On July 6, a telephone conference was arranged between me and Mayor Eli Moyal of the Israeli city of Sderot. Many of its inhabitants are immigrants from places like Russia, Morocco and Ethiopia. They settle in Sderot for the same reasons that bring thousands of newcomers to Los Angeles every year: the basic human desire to find a new life in a new land and to build something better for one’s family.
I called Mayor Moyal to express our city’s concern for the children of his city. World events have put Sderot on the map. Because of the bombs that have fallen on its classrooms and campuses, the children of Sderot attend schools with reinforced roofs. The entire city’s sense of normalcy has been shattered in recent months by a regular barrage of Qassam rockets that rain down on the town every day.
My conversation with Mayor Moyal was interrupted five times by five separate rocket attacks. This was both a connecting and humbling experience, and one that I will always remember.
An act of courage can be as simple as a man staying on the telephone while bombs are falling. Mayor Moyal and the people of Sderot have a profound lesson for all of us about living life and pushing on.
Antonio Villaraigosa was sworn in as Mayor of Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2005.
