A First in Ramle – Street Names Reflect Residents’ Culture

April 26, 2008

After a long struggle by two local organizations, street names in Ramle’s Old City quarter – populated largely by Arabs -- will be changed to reflect the heritage and history of the local residents. Ramle’s Committee on Names and Memorials accepted the request by the NGO Adar (My Home) and the Popular Committee (which unites local Arab non-profits and neighborhood committees) with the help and backing of SHATIL’s Mixed Cities Project.

The organizations began their struggle upon discovering that not a single street in the quarter carried an Arabic name. They pointed out that Jews and Arabs have been living together in the neighborhood for decades and felt the street names should reflect the heritage of both peoples.

In light of the decision, two streets which had only numbers for names have  been changed to HaKalipha Suleiman Street, after the 9th century founder of Ramle, and Emile Habibi Street, named after the Israel Prize laureate, Knesset member, journalist and author best known for his novel The Optimist.

Jamal Salameh, chair of Adar and field coordinator for the Mixed Cities Project, sees the committee’s decision as historic and hopes it will be a “turning point in relations between the city of Ramle and its Arab residents.”