Jerusalem’s Silwan Shows Coexistence is Possible

Tuesday, December 09, 2014 | Aviel Schneider ISRAEL TODAY

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The international media heavily criticizes Jewish life in what is today called the Arab neighborhood of Silwan near Jerusalem’s Old City.

Every time a Jewish family moves into what historically was the City of David, it is presented as an act of provocation by so-called "settlers."

The media is quick to jump on stories of riots, stone-throwing and other violence in Silwan, but in reality there is a quiet and functioning coexistence between the neighborhood’s Jews and Arabs.

Jewish and Arab children playing peacefully on local streets never makes the evening news. Nor does a wedding invitation in Arabic hanging on the refrigerators doors of several local Jewish families. But even if it’s invisible to the world’s eyes, local Jews and Arabs often work together.

The Jewish residents speak of this openly. The Arabs, however, have to be more careful, often only speaking anonymously.

"One day," an Arab man named Bassem told us, "men knocked on my door and told me that it was forbidden from that moment on to work for Jews. The next morning, the tires of my car were slashed. I got the message. It wasn’t long before all 70 of the local Arabs working at the Jewish [archeological] excavation site quit their jobs."

The upcoming January issue of Israel Today Magazine includes additional interviews with Jewish and Arab residents of Silwan and a deeper analysis of the situation there.

Don’t miss this important article - SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

While Bassem toes the party line when it comes to criticizing Israel, he has nothing against the Jewish "settlers" who are his neighbors.

"I wish all my neighbors were like them [the Jews]," said Bassem. "But if you post my picture, or include my name, then you can be sure that my wife will be a widow and my children orphans! I know what I'm talking about. Some Palestinians were already killed just because they were suspected of having worked for the Jews."

Another local Arab who asked that we not even give him a pseudonym for fear of retaliation added, "I've driven pregnant Jewish women to the hospital several times on Shabbat [a day on which religious Jews won’t drive]. And Jews have helped me to apply for social assistance. Unfortunately, we also have Hamas and Islamic Jihad people among us who can not stand it when we live together in peace with the Jews."

Rabbi Doli Bassok, who is on the committee that moves new Jewish families into Silwan, also spoke of a muted coexistence. "We don’t always trust the Arabs, but we do respect them," he said. "None of us hate the Arabs."

Today, some 90 Jewish families totaling a little more than 600 people live in Silwan among just under 40,000 Arabs. Their presence is seen as a bulwark against efforts to again divide Jerusalem.

The upcoming January issue of Israel Today Magazine includes additional interviews with Jewish and Arab residents of Silwan and a deeper analysis of the situation there.

Don’t miss this important article - SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

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Wednesday, December 10, 2014