Israeli expat promotes love, recovery of Wuhan

Ofer Dekel, an Israeli in Wuhan, Hubei province, was overjoyed to meet fellow countryman Dror Kohn in the city recently, as "it is another sign that life is back on track".

"The city is bursting with people!" said Kohn, who was visiting from Beijing, as they made their way through large crowds to get to a Thai restaurant where they had made a reservation.

Many people were hanging out on Flower Garden Street, which was teeming with cars that day.

"Just weeks ago, there were still fears of flooding from the Yangtze River, and all after 77 days of coronavirus isolation, but life is stronger than anything," Dekel said.

"You no longer have to go with masks in open areas, but still people are careful."

Dekel, a businessman, first came to China in 2006. He settled down in the city 10 years ago after marrying Hou Bingna, a Wuhan resident. During the lockdown, the couple, their 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter chose to stay, though they once had a chance to return to Israel.

"Wuhan is our home," he said.

During the peak of the pandemic, the family donated face masks to doctors and neighbors in need. Hou joined a group of community volunteers, while Dekel shared his "life in coronavirus" on Facebook. The number of his fans surged to 25,000, and he became a social media celebrity.

"It was like a TV opera. At first, no one knew what happened and everyone was afraid. But two weeks later, you knew there was no need to worry about food or necessities, because the government, neighborhood and community workers would come to help," he said. "I was happy to have stayed. And I'm willing to share what is happening here."

Hou said Dekel once spent 20 hours a day online at the time.

"If someone misunderstood the circumstances in Wuhan, he would go all out to explain, sometimes even quarreling," she said.

One time, a netizen asked: "Are there walking dead on the street?" Dekel replied: "Of course not", adding everything was in order, while food was offered and patients were able to get medical help.

During the most difficult times, Dekel has maintained his faith in China, saying it gives him "a sense of security".

In early 2008, he traveled through Guangzhou, Guangdong province, where massive crowds were stranded by bad weather at the Guangzhou Railway Station.

"I saw thousands of passengers staying at the hall, and they were provided with blankets, hot water and food," he recalled. "At that moment, I fell in love with this country."

He shared various stories on Facebook about how people helped fight the outbreak.

One of the couple's friends, who runs a local nail salon, volunteered to clean restrooms at a hospital. Restaurants provided free meals for medical workers. Doctors celebrated the birthday of an 80-year-old patient who had recovered from COVID-19.

"It made us believe that we're not fighting it alone," he said.

One of his fans wrote of experiencing fear during the first wave of COVID-19 in Israel.

"Thanks to his regular reports, I knew what we were going through and it really made it easier for me and my family," he wrote.

Another netizen, Adi Ohayon, commented: "Maybe there is hope that we will be disciplined sometime like the Chinese … and we too can return to a safe routine."

Israel reported 2,349 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 128,768, while 14 new deaths were confirmed, increasing the death toll to 1,007, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Dekel is now writing a book about what happened in Wuhan and hopes to publish it next year.

He added that the change in the city was dramatic－from "hunger for a single face mask" to "free to take off masks and drink tea in outdoor spaces".

"Now everything is recovering," he said. "Compared with the circumstances months ago, it's really a miracle. I believe Wuhan's full vitality has come back."

Dekel said there are many reasons for him to love the city, but the most important thing is that the locals always follow their heart and will not pretend.

"They laugh and cry as they like. They don't regard making money as the top priority," he said. "It's living a real, comfortable life that matters."