Israeli Arab leader Mansour Abbas visits synagogue torched in Lod
The central Israeli town saw several days of rioting and clashes between Arab and Jewish residents
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
One of Israel’s most senior Arab politicians visited a synagogue torched by rioters in Lod last week in a show of solidarity with its congregants.
Mansour Abbas, the leader of the United Arab List, said he wanted to demonstrate that “Islam is not like that and real Muslims are not like that”.
He said the visit to the Dosa Synagogue — during which he did not don a kippah — was a spontaneous one on the invitation of the central Israeli town’s mayor, Yair Revivo.
Several synagogues were set ablaze by Arab mobs during several days of rioting in Lod, which also saw Jewish extremists hurl rocks at Arab Israelis.
One Arab resident was shot and killed by a Jewish Israeli in contested circumstances.
The UAL leader drew criticism from some supporters for meeting Revivo, a onetime Likud election chief who once hailed the arrival of new religious Jews in Lod as having “saved” it from becoming an Arab city.
But Abbas said: “And for those who attack me, saying that I met a settler, I say that I met him in his official capacity as the mayor of Lod. I met him because he represents the other side in the dispute,.”
In a post on his Facebook account Revivo described Abbas’s visit as an act of bravery and added: “we must encourage more voices who condemn violence and choose a shared life without finding any expression of his past.”
Abbas had been leading negotiations on potentially joining an Israeli governing coalition with the centrist Yair Lapid and right-wing Naftali Bennett prior to the upsurge in sectarian violence and conflict in Gaza.
The talks have been frozen, but not yet been formally called off.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
