Mayor Ron Huldai, as other mayors before him, always likes to show how he’s the mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, with an emphasis on the “Jaffa”. Because, sometimes, even a mayor can forget there are Arabs living in his town.
So, I thought it was great that he made an effort to personally wish a happy Ramadan to all the Muslim residents of Jaffa, by putting up signs all over the Arab neighborhoods.
Here’s one, right in the center of Jaffa, on the main drag:
Oooo! And here’s another one! In the middle of Yefet st. (Jewish street name, but that doesn’t matter, right?)
Oh! But wait a minute… let’s look a bit closer at what the sign says:
Let’s take a look, shall we?
“The city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa
Happy Holiday
wished by:
Ron Huldai
Mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa”
So wait… there’s a crescent. And a star. But it’s all in Hebrew. Nothing in Arabic.
And, it doesn’t even have the word “Ramadan” on it.
So, who is this sign for? For the Jews buying up property in the mass gentrification of Jaffa? Is this a message to them?
But they’re Jews, right?
Oh well. Maybe Huldai is right. The Arabs will just “get it”.
Or maybe, just maybe it’s a guessing game! Especially for Ramadan!
Man, that Huldai really has the holiday spirit.
For sure.