MAKOM is a network of communities supported by Jewish National Fund-USA focused on empowering and revitalizing towns and villages throughout Israel through social action and community-building activities. These 240 MAKOM communities along with thousands of members, initiate, engage, and are involved in developing the Negev and Galilee, serving as a vehicle of change for strengthening Israel’s social fabric.
"In recent years we have witnessed a phenomenon of violence in the Arab sector that is increasingly effecting the daily lives of many innocent citizens. Children are afraid to leave their houses, there are shootings in homes and businesses every day, and innocent people are being murdered on an alarmingly frequent basis," MAKOM chairman Adam Lattarulo said.
Members of the council paid a solidarity visit to the mayor of Umm al-Fahm to show empathy for the difficult situation in which his community, and many others, find themselves.
The visit was also intended to place pressure on the police and on the government to work to eradicate this phenomenon. It is not a unique issue to the Arab sector alone, it is a problem that can be seen across Israel, Jews and Arabs, left and right alike, are all affected by violent crime.
"Communities must think about how to strengthen the safety of the areas they live in by recruiting community members to help, whilst also strengthening the police forces," Lattarulo said.
After visiting Umm al-Fahm, MAKOM visited the families of those who died in the Mount Meron tragedy.