On the eve of the holiday, minutes after learning that her studio on Jaffa Road in Tel Aviv had collapsed, fashion designer Noa Geller realized she would be left to fight alone to save her business.
About six months ago, she moved her studio into a six-story building that housed several businesses, including the longtime cutting workshop of Abramo Hajjaj, who works with many fashion businesses in Israel, mainly boutique designers who are now left without support. In an already struggling fashion market, the blow is severe.
“With the way the country has been run over the past three years, I immediately knew that if I didn’t take care of myself, I wouldn’t have a safety net from any official body,” Geller told ynet. “What sealed that feeling was a municipal representative who, just hours before the holiday began, told us: ‘My condolences. This is not a property tax matter. Good luck.’ That response didn’t surprise me. So it has nothing to do with the missiles? With all the shockwaves from the cluster munitions that were flying over Tel Aviv that day and in the days before?”
“No one should say this isn’t connected to the war and the amount of shockwaves the area absorbed,” she added. “Only recently a list of about 650 dangerous buildings in Tel Aviv was published and shared on social media after the collapse, and no one is addressing it. I don’t know who is supposed to enforce this or what is being done. The building was dangerous. But beyond that list, anyone who lives in Tel Aviv knows that if you hammer a nail into the wall, you might end up with crumbling plaster and seashells in the walls. The buildings here are not built to withstand ballistic missiles and cluster bombs. How did we normalize this situation?”
Michal Hajjaj, Abramo Hajjaj’s daughter, voiced similar concerns. Her father has worked in textiles and manufacturing for more than 30 years, with clients including brands such as Alembika and ATA. The 120-square-meter workshop on the building’s fourth floor was damaged.
“The excuse we’re hearing — that it’s not from the shockwaves — infuriates me. There’s no chance that on the eve of the holiday, with all the sirens and explosions throughout the morning, it’s unrelated,” Hajjaj said. “It’s just a cover-your-back response from everyone responsible.”
‘The effect on the fashion industry is catastrophic’
Israel’s fashion industry is made up of countless small players trying to create something from nothing. In contrast to large factories in China, the local production chain relies on manufacturers and skilled workers who serve small designers and brands.
Hajjaj, who immigrated to Israel from Tripoli at age 10, comes from a textile family. His father was a tailor, and his late brother, who died this week, was a fabric importer. He established his cutting workshop about 30 years ago, moving between locations in the Florentin neighborhood before settling in a building on the edge of Levinsky Market.
The building is managed by Firer Property Management, which oversees many properties around the city. A request by ynet for comment on maintenance work carried out in the building and how the company intends to offer compensation and alternative solutions to tenants went unanswered.
Only recently, Hajjaj said, she completed filming a short film in the workshop starring Dana Ivgy and Youssef Abu Warda, telling the story of the daughter of a reserved cutter who separates from her partner and finds refuge in the workshop.
“Unfortunately, that’s the memory I’m leaving him from this place,” she said. “My father will turn 70 this year, and I don’t know where he will go. He loves the area and the young people who live and work around it.”
For the past decade, he has produced for Geller. “If Hajjaj’s business collapses, the effect on the industry is catastrophic,” Geller said. “He provides cutting and sewing services to many designers, including designers from the ultra-Orthodox community. There are at least three tons of fabric and equipment there that need to be salvaged.”
The workshop is spread across two sections of the building — one damaged, the other not. In recent days, his daughter has been searching for a new space to house the equipment that was not damaged.
What is the state of your business?
“We’re racing against time. In the first two days, we were barely allowed into the building to retrieve anything. We were given five minutes to collect valuables. I have merchandise worth hundreds of thousands of shekels here. How do I decide what to take and what to leave?
“We managed to get out the finished summer collection, because that can be sold and help us survive the season. But what about all the rolls of fabric that arrived from Italy just last month? The day before yesterday, we were suddenly told to come and clear out whatever we could, because yesterday morning they were supposed to begin demolishing part of the building and see what happens.
“On the night between Friday and Saturday, I was still messaging Mayor Ron Huldai, trying to delay it, just to give us time to evacuate and not bring everything down. This is our life.”
What response did you receive from the Home Front Command and the Tel Aviv municipality?
“The Home Front Command says this wasn’t caused by a missile strike, so it’s not their responsibility. The municipal representative, the first and only one who spoke to us, said, ‘My condolences, this is a civilian incident. Good luck.’ Given that everyone is shirking responsibility, I’m not even dealing with the legal side right now. My concern is to save as much as possible. Right now, I’m trying to find a property immediately, for me and for Hajjaj.”
Was there looting?
“In my studio, I still don’t know if anything was taken, but I’m hearing from the building residents’ group that items and jewelry were stolen from apartments. I don’t know who did it.”
The Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality said in response: “First, we clarify that these are privately owned buildings. Under the law, responsibility for maintenance and for finding alternative housing for tenants lies with the property owners. The building in question was declared a dangerous structure in 2018, and the municipality filed a court petition to address defects on the ground floor and basement — defects that did not indicate a risk of collapse of the building or its parts. The case was closed in 2020 after the defects were remedied under the order. It is important to note that the defects previously identified were not on the upper floors where the collapse occurred.
“Following the collapse, the municipality secured the area and stationed a security officer, later replaced by 12 guards and lighting. To the best of our knowledge, unauthorized individuals did not enter the site. If looting did occur, a complaint should be filed with Israel Police.
“As this is not a war-related incident, the municipality decided to evacuate several residents whose apartments were destroyed to hotels for a few days, while other residents must deal with the building or property owners. Municipal representatives are in contact with residents, and a municipal command post operates daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., where officials assist residents and allow them to enter and retrieve personal belongings under supervision. In the coming days, demolition work is expected to begin in the southeast corner, and if the building is later declared stable, further access will be allowed to collect additional items.”
Firer Property Management did not respond by the time of publication.
The Home Front Command did not respond by the time of publication.