By Alon Davidi, Mayor of Sderot – January 10, 2024
Until the morning of Oct. 7, the town of Sderot in southern Israel was a parable of hope and success. Less than a mile from the Gaza border, it emerged a few years after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war as a haven for Jewish refugees fleeing antisemitic persecution — from North Africa, Kurdish lands, Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. I am a second-generation Israeli; my parents found refuge in Israel from Iran.
Those people forged a city brimming with cultural richness, industrial vitality and a spirit of coexistence.
The trials of those who built Sderot were indeed traumatic but did not define them. The city’s residents devoted themselves to moving on and forging a flourishing future built on educating the next generation.
Source:
The Agony and Determination of Sderot/New York Times, January 10, 2024, by Alon Davidi