Ramat Eshkol - Old City

Where are we?

Ramat Eshkol is a bustling neighborhood nestled in the mixed city of Lod. Only 10 kilometers from vibrant Tel Aviv, this diverse microcosm of Israel lies on the nation's social periphery. With a complex history, Lod today retains a poor reputation within the Israeli narrative. A deeper look into its communities reveals that Lod is full of committed leaders, promising change-makers, and a sense of hope.

Lod is often referred to as a mosaic of ethnicities, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the neighborhood of Ramat Eshkol. In Ramat Eshkol, the population is 70% Arab and 30% Jewish. The Jewish community is composed of migrants from Ethiopia, Russia, India, Georgia, Tunisia, and Morocco, and the Arab community is composed of Bedouins, historic Muslims, Christians, and families from the West Bank and Gaza.

Mosaic-Multicultural Center in Lod is an organization based out of the Chicago Community Center in Ramat Eshkol. We are the organizers of this walking tour and are the main drivers of sustainable and educational tourism in Lod, particularly in the diverse neighborhood of Ramat Eshkol. We see Lod as a place where one can experience Israel’s history, diversity, challenges, and opportunities. We are a group of progressive community members from different cultures, religions, and backgrounds and we see the multiculturalism found here in this mixed Jewish-Arab city as a source of strength, not conflict. We invite you to explore these complexities via exploring community histories as they are manifested in the urban space before us.