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A Jewish-owned building in Pekiin was the target of arsonists early Monday,
raising questions once more about the safety of Jews in the ancient Galilee
village, recognized for hundreds of years as a place where mutual respect
reigned between the local Jews and Arab Druze.

The building, purchased four months ago, was
in the process of being renovated to become a hostel as well as a pit stop for
soldiers. It is located next to a spring in the center of the Peki'in, which
is located 10 miles west of Tzfat. Police said the arson was meant as a
warning by militant Druze youth to other Druze and Christian families who would
consider selling their homes to Jews.
Peki'in is notable for its place in Jewish history. The Zohar, the most
important book of the Kabbalah, was written by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in a cave
apparently in Peki'in, where he hid during the 2nd century to avoid persecution
by the Romans.
Recent anti-Semitic violence prompted an exodus of Jews from the
predominantly Druze-Christian village, primarily families who had recently moved to the
village. The last of the nine Jewish families that quit the community held out
until their car was torched on a Friday night, convincing them it was time to
go.
Ruth and Abel De Jung, both of whom are Holocaust survivors, said when they
left that they had moved to Pekiin from Holland to live in a place where
people of all religions live side by side
Elderly resident Margalit Zinati, whose family has lived in the village for
centuries, remained.
Last November, riots erupted after Druze youths vandalized a cellular phone
antenna in the nearby Jewish town of New Pekin. The violence began when
police entered the village to search for the vandals. Dozens of local residents
and police officers were injured in the clashes, including three rioters who
were shot.
Four Jewish homes in Peki'in were burned during the riots.