Ein Hawd

Ein Hawd ( _ar. عين حوض; _he. עין חוד) is an Arab village in northern Israel. Located near Haifa, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaCarmel Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 65.

History

The village was established following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War when 35 members of the Abu al-Hija family from the abandoned village of Ein Hawd (now called Ein Hod) returned to the village lands after being released from an Israeli prisoner of war camp, refused to leave the area and settled on the village lands.cite book|title="Sacred Landscape: The Buried History of the Holy Land since 1948|author=Meron Benvenisti|publisher=University of California Press|date=2000|page=193 - 195|url=http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/8205/8205.ch05.html] They established a new village, also called Ein Hawd, a little way up the hill. Attempts to dislodge them did not succeed, and they were eventually granted Israeli citizenship.cite web|title=Israel: An IDP village sees light at the end of the tunnel|author=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|publisher=IRIN News|date=7 August 2007|accessdate=2007-12-07|url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73586] Initially, the new village was not recognized, but in 1988 it joined the Association of Unrecognized Arab Villages in Israel and was recognized by the state in 1992.cite web|title=The Association of Forty|publisher=The Association of Forty|accessdate=2007-12-07|url=http://www.assoc40.org/index_main.html] In 2005, Ein Hawd achieved full recognition, including connection to the Israeli electric grid.

Since Ein Hawd was recognized by the Israeli government, the village has joined the Hof HaCarmel Regional Council and urban planning is under way. In an interview, the village's mayor, Mohammed Abu al-Hija, was hopeful that these changes would be for the better: "It is true that many years have gone by, but this is a great achievement for everyone, a big step forward. The State of Israel has finally applied a policy of equality to us and I am hopeful that this will prove to be the case for other villages that are in similar situations as well...It helps to convince me that equality is attainable, no matter how difficult it may seem." [ [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Facts+about+Israel-+The+State/A+Free+People+in+Our+Land-+The+Arab+Sector.htmA Free People in Our Land] Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

In 2004, FAST, the Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory [ [http://www.seamlessterritory.org] FAST] together with the community of Ein Hawd, organized an international architecture and design competition for the development of an alternative master plan for the village. [ [http://www.onelandtwosystems.com/ ONE LAND TWO SYSTEMS] ] More than 100 plans from more than 30 countries were received. The winners of the competition, a group of architects and designers from France, Germany and Israel, came together with FAST and with the community of Ein Hawd to develop further a sustainable solution for the village. After a long and politically sensitive process, the plan is ready. The villagers love it as it gives shape to their dreams. The plan is now used as a negotiation document with the authorities: to have Ein Hawd fully recognized by the State.

This whole process, which started with an international collaboration of many creative people, has remarkable results. It serves as a model for a new type of architecture practice, in which issues of community, sustainability and politics take centre stage.

From 28 August to 8 September, the project will be finalized with a series of public events, workshops, and spatial, social and cultural interventions in Ein Hawd that will generate concrete changes in the village and in its surroundings. The project is divided into two parts, One Land – a continuation of One Land Two Systems project and an art show, Platform Paradise. [ [http://www.one-land.org] ONE LAND & PLATFORM PARADISE]

One Land

One Land is a continuation of One Land Two Systems project in Ein Hawd Israel. This project will celebrate the re-birth of Ein Hawd according to the new plan made in collaboration with the villagers.The One Land program consists of the following elements:
* An alternative MASTERPLAN, the result of an international architecture competition, in order to create a sustainable development for the village
* A LANDSCAPE PLAN , which makes the re-birth of the original Mediterranean Landscape possible
* The GOLDEN HEART PAVILION, a FAST-designed inflatable, as the first community building in Ein Hawd- The FAST MARKET, an economical structure in which agriculture, tourism, aesthetics and local hospitality culture are combined and are forming a strong base for economical independency and sustainability in village with Debra Solomon / Culiblog.org [http://www.culiblog.org/?s=ayn+hawd] , together with the FAST RESORT.
* The RESTAURANT Habait, El-Beit (Home)
* The SCHOOL, which should be upgraded and moved to a new location and which can be used by the villagers as a community center.
* An EXHIBITION, which shows the history and the future visions of the village, designed in collaboration with Sharif Waked
* A TOURISM PACK
* CONSTRUCTING A HOTEL ROOM with Matthijs Bouw (One Architecture) and Gillian Schrofer (Concern)
* Installation of AN OPEN AIR CINEMA

Platform Paradise

An art show commissioned by FAST and curated by Maurizio Bortolotti assisted by Noga Inbar, will open from September 1–7, and continue until November 1, 2008. Invited artists and architects will address the village’s lack of public space (as an ‘unofficial’ place) by interacting with the villagers to improve their living conditions and generate new kinds of common ground. “Platform Paradise is a democratic tool aimed at bringing art (projects) into a specific living space of a community. The lack of cultural institutions in Ein Hawd creates a new condition in which art is represented and used. In this experimental space a new kind of art projects will emerge” (Maurizio Bortolotti).

Over 20 external participants in the two projects will join the residents of Ein Hawd in a series of activities and master classes. Representing a variety of expertise and experience, they will include the Palestinian artist Sharif Waked and poet Salman Natur, plus international names like artist Dan Graham, architect Yona Friedman, and film-maker Ali Kazma. Malkit Shoshan, Director of FAST, says: “This project redefines the role of art, design and architecture. It generates flexible tools and new social, cultural and economical spaces aimed at improving the living conditions of a specific context and a specific community, that of Ein Hawd. At the same time, it creates a new model, a platform, of creative social and spatial interventions that goes beyond politics.”

References