ada, had recently completed his role as KKL-JNF emissary to Germany. As a token of thanks and appreciation, Zipi Roitman of JNF-KKL Germany and Judith Perl-Strasser of KKL-JNF’s European Department presented Dr. Chorev with a collage of pictures from his extensive activities during his dedicated service.
At the end of the ceremony, the audience was invited to watch a spectacular domino display.