There is a very successful and unbroken international link between the municipality of Haifa and France. And this has led to exceedingly positive results, including the joint promotion of a variety of subjects of mutual interest.

In the last few years the focus of this interaction has been on a communal cultural project, that is, The Gaston Deferre French Cultural Center, which is located on French Carmel. This project has got off the ground through the very close and proactive partnership between the French government, the French Senate (the upper house of the French parliament), the municipality of Marseilles, the General District Council of Les Bouches - du Rhone and the regional council of the P. A. C. A (Provence, Alpes, Cote d'Azur). The non-profit organisation which promotes the learning of the French language and the dissemination of French culture, together with. the French Embassy in Israel and the French Consul in Haifa, the Jewish communities of Paris and Marseilles and some private donors are all working together to raise the money which is needed to really get this Center off the ground. The Center is named in honor of Marseille's former mayor, Gaston Deferre, and you can find us at 6 Eliyahu Hakim St., French Carmel, Haifa.

When the construction work was completed, the building took under its wing the French Cultural Center, the Association of Israeli Journalists in Haifa and the North, and the auditorium with its seating capacity of five hundred places. It was put to good use when it served as fitting accommodation for the Haifa Municipal Theatre when it itself was undergoing repairs. The Center, which adds significant cultural weight to the city, has become a household name in our area, with many of Haifa's citizens visiting it and enjoying the services provided under its umbrella.

Address:  Eliyah Hakim St.
Tel: 04 8312357, 8312333.