The northern coastal city of Akko (Acre) continues to suffer hard times. The residents went on a general strike today, protesting specifically the spiraling unemployment in the city. Unemployment presently stands at some 12%, and 30% among the 6,000 residents of the all-Arab Old City. City employees, workers, and school children blocked off two major intersections, demanding that Akko be declared a preferred development area. The new classification would bring increased tax incentives for firms and factories in the city, additional government assistance for homebuyers, and extra funds for the municipality.
Although city officials don\'t like to talk about it publicly, the economic problems go hand-in-hand with the demographic problem. At present, some 28% of the population is Arab, making Akko the most mixed city in Israel. The veteran Jewish population is dwindling, while the Arab population is growing. The Jewish numbers are buttressed only by the recent influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who number some 10,000 of the city\'s 51,000 people.
Rabbi Yeshai Rubin, who moved to Akko with about 15 other religious families about four years ago, told Arutz-7 about the city\'s problems from his perspective: \"We are a Torah nucleus group - one of many throughout the country sponsored by Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Ketzaleh [Yaakov Katz, Exec. Dir. of Beit El Yeshiva Center Institutions] - and we try to contribute what we can. We give about 400 hours\' worth [!! - ed. note] of Torah classes a week to many different age groups and levels, from extra hours in school up to and including classes for elderly retirees… Your call caught me as I was meeting with the mayor and other local leaders in an attempt to find ways to deal with the problems; this shows how we are being accepted here…
\"Morale in the city is not so high, because of the cycle of problems: The Arab influx certainly contributes to the departure of Jews, which then results in the economic problems…\" Asked whether there was Arab violence, he said, \"So far, it\'s not a problem…\"
Although city officials don\'t like to talk about it publicly, the economic problems go hand-in-hand with the demographic problem. At present, some 28% of the population is Arab, making Akko the most mixed city in Israel. The veteran Jewish population is dwindling, while the Arab population is growing. The Jewish numbers are buttressed only by the recent influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who number some 10,000 of the city\'s 51,000 people.
Rabbi Yeshai Rubin, who moved to Akko with about 15 other religious families about four years ago, told Arutz-7 about the city\'s problems from his perspective: \"We are a Torah nucleus group - one of many throughout the country sponsored by Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Ketzaleh [Yaakov Katz, Exec. Dir. of Beit El Yeshiva Center Institutions] - and we try to contribute what we can. We give about 400 hours\' worth [!! - ed. note] of Torah classes a week to many different age groups and levels, from extra hours in school up to and including classes for elderly retirees… Your call caught me as I was meeting with the mayor and other local leaders in an attempt to find ways to deal with the problems; this shows how we are being accepted here…
\"Morale in the city is not so high, because of the cycle of problems: The Arab influx certainly contributes to the departure of Jews, which then results in the economic problems…\" Asked whether there was Arab violence, he said, \"So far, it\'s not a problem…\"