Museums in Haifa — the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum, Elijah's Cave, the National Maritime Museum, and Bat Galim Promenade, beach and cable car
The three places described here, the National Maritime Museum, Elijah’s Cave and the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum are in close walking proximity to each other on Allenby Boulevard, although one needs to go down a level via a stairway to the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum if coming from Allenby Boulevard. You are also close to the Haifa Cable Car between the Carmel ridge by the Stella Maris monastery to the Beit Galim Promenade by the coast.
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The Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum
The name of this museum sounds better in Hebrew — muzeum ha’apalah vechel hayom (מוזיאון ההעפלה וחיל הים) than in English. The museum, which is operated by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, covers two topics — the illegal immigration of Jewish refugees to Palestine in defiance of British Mandate restrictions during Aliya Bet between 1934 to 1948, plus the evolution of the Israeli navy. At first glance these might seem totally different topics, but they are related. Some of the boats used to transport the immigrants were converted to warships by the new Israeli navy after the state was declared in May 1948 and Israel was attacked by surrounding Arab armies. Also, members of the Haganah involved in organizing the illegal immigration, the Polyam, became part of the Israeli navy.
Directions: Enter “Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum” into Waze. The address is 204 Allenby Road, Haifa. For parking next to the Maritime Museum enter “Parking Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum.”
Admission: The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. It is open on Friday only for large prearranged groups and is closed on Shabbat. Admission is 20 NIS for adults and 15 NIS for children, students and seniors. Israelis will need to show their teudat zehut. Non-Israeli visitors should bring a passport or photo ID for entry. The phone number is 04-8536249. Click here for their website:
Public transport: Enter “Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum” into Moovit.
INS Mivtach was Israel's first missile boat
A major focus of the museum is the fate of the clandestine immigrant ship the Af Al Pi Chen, which means in Hebrew “nevertheless” or “despite everything.” This name symbolized defiance — Jews would come to their homeland “despite everything” — despite British opposition and their blockades. This is demonstrated by short movies, and the boat itself is available for viewing in the front courtyard.
After the rise of Nazi Germany, and especially after the Holocaust, many Jewish survivors desperately sought to reach Palestine. However, the British White Paper of 1939 severely limited Jewish immigration to Palestine during and after WWII. The Jewish underground, as well as the Haganah (which was the precursor to the Israel Defense Forces), organized illegal immigration through sea routes.
The Af Al Pi Chen was originally a U.S. Navy vessel used in World War II (a tank landing ship or LST) and it was purchased and refitted by Mossad LeAliyah Bet, the organization responsible for the overall organization of illegal Jewish immigration. The Af Al Pi Chen set sail in 1947 carrying hundreds of Holocaust survivors and Jewish refugees from Europe. To avoid being detected by the British, the passengers were confined to the hold of the ship in extremely crowded conditions. Nevertheless, the ship was detected and intercepted by the British and the passengers were sent to internment camps in Cyprus, as was routine for intercepted immigrants at that time. Hence, Holocaust survivors who had been rescued from concentration camps now found themselves in yet another concentration camp run by the British. There was a slight silver lining to this in that the camps functioned almost as extra-territorial territory of the Jewish nation, and the immigrants were prepared for their future life in Israel, including learning Hebrew. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, those interned in Cyprus could enter the new state. The ship was incorporated into the Israeli Navy.
A number of movies can be seen about illegal immigration, including "From Shore to Shore," a 17-minute immersive show aboard the Af Al Pi Chen illustrating the refugee experience, and "The Struggle," a 15-minute film detailing the efforts to bypass British immigration restrictions. The movies are in Hebrew but English subtitles can be requested.
There are descriptions of different campaigns by the Israeli navy within the museum building.
There are also many varied exhibits on the grounds of the museum. These include INS Mivtach, Israel's first missile boat. It was launched in 1967 and participated in significant naval operations, including the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The vessel is open for exploration, and offers insights into its combat systems and crew areas. INS Gal is a German-designed submarine that was commissioned in 1975, and which served in various Israeli naval missions before being decommissioned. Visitors can tour its interior to understand submarine operations. The museum also displays the bridge of the INS Dakar submarine, which tragically sank in 1968. An emergency buoy and personal artifacts from the crew are also shown.
Explosive boats were used by the Israeli Navy at the end of the 1949 War of Independence and sank an Egyptian warship.
