A Resident of Lod: 'We Returned to the City and Held a Brit for Our Son, They Won't Break Us'

About a month ago, when the riots in Lod began, the Chovav family, residents of the city, took their two young children and moved to Jerusalem, to the parents' home. In the meantime, they learned that their car was set on fire, and their apartment was broken into and vandalized.

In the past two weeks, they returned to live in their home, and this week they even celebrated a brit for a new baby who was born and joined the family. It was symbolic that the ceremony was held in the heart of their neighborhood - Ramat Eshkol. "There were guests who were afraid to come, but we didn't give in," explains Yuval, the father. "We ensured we had security, and thus held the brit at the synagogue, while around us you could hear the imams from the mosques. It was important for us to convey the message that despite everything that happened, we are here to stay, and not only that, but we will continue to spread light and do good deeds, because that's the purpose we came here for."

Pure Vandalism

The young Chovav family has been living in Lod for the past two years. "In Ramat Eshkol neighborhood, about 70% of the residents are Arab and about 30% are Jewish," Yuval explains, "Among them is the religious core as well as elderly and underprivileged populations, like the Amidar residents. In fact, this neighborhood was hit hardest in the riots, more than any other area in Lod."

According to him, during the two years he has lived with his family in the neighborhood, quite a good relationship developed between him and the veteran Jewish neighbors, as well as a not-bad relationship with the Arab residents. "Honestly, we were very surprised when the riots began," he says. "We felt a terrible sense of betrayal, really a stab in the back, literally. Even now, when things have relatively calmed down, the Arab neighbors continue to treat us as if we stole something from them, calling us 'settlers,' as if this place isn't ours. All this while at no point did we intend to expel anyone from the city, we just wanted to add good to those living here, including the Arab residents who really only benefited, because since we arrived we keep constantly improving the neighborhood's infrastructure."

What did you do during the riots? How did you cope?

"On the first two days, we were at home with our young children, but we quickly realized we couldn't stay locked in when outside there were constant sounds of explosions, stones being thrown, and Molotov cocktails. We decided to remove the children from this difficult situation, and really left with them to Jerusalem, to be at the parents' home."

However, while they were on the way to Jerusalem, Yuval and his wife received a message that their car had been set on fire by the Arabs. Later, they also found out that their home was broken into and that the rioters destroyed everything they could. "What was horrifying is that this was really a break-in for the sake of break-in," Yuval says. "When I returned to the place, I discovered the house floor covered with pepper spray, cabinet doors uprooted, lamps smashed, and holy books torn. In practice, they stole nothing, it was pure vandalism. I do not know who broke in, but certainly, there were collaborators from the close neighbors, who could show exactly where my apartment is and where the car is parked. Because none of the Arab cars were set on fire, only mine. When I entered the house to check what happened, neighbors came around and started hurling insults and cursing me, shouting that we are the ones to blame for everything, telling me very harsh things."

Were you surprised by this behavior?

"Yes, it was very surprising. Lod has been a mixed city since the establishment of the state, but there had never been anything similar in scale to the riots we experienced. Yes, we always knew that the population living here is very difficult, there are many crime stories, even shootings in the neighborhood are not uncommon. But usually, it happens between Arab crime gangs themselves. Occasionally, there are violent provocations against Jews, but there had never been such nationalist terrorism. I was surprised to find the same Arab neighbors, with whom we had previously cooperated on many occasions and promoted various municipal topics - exactly they were the ones who suddenly turned on us and simply broke our homes."

Continuing to Do Good

As the riots in Lod intensified, Yuval came to the conclusion that he wanted to leave his family in Jerusalem and return himself to the city during the daytime. "I wanted to help with everything needed," he explains, "and in fact, there were a lot of such things because in those days we founded a volunteer group that guarded and protected the homes."

Weren't you afraid?

"Clearly, it wasn't pleasant, to say the least, to walk around the neighborhood during those days, especially in the first two days before the police managed to establish their presence there. However, it was clear to us that we are waging a very significant battle, which would decide if the neighborhood would remain a Jewish neighborhood with an Arab population, as it was until now, or if it would become a conquered neighborhood that shifts into Arab hands. In hindsight, it is clear to me that if we had given up, that's exactly what would have happened.

"Beyond that, I returned to the neighborhood in the simplest sense - to help the residents. As I mentioned, there are many very weak families in our neighborhood, those who do not have the ability to get up and leave, even if they want to. Our presence during those days and the help we provided them, even in simple purchases of bread and milk, was a real lifesaver."

As mentioned, last week Yuval and his wife had another son, who joined their four-year-old and two-year-old children. "We had no doubt about the location of the brit," Yuval says, "We held it at the nearby synagogue, right in the heart of the neighborhood. Some guests feared to come, but as I mentioned, we placed a security guard at the entrance to allay fears. It was very important for us to convey the message that against all evil and darkness, we want to add light and good, and nothing will be able to break us. That is also why we gave our son the name 'Yahal,' a name that symbolizes light, because ultimately we believe that the light of our good deeds will drive away the darkness more than anything. Of course, all this does not negate the fact that we demand from the state and the municipal authority to do everything possible to curb the riots, like increasing security or stopping the incitement from the imams in the mosques. Our aspiration is from this pain to only grow and prosper, and we are sure that with Hashem's help, we will succeed."