Israel's Jews flock to Arab towns for Christmas

BAQA AL-GHARBIYYEH, Israel — Until a few years ago, Jewish Israelis who wanted to get into the Christmas spirit had to travel to towns with a large Christian population like Haifa and Nazareth. The situation is remarkably different today, with an increasing number of Arab towns and villages are organizing Christmas markets, with invitations to Israelis getting printed in Hebrew, to attract the Jewish population.

The unease about Christmas among the Jewish population in Israel is gradually becoming something from the past. Israelis would travel to Europe to visit Christmas markets, but skipped the holiday markets in their own country.