Social protest: 'This is why we left Israel'
Dozens of Israelis gather in LA Park in show of solidarity with social protestors, claim cost of living led them to leave Israel
WASHINGTON – Dozens of Israelis residing in Los Angeles rallied in the city's Woodley Park on Sunday in a show of solidarity with Israel's housing protestors.
Four Israeli expats organized the protest via Facebook and said as many as 200 people participated in the rally. Similar displays of solidarity were also seen Sunday in New York and Washington DC.
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Dekel Sofer, 31, said that many Israelis relocated to the US because of financial difficulties. "There are hundreds of thousands of Israelis here and many would return if there was a change in the cost of living and the housing rates," the owner of a medical cannabis shop said.
Messages on the event's Facebook page echoed this feeling. "Every day young couples and bright minds leave Israel over daily financial pressure and this is reflected in the hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in Los Angeles," one message said.
"We must send a clear message: We live here and not in Israel for these exact reasons."
Israeli expats protest in Woodley Park (Photo: Dekel Sofer)
The LA protest organizers stressed that it was their duty to support the cause and urged web users to join the protest with tents, signs and guitars.
The NY rally was organized by Omri Ariav, an Israeli law student currently visiting his sister in New York. "I couldn't get over what was going on in Israel," he explained.
"In the past year I did more than 30 days of active reserve duty," Omri noted. "I can barely keep a car and a rented apartment with a roommate."
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