Ensure Akko's Proud Jewish Future "We'll Never Flee in the Face of Terror"

• Author: Sponsored Content
• Published date: 08 June 2021
• Date: 08 June 2021
• Publication title: Israel National News (Israel)

And while the stories have largely disappeared from the headlines, the trauma remains part of our lives.

After decades of building a strong and proud Jewish community in one of Israel's most beautiful and culturally and historically rich towns, our Jewish families are in a state of constant fear – afraid to walk outside at night and unsure if a quick trip to the supermarket will cost us our lives.

On one of the early evenings of the Akko riots, Elad Barzilai, a beloved local teacher, set out to ensure that his students were home and weren't exposed to the violence. A gang of Arab youth ambushed his car and pulled him to the ground. He was horrifically lynched, beaten to the brink of death. The last few weeks have been spent in critical condition as we hope and pray for his full recovery.

Support this historic project and help ensure that in the face of terror, the Jewish community of Akko is here to stay

The tragedy of these and other violent events is not simply the terror they have injected within the community, but also how it's shattered any hope of real safety and tranquility that had defined life in Akko.

But despite the fear, we know that our presence here is as important as ever. In the wake of these events, we know there are those who argue that the concept of "mixed cities" is impossible in today's day and age – that Arabs and Jews cannot live together and perhaps we should just pick up and leave.

We believe just the opposite. We came to live here specifically because we know that Jewish communities all-across the Israeli map need to be strengthened. We were not ignorant to the fact that there would be challenges and we knew that riots had engulfed our beloved city too many times in the past.

Support this historic project and help ensure that in the face of terror, the Jewish community of Akko is here to stay

But if that past has taught us anything, it's that Jews cannot simply flee in the face of terror.

We will strengthen our community, we will work that much harder to ensure our safety and we will intensify...