Davka, this week I heard two Arab Muslims, born and raised here, state unequivocally that Israeli rule is what they want.
I work with Arabs in Yafiz, Sha’ar Binyamin, which is connected to the Rami Levy Discount Supermarket chain. When I accepted the job I had no idea that I’d be working with and dealing with Arabs. I needed a job,and the manager of the branch said that she wanted me to join and work with her. To be honest, I don’t mind working with and dealing with all the Arabs who come to Sha’ar Binyamin. First of all, if they work or shop in a Jewish store, they have passed an important test as far as I’m concerned. The PA-Palestinian Authority periodically persecutes them in all sorts of ways. That’s the reason the amount of Arab customers goes up and down. The Arabs who work here enjoy the salary and benefits, which are far superior to what they could get in Arab business, unless they’re “on the take.”
Early in the week, I attended David Bedein’s Israel Advocacy Day, in which Bassam Eid gave one of his amazing talks. Click here for the video. Bassam Eid is very public about his support for Israel and assistance that Israeli sovereignty would be best for Arabs.
I view the Arabs who work and shop in places like Rami Levy/Yafiz, Sha’ar Binyamin (and similar businesses and shopping areas) as agreeing with Eid, voting with their “feet,” or should I say wallet.
More on the customers I meet at work:
The other day a family came into the shoe store. I suddenly realized that they were speaking a mishmash of Arabic and Hebrew, except for one child who consistently stuck to very slang-filled Hebrew, like any ordinary Israeli of his age. I began to wonder if they were among those very ambitious Arab families who try to get their kids comfortable in Hebrew, so they can “pass.” I had one of those a while ago; they said they live in Pisgat Zeev and pushed the kids to speak Hebrew with me. After choosing a few pairs of shoes, they relaxed and told me the story. One of the parents had a Jewish father whose deathbed wish was that they return to his people, who are kinder and better than the Arabs.
The family decided to take that advice and aren’t sorry. I was told how wonderful and generous Israel has been to them. They are in the process of converting now. (Their details disguised since I didn’t get permission to tell story.)
This morning I saw a related article in the paper about a Muslim who is in favor of Israel.
‘I was the campus anti-Semite,’ says reformed Muslim Zionist
Hafeez, 32, is a British Muslim of Pakistani origin whose full time job now, is working as the Outreach Coordinator for Christians United for Israel. But some ten years ago, he was busy making noise on his own campus, in the opposite direction: “If Israel even sneezed in the wrong direction we were protesting. We held events with speakers who were blatantly anti-Semitic, but we couched it by saying they were anti-Zionist. I was generally obnoxious, loud and threatening,” he admits.
When it seems like the whole world is against us, against the State of Israel and Jewish Rights to our Holy Land, it is so refreshing and encouraging to see that we do have support. Things aren’t s black as we think.
Friday was Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av, the first day of the Jewish Month of Av, which is now a time of mourning. Chazal, our sages, tell us that when we are redeemed, when the Moshiach comes, the mourning days of this month will be days of joy. May it happen במהירה בימינו bimhaira biyameinu, “speedily in our days…” Gd willing!