After 50 Years, Officials Aim to Remove an Israeli Man from His Beach Home
2023-07-21
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1For more than 50 years, Nissim Kahlon has lived in an unusual way on the Mediterranean coast in Israel.
2He started by setting up a tent on the beach in Herzliya, not far from the city of Tel Aviv.
3Over time, he started making a cave in the stone cliffs.
4Little by little, he made a living space.
5He started to make stairs and windows.
6He built up the stone walls with glass and colorful tiles he found while walking in the city.
7Now, his home is a tourist attraction.
8People come to the beach just to see what he has made.
9But officials in Israel want the 77-year-old to leave.
10The Environmental Protection Ministry said Kahlon's cave home is illegal.
11The ministry says the cave home makes the traditional homes above his unsafe.
12They worry the cave damaged the structure of the cliff.
13Officials sent Kahlon a letter telling him to leave, known as an eviction notice.
14"Instead of encouraging me, they're denigrating me," Kahlon said.
15He said his home is safe. It even has electricity, a telephone and a toilet.
16He said his home is an example of living without waste.
17Everything he cuts out of the stone he uses.
18"There's no waste here, that's the logic," he said.
19The last time the government told him to leave was in 1974.
20He received a document that said his home would be torn down.
21But it never happened.
22He did not hear of any government concerns for almost 50 years.
23The removal order has been suspended while Kahlon appeals the decision.
24Kahlon plans to say the government knew about him for many years.
25He said the city approved his presence when it connected his home to electric power.
26He said he wants to die in the home he built for himself.
27"I am ready for them to bury me here," he said.
28The government said Kahlon's home makes the cliff unsteady.
29Officials are worried about the homes at the top of the cliff.
30But the government is concerned about more than that.
31An old weapons production center is only about 400 meters north of Kahlon's home.
32The production center closed 30 years ago after an accidental explosion killed two workers, damaged hundreds of buildings and broke windows far away.
33The government worries there are still some explosive devices nearby.
34In June, an explosion blew a large hole in the sand not far from Kahlon's cave.
35The Ministry of Defense said there are not supposed to be any explosives in the area.
36However, no government or private organization has cleaned the area and checked it for explosives since the weapons center closed in the 1990s.
37Some say the Israeli government is using its concerns about unexploded weapons and the cliff wall to push Kahlon out of his home.
38The local leaders in Herzliya said they have a new place for Kahlon to live.
39But Kahlon said he wants to stay.
40His friends are raising money for his appeal.
41After speaking to the Associated Press, he picked up some tools and started working on his home.
42"I'm doing something to feel something," he said. "I can't sit around all day."
43I'm Dan Friedell.
1For more than 50 years, Nissim Kahlon has lived in an unusual way on the Mediterranean coast in Israel. 2He started by setting up a tent on the beach in Herzliya, not far from the city of Tel Aviv. 3Over time, he started making a cave in the stone cliffs. 4Little by little, he made a living space. He started to make stairs and windows. He built up the stone walls with glass and colorful tiles he found while walking in the city. 5Now, his home is a tourist attraction. People come to the beach just to see what he has made. 6But officials in Israel want the 77-year-old to leave. 7The Environmental Protection Ministry said Kahlon's cave home is illegal. The ministry says the cave home makes the traditional homes above his unsafe. They worry the cave damaged the structure of the cliff. 8Officials sent Kahlon a letter telling him to leave, known as an eviction notice. 9"Instead of encouraging me, they're denigrating me," Kahlon said. 10He said his home is safe. It even has electricity, a telephone and a toilet. 11He said his home is an example of living without waste. Everything he cuts out of the stone he uses. "There's no waste here, that's the logic," he said. 12The last time the government told him to leave was in 1974. He received a document that said his home would be torn down. But it never happened. He did not hear of any government concerns for almost 50 years. 13The removal order has been suspended while Kahlon appeals the decision. Kahlon plans to say the government knew about him for many years. He said the city approved his presence when it connected his home to electric power. 14He said he wants to die in the home he built for himself. 15"I am ready for them to bury me here," he said. 16The government said Kahlon's home makes the cliff unsteady. Officials are worried about the homes at the top of the cliff. But the government is concerned about more than that. 17An old weapons production center is only about 400 meters north of Kahlon's home. The production center closed 30 years ago after an accidental explosion killed two workers, damaged hundreds of buildings and broke windows far away. The government worries there are still some explosive devices nearby. In June, an explosion blew a large hole in the sand not far from Kahlon's cave. 18The Ministry of Defense said there are not supposed to be any explosives in the area. However, no government or private organization has cleaned the area and checked it for explosives since the weapons center closed in the 1990s. 19Some say the Israeli government is using its concerns about unexploded weapons and the cliff wall to push Kahlon out of his home. The local leaders in Herzliya said they have a new place for Kahlon to live. But Kahlon said he wants to stay. His friends are raising money for his appeal. 20After speaking to the Associated Press, he picked up some tools and started working on his home. 21"I'm doing something to feel something," he said. "I can't sit around all day." 22I'm Dan Friedell. 23Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 24____________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26beach -n. an area covered with sand that is by a body of water 27cliff -n. a very steep surface of rock, earth or ice 28tile -n. a flat piece of clay or stone used to cover floors or walls 29tourist attraction -n. a place designed to interest visitors to an area 30eviction -n. to be officially removed from a building or land 31encourage -v. to cause someone to what to do something 32denigrate -v. to make someone seem less important; to criticize, attack or insult 33logic -n. a way of thinking; a reason 34_____________________________________________________ 35We want to hear from you. Do you think the man will be able to stay in his cave home? 36Here is how our comment system works: 37Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.