Gabriel missile developed by the Israei aviation industry. Theses missiles defeated the Syrian and Egyptian navies in October 1973.
What was the ha’apalah?
The ha’apalah was also called Aliyah Bet to distinguish it from Aliyah Aleph. Aliyah Aleph refers to the very limited legal immigration permitted by the British, whereas Aliyah Bet is a shortened form of Aliyah bilti legalit or illegal immigration.
Aliyah Bet occurred in two phases. The first was from 1934 to 1942 and was led by several Zionist organizations, including the Revisionists, to enable European Jews to escape from Nazi persecution and genocide. The second stage is known as the Bricha (flight or escape) and occurred after the end of the Second World War. This involved Zionist organizations bringing to Palestine desperate Jewish survivors of the Holocaust who were languishing in refugee camps in post-war Europe, especially in Allied-occupied Germany and Austria.
This effort was led by the Mossad LeAliya Bet (the Institute for Aliyah Bet), and was an arm of the Haganah, specifically its maritime branch, the Polyam, which took responsibility for commanding and sailing ships from Europe to Mandatory Palestine. HaGid'onim were male and female radio operators of the Haganah who kept up a constant communication between stations in Europe, headquarters in Palestine, and the ships at sea. Over 200 youngsters from the United States and Canada also volunteered to serve on the ha’apala ships.
During this period, over 100,000 people attempted to enter Mandatory Palestine illegally in 142 voyages in 120 ships. The British navy had imposed a blockade on the coast of Palestine that was implemented by 45 battleships. Nevertheless, 66 ha’apala ships succeeded in making it to the shores of Eretz Israel with more than 70,000 immigrants (ma'apilim).
Initially, the British placed illegal immigrants whom they caught in a detention camp in Atlit. When this camp was full, they established additional camps in Cyprus. These detention centers were not meant to be pleasant, so as to deter further immigration, but this did not achieve its objectivee and desperate immigrants continued to arrive in ma’apilim ships.
Of considerable interest is the role of the Jewish Brigade. These were Jewish soldiers who had fought in the British army during World War II. After the war, and before they were demobilized, they operated in displaced persons camps and brought refugees to boats that would take them to Palestine, often using British army transport. All this was, of course, completely against British policy, but in the chaos following the war they were able to get away with it and help thousands of Jews.
The actions of the British and their dealings with the ma’apilim elicited considerable world sympathy for the Zionist cause. This included the Exodus boat, which was sent back by the British to a deportation center in Germany. This sympathy may have helped achieve a successful vote in the United Nations General Assembly for a Jewish state in November 1947.
Elijah’s cave
Elijah’s Cave is clearly not a museum, but it is a short walking distance from the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum and National Maritime Museum and it is convenient, therefore, to put it in in this section.
According to a long-standing tradition, Elijah used this cave as a place of prayer before his confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. He also hid here to escape Queen Jezebel's wrath after killing her prophets of Baal after this event. The cave has been venerated as Elijah’s hiding place since at least the Byzantine period (4th–7th centuries CE), which is when Christian pilgrims began identifying and visiting biblical sites. The Christian Carmelite Order, which emerged in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, also emphasized the site’s spiritual connection to the prophet Elijah. Muslims and Druze also revere Elijah as a holy man or prophet. Hence, the site has drawn pilgrims from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Druze faith.
Nevertheless, there is no textual evidence that Elijah fled to this particular cave. Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal was on Mount Carmel as related in I Kings 18:19-20: "Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table." So Ahab sent to all the Israelites and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.” Christian and local tradition places this confrontation on the southeastern end of Mount Carmel, near the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel. A Carmelite monastery now stands at this site dedicated to Elijah, called the Monastery of the Muhraka. Following his killing the prophets, Elijah did flee to a cave, but the Bible places this at Mount Horeb, the location of Mount Sinai: “He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (I Kings 19:8-9).
Scholarly surveys have documented over 150 inscriptions within the cave in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic, dating from the 1st to the 7th centuries CE, and indicating that Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Druze pilgrims have venerated this site. The grotto is now used as a synagogue with separate men and women’s areas. The cave is behind a velvet curtain.
