Mixed, Arab-Jewish communities are a rarity in Israel. And since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, they’ve been under pressure.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Mixed Arab-Jewish communities are rare in Israel, and since the Hamas attacks of October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, they have been under pressure. NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley spent time in one mixed community that reacted quickly on the day of the attacks and worked together to protect its residents. She sends this postcard from the city of Jaffa.
(CROSSTALK)
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: There’s a children’s puppet-making workshop going on at the Jewish-Arab Community Center in the town of Jaffa, which adjoins Tel Aviv and is about 40% Arab. The art class is put on by a grassroots organization called The Guard for Jewish-Arab Partnership.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
BEARDSLEY: Citizen groups sprung up in the days following October 7. It was the idea of Amir Ahmad Badran (ph), an Arab member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa city council. Badran said he knew they had to act fast to avoid a repeat of the violence his community experienced in May 2021 during the last Gaza war.
AMIR AHMAD BADRAN: We are asking our neighbors and partners, Jewish citizens of Jaffa to take part together with us so we can save each other’s back, save each other’s properties and save each other’s families and synagogues and mosques.
BEARDSLEY: He says within hours, 500 people had joined a webinar. Two days later, there were 3,000 neighbors in a WhatsApp group. Their community forum has many activities.
(SOUNDBITE OF POSTERS RUSTLING)
BEARDSLEY: One team is putting up posters along a busy road in Jaffa. Jewish volunteer Eytal Kuttnev reads out what’s written on the posters.
EYTAL KUTTNEV: (Reading) No racism, no violence – in Hebrew and Arab. Jaffa is for all of us. You need help, you need to report about violence, event or incitement, call us.
BEARDSLEY:…
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