People in the South are grateful when visitors come despite the rockets. But visitors are grateful to the residents for their perseverance.
Residents of Sderot, a southern Israeli town that has suffered missiles from Gaza not only during the past several weeks, but for years, appreciated a spontaneous visit from Ramat Beit Shemesh last Friday.
Binyamin and Barbara Lemkin and their son Daniel, 5, were joined by Atara and Meyer Beck and Ilana Ovadya on a trip through Shaar Hanegev to Sderot. They were warmly greeted in the sleepy town where tourists rarely visit due to ongoing rockets fired from Hamas.
Atara Beck, senior writer/editor at UWI, was in the south a number of times as a reporter. The Lemkins, owners of Lemkin Realty, suggested going that day to cheer up the people of Sderot during this time of crisis.
When the visitors stopped to take a photo at the city entrance, they were surprised by the honking and waving from cars that passed by; the drivers were thrilled to see them.
The visitors did some pre-Shabbat shopping and spent time in a café, where one other lone customer began chatting with them, saying how grateful he was for the support and that despite the difficulties, he would never leave the south. The visitors expressed gratitude to civilians in the area, who have been in the front lines in the war with Hamas.
Written by: United with Israel Staff