Over 700 youths from all over Israel took part in an inspirational Sabbath Seminar in four threatened cities: Yafo (Jaffa), Lod, Acre, and Upper Nazareth.
"Our goal," said Adiel Yom-Tov, of the National Union Party's Youth Leadership wing, "is to ensure that Jewish cities in Israel remain Jewish. We will not let the Arab population take over in these cities and realize their objective of forming 'territorial contiguity' of Arab areas in Israel."
The four cities which hosted the youths have Jewish majorities endangered by growing Arab minorities. In Yafo, the southern part of the Tel Aviv Municipality, over 200 youths from yeshiva high schools slept in community centers and synagogues, shared meals with local Jewish families, toured the city and its historic Jewish sites - and discussed how best to strengthen the neighborhood's Jewish population.
The Sabbath visit was marred by Arab violence, and two Jews were hospitalized. The incident made clear the need for a strengthened Jewish presence, and in fact, nine religious-Zionist Jewish families are preparing to move to the city next month for this purpose. The group, organized by Rosh Yehudi (Jewish Mindset), hopes to help quell the serious challenges facing the Jews of Yafo such as Arab violence, flight of Jews from the town, intermarriage between Arabs and Jews, and Jewish-Arab integration in schools.
George Dick, Yafo Sheli
Yafo, mentioned in the Bible in connection with King Solomon, Jonah the Prophet, and others, was also the town from which Jews set out nearly 100 years ago to form the "settlement" of Tel Aviv. Around the same time, Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook arrived in Yafo from eastern Europe to become the modern-day Holy Land's first Chief Rabbi. Today, some 20 synagogues are still active in the city.
Sabbath events were also held, for the first time, in Lod, Akko (Acre), and Nazareth Illit. In Lod, 130 youths slept in schools and youth clubs, held a public and joyous Friday night prayer service in the city square, and gave the local Torah core group a welcome shot in the arm. Several days earlier, a large group of Arabs in Lod attacked an elderly Jew on a wheelchair, throwing rocks at him in the Pardes Snir neighborhood.
In Akko and Nazareth Illit, the story was similar, but without the violence - visits in local synagogues, talks and meals with residents, get-togethers with youth, and discussions of how to bolster the Jewish presence. "One of the policemen in Nazareth Illit told me," Yom Tov said to Arutz-7, "how much he likes this type of activity, and made me promise that we would come back again." Yom Tov plans to do so.
The next cities on the list include Ramle, which has long had a demographic problem, and Haifa, in which some neighborhoods are becoming endangered.
"Arab violence against innocent citizens must be stopped," said National Union Secretary-General Nachi Eyal. "If the police don’t take action, we will deploy all our forces on behalf of those citizens who have suddenly found that the words of the national anthem, 'to be a free nation in our land,' do not apply to them. They are beginning to leave altogether, and we have to work to prevent these cities from becoming Arab centers in the heart of our State."
For more information on the activities to strengthen Jewish cities by the Jewish National Youth Leadership of the National Union Party, send email to adielyt@gmail.com.