May. 19, 2021
The timing of the general strike called in the Arab community on Tuesday – immediately after the Eid al-Fitr and Shavuot holidays – brought tempers to a boil among a number of Jewish employers and their Arab employees. When Aya Baidusi, an engineer at an architectural and construction company, informed her boss she would not be coming to work because of the general strike in the Arab community, she didn’t think it would cost her her job.
Baidusi wrote to Victor Ben David, the owner and CEO of Benda, on Monday: “Shalom Vicky, because of the situation they declared a strike, so I’m not coming tomorrow to work in the hope that the situation will be better.” Thirteen minutes later Ben David answered her: “What’s the connection between the strike in the Arab community and work in the office? Thank you very much for the period you worked at Benda, I wish you success in the future.”