Depending upon where you turn for your news, you'll probably see Israel in only one of two ways. The first--and more popular--view is of Israel-the-horrible. This view is built on an anti-Israel propaganda industry that demonizes Israel and promotes a fiction called, the 'Palestinian Cause'. It paints Israel as some kind of demon--a Jewish version of the cruel and bloody 'Vlad-the-impaler. It's a view that sells to you the image that Israel is the reincarnation of Nazi hate.
The second view is of Israel-the-tech-genius. This view promotes Israel as the most powerful tech innovator in the world relative to its tiny size. It's a deserved title. The tech this small nation produces it mind-boggling.
But there's another Israel few write about. It's the Israel-we-must-see. It's an Israel that attracts an increasing number of tourists--millions of them each year.
According to a recent report, in the first four months of 2017, Israel attracted more than one million tourists (Viva Sarah Press, "Incoming tourism posts record numbers", israel21c, May 11, 2017). One million tourists year-to-date in 2017 is 28% higher than the same y-t-d 2016. Moreover, April 2017 saw the arrival of more tourists to Israel (349,000) that any April in Israel's history (ibid).
The world wants to see this Israel. The 'Palestinian'-inspired Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) industry wants the world to boycott this Israel. The world isn't listening to BDS.
BDS is a bust. It wants to you to help them make Israel's economy fail. But instead of experiencing a general collapse in the face of BDS, Israel attracts an ever-increasing upturn in foreign investment into its bank and business sectors ("Report: BDS failing to cause major economic blow to Israel", jerusalempost, June 2, 2016). As of last June (apparently the most recent report period), that foreign investment hit a record high, nearly triple was it was in 2005, when BDS was created (Brian Schrauger, "How effective have the BDS efforts against Israel been?", israeltoday, June 8, 2016).
BDS fails. It even fails to affect tourism to Israel. For example, in 2005, the year BDS began, Israel attracted 1,902,700 tourists ("Israel: tourism in Israel", jewishvirtuallibrary, retrieved May 28, 2017). For 2016, the number of tourists coming to Israel had risen by more than 52%, to 2,900,000.
Now, for April, 2017, tourism to Israel hits a record high.
Israel is a horrible place only in the mind of those who wallow in Jew-hate. For the rest of the world, It's a land of beauty and miracle. Yes, it's too tiny to be a major tourist attraction. It's off the beaten track. But more and more people world-wide awaken to who we are and what we are--the birthplace of holiness.
People are putting their money where their heart is. They come to visit us.
Here's a short video postcard about Israel. It's from the website, israel21c. It's length is 2:32:
I've been to some of these places. They're even more beautiful, more breath-taking in person.
I actually go to some of these places you've just see almost every week. To others, I go only once or twice a year.
I've been to the Jerusalem car races (you saw a glimpse of it above). There really is nothing like the bone-rattling roar of 1,000 horsepower cars accelerating through the streets of this holy city. Our city cabs can't compete with that even though they try.
I've seen the ocean-fishermen and the beaches. I've seen the shopping spots, the high-tech wizardry and the beautiful vistas. I've been to the inspiring Kotel--the Western Wall--and felt (and seen) its emotional impact.
I've heard the call of the shofar (ram's horn) in the holy Jewish city we call, Jerusalem. I've seen the tourists enjoying the marvels of Jerusalem's famous Machne Yehuda 'shuk'.
I've seen the bongos, beer bars and bistros.
I've seen the farms, horses and green meadows of the Jezreel Valley. I've seen how Israel has miraculously turned portions of the browned Negev desert into green farmland as far as the eye can see.
Now that's an amazing sight. Instead of desert brown, all you can see at these places is (in the growing season) fields of green covering almost every inch of ground.
True, I haven't jumped out of any airplanes or climbed down a shear cliff. I haven't clowned with any of the clowns one occasionally sees here. But I have gone to some great museums.
There are more museums in Israel, per capita, than anywhere else in the world. These museums have exhibits you won't see anywhere else in the world.
Don't forget the archaeological sites. They're incredible--and they're everywhere. They bring history to life--and they validate our Jewish presence here as far back as 3,000 years ago.
Let the Jew-haters hate. Their hate will make them fail. Their hate will consign them to the dustbin of history. The only people they harm are themselves.
Come join us. Enjoy our beauty.
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