Shalom, all. My mom and my dad are getting up there in years, and while they've been reasonably well traveled, one place remaining that they have always wanted to visit is Israel -- especially Jerusalem -- and I'd love to take them this year, but they've been very skittish about the security situation. Can any of you provide some recent and realistic imput on this, something effective that I could use to reassure them? Toda!
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Many of my clients who have traveled to Israel are older. Actually they seem to be the most grateful and appreciative. One of my clients, Mrs. G from NJ was 78 at the time of travel. When I called her to follow up after she, her husband and son returned she cried. I took a deep breath and asked what happened? She told me she made the biggest mistake of her life, she waited so long to go and was sorry she waited, but elated she went. She cried tears of happiness for having the experience to go and tears of sadness, in her words (paraphrased now) tears for the soldiers who spilled their blood for Israel's survival. The other most memorable was my client Mrs. B, a survivor who I had been in contact with for over a year until we could get her on an affordable trip. A niece and nephew came through with some money for her and she had her life long dream trip. She could wait to bring chocolates to former neighbors from the US and to see relatives she hadn't seen since the war. She reveled in every bit of her tour and now 2 years later still says it was the best thing she ever did in her life.
So David, tell your parents, it is never too late and it is safe. The security is there and it is a way of life in Israel, something they will adapt to with in a day or two. I go once a year to visit family, including our daughter who 6 years ago at the age of 18 said she was outta here and off to Tel Aviv. I sleep at night (usually) and I know she is safer there than she is in NY.
David, you are welcome to contact me privately. I will be happy to speak with your parents and reassure them that this is the trip they do not want to miss.
There are two things we always tell people who are nervous about safety in Israel. One, even in the worst days of the conflict (and we are far from that these days), tourists to Israel have never been involved or otherwise harmed. Two, when you look at the statistics, it's actually safer to visit Israel than most major American cities. Israel has an extremely low crime rate, and when you combine that with the fact that things are very quiet there now, your parents definitely do not have to be concerned about walking around in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, or visiting any other part of the country. If it wasn't safe for tourists to visit Israel, the Israeli government would not invest time and money in encouraging people to come - it would not be our interest to put anyone in harm's way.
Hope that's helpful, and that your parents will be coming to Israel soon!
- Julie Cooper
Israel Ministry of Tourism - Midwest Region
Thanks for all your reassurances. I'm on your side -- having traveled quite a bit to all kinds of countries, I'm well aware that perceptions from abroad rarely match reality on the ground completely. One problem, however, is that whenever some negative incident pops up in the news -- whether it's a cafe bombing in Tel Aviv or riots in Jerusalem -- that only reinforces their nervousness.
Your parents should come to Israel, have fun, see the beautiful city of Jerusalem and go home to tell their friends that visiting Israel is as safe as visiting any other place.
When i worked for Gil Travel in Philadelphia, we would come across such concerns all the time from parents of 1000's of students going on the Birthright Israel mission, besides the numerous individuals traveling to Israel. In my personal opinion, Israel is an absolutely safe place and can be visited again and again. As Judy rightly puts it, security guards check bags every time a person enters a mall, hotel etc. And this happens even if they know you've stayed in the hotel for a few days already. El AL security is the best. Israel is one my favorites places and i was fortunate to have visited it a few times and will go back there anytime.....
Regards
Nayaz Noor, CTC, DS
CEO
Safir Tours Pvt. Ltd.
India
Thanks much, Judith! I'm hoping to get enough solid comments of this sort and present to them. I'd love to be able to get them there this spring, but realistically, at this point, I think the timing is more likely to be September/October.
Judith Isaacson said:
Hi David,
Your parents should know that security in the airport and on ELAL in particular is very good. In addition, in Israel, there is a security guard who checks bags and people entering hotels and restaurants, as well as malls. They should come visit - great season now!
Your parents should know that security in the airport and on ELAL in particular is very good. In addition, in Israel, there is a security guard who checks bags and people entering hotels and restaurants, as well as malls. They should come visit - great season now!
Replies
David,
Many of my clients who have traveled to Israel are older. Actually they seem to be the most grateful and appreciative. One of my clients, Mrs. G from NJ was 78 at the time of travel. When I called her to follow up after she, her husband and son returned she cried. I took a deep breath and asked what happened? She told me she made the biggest mistake of her life, she waited so long to go and was sorry she waited, but elated she went. She cried tears of happiness for having the experience to go and tears of sadness, in her words (paraphrased now) tears for the soldiers who spilled their blood for Israel's survival. The other most memorable was my client Mrs. B, a survivor who I had been in contact with for over a year until we could get her on an affordable trip. A niece and nephew came through with some money for her and she had her life long dream trip. She could wait to bring chocolates to former neighbors from the US and to see relatives she hadn't seen since the war. She reveled in every bit of her tour and now 2 years later still says it was the best thing she ever did in her life.
So David, tell your parents, it is never too late and it is safe. The security is there and it is a way of life in Israel, something they will adapt to with in a day or two. I go once a year to visit family, including our daughter who 6 years ago at the age of 18 said she was outta here and off to Tel Aviv. I sleep at night (usually) and I know she is safer there than she is in NY.
David, you are welcome to contact me privately. I will be happy to speak with your parents and reassure them that this is the trip they do not want to miss.
There are two things we always tell people who are nervous about safety in Israel. One, even in the worst days of the conflict (and we are far from that these days), tourists to Israel have never been involved or otherwise harmed. Two, when you look at the statistics, it's actually safer to visit Israel than most major American cities. Israel has an extremely low crime rate, and when you combine that with the fact that things are very quiet there now, your parents definitely do not have to be concerned about walking around in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, or visiting any other part of the country. If it wasn't safe for tourists to visit Israel, the Israeli government would not invest time and money in encouraging people to come - it would not be our interest to put anyone in harm's way.
Hope that's helpful, and that your parents will be coming to Israel soon!
- Julie Cooper
Israel Ministry of Tourism - Midwest Region
Your parents should come to Israel, have fun, see the beautiful city of Jerusalem and go home to tell their friends that visiting Israel is as safe as visiting any other place.
Best wishes,
Ophir
Scopia, LLC
www.scopia.biz
When i worked for Gil Travel in Philadelphia, we would come across such concerns all the time from parents of 1000's of students going on the Birthright Israel mission, besides the numerous individuals traveling to Israel. In my personal opinion, Israel is an absolutely safe place and can be visited again and again. As Judy rightly puts it, security guards check bags every time a person enters a mall, hotel etc. And this happens even if they know you've stayed in the hotel for a few days already. El AL security is the best. Israel is one my favorites places and i was fortunate to have visited it a few times and will go back there anytime.....
Regards
Nayaz Noor, CTC, DS
CEO
Safir Tours Pvt. Ltd.
India
www.safirtours.biz
Judith Isaacson said:
Your parents should know that security in the airport and on ELAL in particular is very good. In addition, in Israel, there is a security guard who checks bags and people entering hotels and restaurants, as well as malls. They should come visit - great season now!
Best regards,
Judy
http://www.Drive-Israel.com