Coming upon the heels of the recent events, the presence of 150 Jews from the Jewish colonies near Petach Tikvah at the wedding of a nephew of Sheik Abu Kishek; was seen as holding a promise for future amicable relations between the two sections of the Palestine population.
Bedouin dances, ending with Hebrew and Arabic songs were arranged in honor of the guests, who included Jewish planters and colonists from Petach Tikvah, Kfar Saba, Magdiel, Raanana and Herzliah, at the wedding which was held in the vicinity of Petach Tikvah. In accordance with Arabic traditions, a sheep was slaughtered and served the guests in Arab fashion as a sign of friendship. Jewish and non-Jewish foreign correspondents were among the guests, invited by Abu Kishek who, in 1921, was the leader of the Arab attack on Petach Tikvah. He was arrested and subsequently released at the order of Sir Herbert Samuel, then High Commissioner, on the Sheik’s undertaking good behavior in the future. The Sheik kept his promise ever since. During the recent disturbances no attack was made on Petach Tikvah.
Abraham Shapiro, a colonist of Petach Tikvah, speaking at the feast, thanked the Sheik for his hospitality and expressed the hope that peace will reign throughout the country.
This is not the only example of Arab-Jewish fraternization since the attack. The newspapers daily report such incidents, even during the height of the disturbances. Today the newspapers report an incident which took place on Friday, August 23, the first day of the outbreak. Two Jews arriving in Jerusalem from Hebron ran into an infuriated mob of Arabs near the railway station. They were saved by Arabs employed by the Shell Oil Company, who concealed them until it was possible to send them to the city in an automobile.
A Jewish fisherman from Tiberias arriving in Nazareth on that day was dealt a severe blow in the eye by an Arab who shouted, “Kill the heretic.” An Arab merchant took the Jew into his store and protected him until he was able to secure a police escort to take the fisherman back to Tiberias.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
