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October 11, 2002/Cheshvan 5 5763, Vol. 55, No. 7
Tourism shows solidarity, survey says
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Diaspora Jews can best show their support for Israel by visiting, according to a recent Teleseker survey.
The survey, commissioned by Birthright Israel, asked Israelis whether visiting Israel, making a donation or political lobbying was the best way for Diaspora Jews to express their identification with Israel. Forty-five percent of the respondents said visiting Israel was the best way, 27 percent said political lobbying and 22 percent said financial donation.
Avi Beliak is currently in Israel attending the Overseas Program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He agreed with the survey and believes that showing solidarity with Israel means taking action - by visiting.
"Come and show the Israelis that you really do stand with them," he said. "Everywhere I go I get people who thank me just for being in the country. We need to show the world that violence against our country will not deter us from enjoying our land and the beauty and wonders it has to offer."
Falynn Glickstein, president of ASU for Israel at Arizona State University, visited Israel two years ago, and she saw a similar response from the Israeli people.
"When I went the people were so thankful and welcoming to all of us. Since the start of the current intifada, tourism has been way down and the economy is suffering. So, when they saw us, not only were they happy to see that we were not afraid, but they were glad to see us helping the economy," she said.
Nathan Hirsch visited Israel this past summer, and while he said he strongly believes Jews should visit Israel, he also thinks it's important for Jews to be knowledgeable. "Go to Israel, but also become educated on the history of the current crisis and the history of Israel before and after it became a state for the Jewish people," he said.
Glickstein agreed and believes it is particularly important for young people to become educated.
"I feel young people can support Israel (by learning) all about Israel (and) make themselves educated on the politics as well as the culture. I know too many young adults who do not know that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. They should and need to know this stuff - education is the key to supporting Israel," Glickstein said.
Beliak also believes that young people have an important role in supporting Israel and taking part in various programs that allow them to travel there.
"Send your kids on the programs and missions or bring your whole family and come here," he said. "It is not the war zone that the TV shows. For people that have been here, they know how the violence is centralized. For those who have never been, it is time to come see the beauty of Israel for themselves."
Additional study findings were:
- When asked whether the state of Israel should defend Diaspora Jews in countries where there is anti-Semi-tism, 42 percent said "definitely should," 36 percent said "probably should," 11 percent said "probably not" and 7 percent said "definitely not."
- When asked how Jews in the Diaspora have expressed their identification with Israel since the start of the current intifada, 33 percent said "to a small extent," 32 percent said "to a sufficient extent" and 26 percent said "to a large extent."
While many local efforts - from the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix's Israel Now campaign that raised more than $1.2 million to the sale of Hanukkah gift baskets by Action in Support of Israel to the upcoming Ben Yehuda Mall (see related story on Page 1) - have rallied a great deal of support for Israel from the Phoenix community, those who have recently traveled to Israel agree that nothing is more vital to Israeli morale and economy than a visit.
"Someone once told me that if Israel is in your heart, then it's your obligation to go there," said Hirsch. "Honestly, every Israeli citizen is suffering in some sort of way from the current crisis and it's our job as Jews to show that we are behind them now and will always be."
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