We were absolutely devastated to report that the landmark Akko Theater - which also houses Dror Israel's Jam in Akko - was set on fire Friday night in the third day of wanton violent ethno-religious rioting in beautiful Akko which is threatening the delicate fabric of shared life here. Thank God, nobody was hurt in the fire.
For the past 10 years, the Jam has nurtured local artists and brought national acts to Akko, where there are so few other cultural events attracting young adults to have fun in their own city. We are still assessing the extent of the destruction, but no matter what the damage to the space or equipment, our hearts have definitely been broken.
Though we were saddened by this event, our hearts were emboldened by the Jewish and Arab residents of Akko's old city who came out to show the true colors of the city. Bringing cleaning equipment from home, they put out what remained of the smoldering fire and tried to clean up the surrounding area as much as possible. These actions send a loud and clear message- the extremist rioters do not represent and will not destroy our shared city!