Directions: The cave is located at 230 Allenby Road and is accessible via stairs or a sloped concrete walkway from this road. There is a short flight of stairs for the final section. Enter “Elijah’s cave” in Waze and click on "״.מערת אליהו הנביא
Admission: The site is administered by the Israel Ministry of Religious Affairs. There is a parking area across the road. The site is open Sunday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is closed on Shabbat. There is no admission charge. There is an area in the site with a number of shaded picnic tables. A level above this are restrooms.
Public transport: Enter into Moovit “״מערת אליהו הנביא and click on ״ מערת אליהו הנביא Derech Allenby, Haifa.”
Inside the synagogue which has male and female sections. The wooden divide has a poem summarizing the life of Elijah
The entrance to the grotto
The National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum is dedicated to exploring humanity's relationship with the sea, particularly within the Mediterranean region, and offers a comprehensive journey through over 5,000 years of maritime history via its three floors.
The museum has many models of ships that illustrate the evolution of maritime vessels from ancient times to the modern era, including Greek and Roman vessels. Statuettes and artifacts depicting sea deities of the Greek and Roman periods, such as Poseidon and Aphrodite, provide a window into maritime mythology. It has a large collection of historical maps and prints, highlighting the development of nautical navigation. Also shown are navigational tools such as astrolabes, compasses, and telescopes. The lower level has more interactive activities for children such as an exhibit on pirates, and table activities such a learning how ships float on water and how to tie special knots, fold paper boats and more. There is a movie in Hebrew about the development of ports in Israel, although this is totally in Hebrew.
Directions: Enter “National Maritime Museum” into Waze, and click on “National Maritime Museum. Derech Allenby, Haifa.” The address is 198 Allenby Boulevard. There is street parking on Allenby Boulevard. If there are no places, there is parking on the roads by Carmel Beach. So, continue off the ramp from Allenby Boulevard, although not onto route 4.
Admission: The museum is open Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is closed on Monday. There is a gift shop. Admission is 40 NIS for adults, 30 NIS for children and 20 NIS for seniors and students. This is their phone number. For their website click here.
Public transport. Enter “National Maritime Museum” into Moovit.
A Phoenician merchant ship
The best way to ram a warship in the ancient world
Details about pirates are always interesting!
Funerary boats in ancient Egypt were an exact replica of the boats that sailed on the Nile, and were supposed to serve the dead in the afterlife.
A short movie can be seen about port development in modern Israel
Haifa’s cable cars
There are two cable car systems in Haifa, one of which starts from Bat Galim Promenade close to Elijah's Cave and the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum:
Rakavlit. The 6th stop of the Rakavlit begins at Haifa University. This gondola lift descends 4.4 km over 19 minutes to the first stop at HaMifratz Central Bus Station and public transport hub at the foot of Mount Carmel. It passes the Technion on the way. If your car is at Haifa University, you will have accomplished absolutely nothing by going on a ride, but the experience is an interesting one! You can enter the station with your Ravcard. The cable car is part of the public transport system of Haifa and its main users are students.
The other system is more tourist orientated and goes from Bat Galim Promenade, which is close to the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum and Elijah’s Cave, to the top station at Stella Maris. It operates in the spring from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., in the summer 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., winter 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and Friday and holiday eves from 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The cost one way is 23 NIS and the return trip is 35 NIS. The trip is all of 5 minutes. At the top station you can complete your experience in one of the restaurants or enjoy another attraction such as Stella Maris Church, a visit to the Cave of Elijah and an observation point to Rosh Hanikra and the Gulf of Acre.
Bat Galim Promenade is a picturesque coastal walkway flanked by lush greenery and beautifully landscaped gardens close to Elijah's Cave and . Along the way, are a variety of cafés and eateries. Bat Galim Beach has beachside snack bars, free parking, benches, sitting areas, sporting facilities, and playgrounds. The breakwater provides for relaxed swimming. Because the beach is in the vicinity of Haifa Bay, in addition to the effect of the breakwater, the sea is calm and suitable for swimming most days of the week. There are 3 lifeguard stations along the beach.
Links to the best family activities, hikes and historic sites in the GOLAN, EASTERN GALILEE, UPPER GALILEE, LOWER GALILEE, JORDAN VALLEY & LAKE KINNERET, the SHEFELAH, TEL AVIV-YAFFO and surroundings, NORTH of TEL AVIV, and SOUTH of TEL AVIV.