A Facebook post shared by a Jewish woman following a heartwarming meeting with her Palestinian neighbour has gone viral on social media.
With the situation in the Middle East looking increasingly bleak, the woman appealed to people across the world to reach out to each other to build bonds and restore faith in humanity.
Militant group Hamas coordinated a surprise offensive on Israel on 7th October 2023, killing thousands of people.
Israel has since responded by conducting airstrikes in the Gaza Strip and orchestrating a siege by cutting off the supply of electricity, water, food and essential medications.
Taking to social media, the heartfelt post read:
“I am Jewish. My neighbor Zahia is Palestinian Muslim. Today, I brought her baklava, a homemade tea blend and homemade soap, and a large orchid. She took me into her arms and we cried. We talked for a long long time. Her husband served me arabic coffee and she served me stuffed grape leaves. They sent me home with more grape leaves, lamb for Greg, a kaffiyeh, and their last bag of cardamom coffee from Palestine. They talked about how nice Greg is for shoveling their snow. She said she would make kenafe ( my favorite Palestinian desert)for me. Stop making change theoretical and abstract. It is knocking on neighbor’s doors and sharing coffee and sweets. It is telling each other stories. It is heart to heart, neighbor to neighbor. We are all human. We all want a place to call home and for our babies and grandmothers to be safe. Peace begins with me. “
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