So far approximately 70,000 visitors from the UK alone have visited Israel this year, and the vast majority of them have been from the Jewish community. Considering the challenging times, it’s an impressive number and it is of course more than a number. It’s a meaningful message.
Visiting Israel in the wake of October 7 is a statement of solidarity and a strengthening of the bond between the Jewish state and the diaspora. The Negev Photo: Dafna Tal And as Israeli, I want you to know that your presence is not taken for granted. In fact, I feel a profound need to thank everyone who has come in this challenging time.
Every visitor is not merely a guest, or a tourist, but also an active partner in the shared effort to heal and shore up Israeli society. Put another way, is more than a personal experience, it’s a message of solidarity, of family connection. פארק המצפה התת ימיף אילת Under water at Eilat Photo: Dafna Tal Massada Photo: Itamar Grinberg I Getting muddy at the Dead Sea Photo: Itamar Grinberg t is also true to say that your visit helps economic life here.
Economically, small business owners, communities dependent on tourism, tour guides, hotel staff, taxi drivers and all communities dependent on tourism feel the support immediately. And for British Jews, it’s also an opportunity to discover new places in Israel, like the Negev, perhaps, which makes up 60 per cent of Israel’s land mass and which is filled with amazing hiking trails, nature re.
