Give peas (chickpeas) a chance!

The coastal city of Netanya markets itself as the "Israeli Riviera." Barely a word of Hebrew is spoken, and real estate ads and restaurant menus are mostly in French, thanks to a record number of new immigrants. French Jews say they feel safer here, and one restauranteur is taking that safety up a notch. He's found a way to unite Jews and Arabs.

                                                                                                                    Hummus Bar / Facebook
Kobi Tzafrir manages the popular Hummus Bar restaurant. Last October 18, he announced on Facebook that there are no Arabs or Jews at the Hummus Bar, only human beings. To test his theory, he offered half-price hummus plus free soft drink refills to any table shared by Jews and Arabs. The post generated 6,700 likes and 1,700 shares, with favorable comments from around the world. People have been bridging the gap over lunch ever since. "If there's anything that can bring together these peoples, it's hummus," Tzafrir told the Times of Israel.