Lod

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Downtown area of Lod

Lod (Hebrew לוֹד; Arabic اَلْلُدّْ al-Ludd, Greco-Latin Lydda, Tiberian Hebrew לֹד Lōḏ) is a city in the Center District of Israel in Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2001 the city had a total population of 66,100.

Nearby Lod is Ben Gurion International Airport, which serves Tel Aviv.

Lod is the seat of the Jewish Agency Absorption Center (9 David Hamelech St.), Israel's main institution dealing with Jews who make aliyah.

History

Lod was the scene of Peter's healing of a paralytic man in Acts 9:32. During the Kitos War, the Roman commander Quintus Lucius Quietus besieged the city, where the Jewish rebels were led by Pappus and Julian, and after conquering it, he slayed most of the rebels. Lod was occupied by the Crusaders in 1099, and destroyed by Saladin in 1191; it was afterwards rebuilt by Richard Lionheart.

Ben Gurion International Airport was the site of the Lod Airport Massacre in 1972 by members of the Japanese Red Army.

Demographics

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Old City, Herzog Street (Near Central Bus station)

According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic and religious makeup of the city was 80.3% Jewish and other non-Arab, and 20.0% Arab (18.6% Muslim and 1.1% Christian). There are 561 immigrant settlers. See Population groups in Israel.

According to CBS, in 2001 there were 32,400 males and 33,700 females. The population of the city was spread out with 36.7% 19 years of age or younger, 16.4% between 20 and 29, 19.2% between 30 and 44, 14.5% from 45 to 59, 3.7% from 60 to 64, and 9.5% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 1.7%.

Income

According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 23,032 salaried workers and 1,405 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 4,754, a real change of 2.9% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 5,821 (a real change of 1.4%) versus ILS 3,547 for females (a real change of 4.6%). The mean income for the self-employed is 4,991. There are 1,275 people who receive unemployment benefits and 7,145 people who receive an income guarantee.

Education

According to CBS, there are 38 schools and 13,188 students in the city. They are spread out as 26 elementary schools and 8,325 elementary school students, and 13 high schools and 4,863 high school students. 52.5% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.

Famous People from Lod

• Saint George
• Tamer Nafar
• George Habash
• DAM, Da Arabic MCs