City Focus Israel: Lod

Located in the Center Region of Israel, Lod, a mixed Jewish-Arab city, has 67,000 residents.  Lod is the home of Ben Gurion International Airport, the major international airport for the country.

Lod is the site of the historic Cannonite city of Lydda.  This site was one of the first Jewish cities in Israel after the Exodus from Egypt.  According to the Torah, the city was founded by Shemed, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

The city was abandoned when Judea fell under Babylonian rule, and re-settled by Jewish inhabitants when the exile ended.  Lod then became Byzantine (Christian), and was later captured in 636 CE in the Muslim Crusades.  Christian Crusaders captured Lod in 1099 CE, followed by Ottoman and British Rule.

Lod was captured by the Hagganah and Irgun in 1948 during the War of Independence.  Modern Lod is about 80% Jewish and 20% Arab (both Muslim and Christian), and is visited most often by Israelis and tourists traveling to the airport.