Page 27 - HaMizrachi #32 RH-YK 2021 USA

Vehicles belonging to Jewish residents that were set on fire by Arab rioters in Lod, Burned sacred books found in the local school in the aftermath
May 2021 (PHOTO: MY ISRAEL FACEBOOK PAGE) of the riots

neighborhood throwing rocks and fire- How has the Jewish community Going forward, do you think it will
works, but there was a siren because of of Lod worked to rebuild since the be possible to rebuild relationships
a rocket fired by Hamas. riots ended? with members of the Arab commu-
It was surreal – we had to decide what During the riots, we felt like we received nity of Lod?
was riskier; running to the shelter, but a massive hug from Am Yisrael. It is not easy at all. Do we now need to
possibly being exposed to the Arab riot- start sending our children with security
ers, or staying in our home but unpro- People from all over the country sent guards when they walk in the street?
tected from the Hamas rockets. cakes, games for kids and whatever we The Arab community is diverse, with
needed.
We decided to go to the shelter, and we many different groups and views. Our
met Arab families there – or more accu- Jews from all over came to secure the community wants to work together
rately, half of the Arab families. streets to protect us. with our Arab neighbors, but at this
point, the feelings are still raw.
The women and children were in the After the riots, we have been focused
shelters, but the men weren’t there, and on the mental health of the community. I am optimistic, as we remember that
I can only guess where they were. it was only half a year ago that we did
Children, parents, individuals – so many have good inter-communal relations. I
We couldn’t look each other in the eye – people saw horrendous and shocking think that we need to regain our basic
we had nothing to say to them, and they things. People have had their cars and sense of security and feel comfortable
had nothing to say to us. homes burned, so we are also focusing again, and only then can we begin to
on rebuilding and fixing what needs to
Because it was Ramadan when the rebuild relationships.
Arabs fast each day, the days were calm. be restored. Another critical goal is strengthening
But the riots kept getting worse in the We have even tried to welcome new res- the moderate Arab voices within Lod.
evenings. It was a lonely time, as we felt idents to the community to build and There are many Arabs in Lod who want
abandoned by our Arab neighbors, who strengthen our presence here. to live peacefully and side by side with
didn’t even reach out to ask if we were us, and we also understand that being
okay, and abandoned by the police, who Some people are coming to live here an Arab in Israel means living as a
were too slow to deal with the rioters. for a year, just to help strengthen the
community. We also hope that the Arabs minority, something we must be sen-
The riots became more severe, as the who move here will be those who reject sitive toward. It is complicated, it will
rioters progressed from throwing rocks the violence. take time, but I am confident about the
to firing guns. After three days of riot- future of Lod as a diverse city and about
ing, we decided that I would leave with This area will continue to be a mixed the ability of Jews and Arabs to live in
the children to Yerushalayim, while neighborhood, but we want to ensure peace around Israel. As the Israeli saying
Yedidia would stay to help secure the it will be a neighborhood where people goes, “The eternal people are not scared
neighborhood. will live in peace together. of a long journey.” n

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