LOD, Israel — Hanadi Essa Basel has a lot on her plate as the manager of the Mosaic Community Center in Lod, a city of some 80,000 in central Israel. It has transformed its operations to respond to the war: There are psychologists on staff and workshops for young children to help them process emotions in a time of trauma. She called it an "emergency room" for anyone affected — "Jewish and Arab communities alike."
But when asked about her mission in this moment, as Israel mourns the more than 1,400 people killed in this month's unprecedented attack by Hamas militants and prepares for a major ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, Basel described something more fundamental: "It's very important for us to go through this period unharmed and safely."
