Dear Jeff and Mr. and Mrs. Perez,
On behalf of me, Spencer, Mallory, Ben, Alex, and Brittney I would like to thank you endlessly for coordinating our Shabbat dinner with the Perez family. It was truly one of the best experiences, and I speak on behalf of the group when I say they were some of the warmest and most welcoming people. We couldn’t have been happier to be there until 2 am, and we couldn’t have felt more comfortable – especially being so far away from home and from our own families.
The food was amazing, but the hospitality, warmth and loving atmosphere the Perez family created far outshined even the chocolate challah (which was a great way to start the meal- for sure). On behalf of all of us, thank you for coordinating, and most importantly, thank you to the Perez family for hosting us. That was something we’ll never forget, and we’ve been reminiscing about it ever since the meal ended (albeit, that wasn’t so long ago considering it went until 2:00, but like I said- we wouldn’t have had it any other way 🙂 ). All the best with everything!
Take care,
Rebecca Soverinsky
George Deek is an Arab-Israeli diplomat. In 2018, Deek was appointed Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan. He is the first Israeli Arab Christian to become an ambassador. Deek grew up in an Eastern Orthodox Christian family in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, in a building where the other tenants included Muslims, Catholics, Jews and a Catholic priest of Jewish ancestry.[2][3] His father, who worked as a tax advisor,[3] was one of the leaders of the Christian community in Jaffa who served as chairman of the Orthodox Association, and was considered a well-known and popular figure in the city until in 2015 a square was inaugurated in his memory in Jaffa in the presence of Mayor Ron Huldai.[4] According to Deek, his grandparents fled to Lebanon for safety when the 1947–1949 Palestine war, having been told that the Jews would slaughter them if they remained in their homes, but expecting to return home once Arab armies defeated the Jews.[3] According to Deek, when the war ended, his grandparents felt that they had been “deceived”, and decided to return illegally to their home in Jaffa rather than remaining in Lebanon as refugees. Since reentering the country was illegal, Deek’s grandfather, an electrician, was arrested and jailed.
