The city of Hadera is committed to promoting the involvement of the elderly in the urban space and the Department of Senior Citizens is careful to adopt and promote innovative programs that contribute to this. In this context, we are pleased to be collaborating this second year with the Autographers, an international documentary art enterprise that brings together artists and witnesses to historical events. The joint venture reflects history through the eyes of the people who experienced it through talented artists who document them, and this year focused on the Beit Eliezer neighborhood, one of the oldest and largest among Hadera neighborhoods, which became one of the milestones in its development in the city.

The neighborhood, named after  Eliezer Kaplan , who served as the first Minister of Finance of the State of Israel, was founded in 1950. The founders of Beit Eliezer were immigrants from Yemen , Many of them remain to live in it to this day alongside future generations.

The veterans say that  At first houses were built with large yards that include  an auxiliary farm and the atmosphere was similar to that in the kibbutz. Later, the neighborhood was expanded and with each wave of immigration, another community layer was added to the neighborhood. The Neve Eliezer neighborhood was first built there and in 1973 "Yugoslav housing" consisting of industrialized houses brought from Yugoslavia . In the 1990s, following a large wave of immigration from the Soviet Union , a neighborhood known as the "New House of Eliezer" was built. In this area, the family names of the founders of Hadera were chosen for the street names, as an expression of deep respect for heritage and the past. It is this connection between what was and what is developing, that sets the place and its inhabitants apart.

This venture came to illuminate the part of the veterans who built their lives in the Beit Eliezer neighborhood, shaped its character and contributed to its development.

The products of our journey for the sake of memories, give space and respect to the past and heritage, but also a fresh spirit with a forward look through the eyes of the creators. Through its artistic products that present the stories of the veterans, we will strengthen the many generations connection in the neighborhood and in the city and emphasize the contribution and importance of the third age in our lives.

I would like to thank all the partners in the project - first to the documented people who shared their lives, to the talented writers and photographers, to the staff of the Department of Senior Citizens, to the Beit Eliezer Community Center,

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Regards,

Revital Fox

Director of the Senior Citizens Department of the Hadera Municipality