The Israel Real Estate Show was a “unique opportunity” for Jews looking to purchase property in Israel, says Jack Gindy, one of the leaders of the Syrian Jewish Community in Brooklyn. Speaking to Arutz Sheva from the Israel Real Estate Show on Sunday, November 14 in Brooklyn, which was held in cooperation with Arutz Sheva , Gindy praises the event: “It’s a unique opportunity for anyone to purchase an apartment, a home, a piece of land in Israel. It is a special unique opportunity for the privilege, and I'm blessed to have that opportunity, and I’m glad to be here.” Gindy recently visited Israel as part of a Yesha Council delegation. “It was a unique and special opportunity. We were on the ground and we were able to see highways, roads, tunnels, bridges, communities side by side,” he says. “I had an opportunity to meet with people living in peace, both on the Palestinian and Israeli side.” He adds: “It was really a breathtaking experience, and something I won’t soon forget.” He notes that Judea and Samaria was divided post-Oslo into Areas A, B and C, with Israel granted Area C, and that they saw “Bedouins and Arabs pitching tents on the outskirts of Area C.” “And the Israel government is doing nothing against it. They’re not taking these tents down. Tents become homes, homes become buildings, and eventually you have whole neighborhoods in Area C.” Gindy adds: “You hear in the media that Jews are taking lands from Arabs. I saw none of that. In fact to be contrary, we saw Arabs pitching tents in Area C, areas that were designated to Israeli control.” He mentions that on the trip, they visited a factory in the Barkan Industrial Park. “There we met with several Palestinian employees who were in love with their employer, love their job, love the quality of life the employment provides them. They talked about how they are looking for a better future for their children, they’re not involved in the politics. They’re not involved in fighting. They’re looking for an economic opportunity for them and their children.” When asked about the Syrian Jewish Community of Brooklyn, Gindy replies that they are an “insular and special community.” “The community lives primarily in the Flatbush, Midwood area of Brooklyn. The community is not exclusively Syrian. We have wonderful families from Egypt, Lebanon, Israel and the surrounding areas,” says Gindy who is a third generation American whose great grandfather came to Brooklyn form Aleppo, Syria in 1910. “We’re an Orthodox Jewish community of several denominations. We live in peace. We are active in the yeshivot and in the synagogues. And of course, in business. I’m very proud to call myself a Syrian Jew.”
