President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday morning 18 Tishrei inaugurated the President’s first travelling Sukkah, this year in the city of Lod. The President was greeted by the Lod Mayor Yair Revivo who said, “The city of Lod is proud to welcome you and we are glad that you chose here to open one of your first projects as President. Lod is a mosaic of Israel’s communities; ultra-orthodox, religious, secular, Jewish, Arab, old and young, all are part of the city of Lod, and we are all happy that you have honored us today.”

The president opened a roundtable discussion with the participation of the Mayor of Lod, Yair Revivo; Itzik Shmuli MK (Labor); Lod Municipality Director General, Aaron Atias; Director of the Religious Zionist ‘Garin’ (social action community), Benny Printz; Lod Council Member with responsibility for Youth Affairs, Shmuel Bawanish; Local Student Union Director, Yuval Bdolah; Deputy Manager of Lod Student Village, Michael Manchik; Executive Director of the Lod Development Foundation Laliv Sandner; and ‘Blonder Chicago Arab-Jewish Community Center’ Manager, Faten Alzinati.

Itzik Shmuli MK began the discussion, “Welcome to our city. Today marks the completion of a circle for me – today is the first time Lod is being recognized as a model city, and a source of pride. If we are to think about a different State of Israel, it is very much our job as the youth. There is nothing clever in complaining to government, there is wisdom in taking the initiative and acting, even if in a small way. Choose the smallest issue which will bring change. We chose to come to the city of Lod.”

Community center manager, Faten Alzinati, told the President, “I am delighted to be involved in what the city is promoting. Lod is a city that recognizes me, my religion, my identity. We were able to prove we can live together in our city. Arab society wants to be equal among equals.”

President Rivlin closed the debate and said, ‘I am happy to sit down with our country’s very best of sons and daughters here today. Indeed, Lod is the very best of Israel as a melting pot. It is a microcosm of Israel and I urge all to come to Lod, and witness the essence of the ability of living together. Anyone can complain and whine and call for help, but here there are people who came to make change. It is not by chance that I chose to come today to Lod. Together, we will turn the city of Lod into the model view of the State of Israel.”

President Rivlin then continued on to visit the sukkas of a number of organizations active in Lod, including the sukkas of Ayalim and the student union, Lod Youth Center, Lod Development Foundation, and the Lod Religious Zionist ‘Garin’ (social action community). At the Ayalim and student union sukkah, the President spoke with students who moved to live in Lod, who explained to the President about the various projects in which they are involved, such as the ‘Lod Run’, which they arranged for the first time this year.

The president then visited the Lod Youth Center’s sukkah, where he was presented with a book, “Hopes and Dreams” of Lod’s youth, which the organization had collated in honor of the president’s visit, from the young people from the city. Israel Crispin, a young 20-year-old religious resident of Lod, who serves in the Ministry of Defense, told the president that he is planning to create a technology center in the city where young people will have the opportunity to develop technology that will become central to Israel’s industry.

The president also visited the Lod Development Foundation’s sukkah where he was shown unique and innovative projects designed to lead to significant social change, and help realize the potential of the city of Lod. The president noted the importance of the foundation’s work and urged that the government continue to develop the city. At the sukkah of the Religious Zionist ‘Garin’, an organization has been working for nearly twenty years to strengthen the city of Lod, the president met with kindergarten children who drew pictures with him and told him about their life in the city.

The president concluded his visit with a greeting to the city’s residents. He said, “The prophets foretold that the streets of Jerusalem would be filled with children playing, in Lod there is no need for such a prophecy as we bear witness to the fulfilment of this very dream and foretelling. Jerusalem’s prosperity, which was predicted to reach Damascus according to the book of Devarim, has certainly reached Lod as well.

The city of Lod is growing, flourishing, and has becoming a beacon for the future of the State of Israel, with wonderful children. We have children here with us from all the ethnic groups of the city of Lod. Everyone sits together, as brethren together, and celebrate the various holidays now taking place in Israel, as we the Jewish people celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkos today.

“The holiday of Sukkos signifies more than anything the commitment to unity of the Jewish people, even in times of disagreements and arguments, and when we don’t always agree among ourselves. However we all realize that we live here, this is our home, this is our land, this is our country, where everyone should be equal.”

The president then addressed the children, “Dear children, here in Lod you receive a wonderful education, great opportunities, and a wonderful quality of life. It is important to note that your parents have done a lot in order for you to live a better society, which can support every individual, and every family.” He then congratulated Lod’s Mayor, “I congratulate you in setting up a city, which from its earliest days looked forward, in creating a process from which you cannot turn back, and now you clearly face the future”.

Mr. Rivlin concluded by wishing all those attending a good yomtov and said, “May we all have a good year, a year of peace and tranquility in the State of Israel, a year of gaining knowledge, a year in which we will all be healthy and strong and we shall grew not only physically but also in our minds. May we be healthy, strong, and last but not least, may we be friends. Everyone is blessed with this sukkah from Jerusalem which has traveled to the city of Lod. Both myself and the mayor are guests in the sukkah today, we are both “Ushpizin”, as the Mayor is my guest in the traveling Presidential Sukkah and I am his guest in Lod’s sukkah, which stands strongly for the glory of the State of Israel. May we only know times of joy, holidays and festivities.”

The President invited the residents to join him in his sukkah at the President’s Residence tomorrow and said, “Today I am your guest and tomorrow you will be my guests”. The event continued after the president’s departure, with a variety of stalls and activities for all ages.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)