The Lod Community Foundation bid to include the city of Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv, on the World Monument Fund’s list of World Heritage Sites has been accepted.

To celebrate last week the foundation, created at the end of 2008 by Aviv Wasserman, hosted a festive happening. The Lod Foundation‘s aim is to advance a strategic agenda, agreed-upon by the representatives of the various communities in the city. The agenda includes the launching of several projects to develop a new model of Jewish-Arab partnership.

Philanthropists from Israel and abroad, leading businesspeople, religious leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, ministers in the government and representatives of the Jewish and Arab communities in Lod were all partners in the event on November 18. Guests visited ‘open houses’ of members of the city’s different communities, sampled dishes prepared by Jewish and Arab chefs at the ethnic food festival, attended a performance by singer/songwriter David Broza and viewed the photography exhibit entitled ‘Lod – Past and Present.’ Alex Libak, winner of the Israel Prize for Photography, is the curator of the exhibit.