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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
AUGUST 4, 2022
50
One Summer Later How the Riots in Lod Shattered an Israeli Mindset by MiriaM Sara Leff
“T
hey were Jews in need of help. Of course, I went.” Akiva’s fierce answer was in response to my question of why he chose to go to Lod to protect the endangered Jews there one year ago. He told me, simply, that he had no choice. He could not sit back on his living room couch and watch what was happening on television. Not that he has television. Akiva Hacohen is religious, married, and a father of nine. He lives in the Shomron in the small agricultural town of Yitzhar. Last summer, he was one of hundreds who heard what was happening in Lod and dropped everything, choosing to wade through fire – literally – to save his brothers.
