As I read my postings from Israel, I note that most of them have some reference to the wars fought to defend this country and the terrorist attacks that they have endured. I feel I am contributing to the distorted image that Israel is not a safe place to visit.

People commend me for be brave enough to visit Israel. They act as if I am visiting Bagdad or that my luggage will come back bullet ridden. They visualize tour guides stepping over bodies.

It does not take bravery to visit Israel; it just takes curiosity and interest. The guide spoke about the new part of the Wall of Jerusalem; it was 450 years old, built during the Ottoman rule. To get the most out of brief visit you need a good guide. The state of Israel requires guides to be very well trained and liscenced. It is hard to envision a better guide than Shlomo Ben-Asher; he guides tours for both Jewish and Christian groups. You can contact him at horevben@zahav.net.il.

I can honestly say I feel as safe walking down the streets of Tel Aviv or Jersusalem as I do walking down Cherry Street in Macon. Yes you must be aware of the areas surrounding Israel and I would not wander off into the West Bank or Gaza. The cities of Israel have respect for law and order and are safe. Gaza is only 40 miles away but the security Israel provides is so good, 40 miles away could seem like 400 or 4000 miles away.

We forget that the United States has lost more citizens to terrorism in the last several years than the Israelis. And the United States loses far more citizens to violent crime every year than the Israelis both in real and in relative terms. We faced our tragedy at Virginia Tech, but classes have resumed and few of us would consider not sending our kids to that school because of the terrible violent act.

We can acknowledge our history without defining ourselves by the demons we overcame. We are not a nation of slavery, but a nation that overcame slavery. We are not a nation of corruption but a nation that exposes and overcomes corruption.

Israel is not a nation of violence but a nation that has overcome war and violence to build a nation that is a model to the world. Israel is as modern as the United States. Their TV stations show modern MTV videos and game shows. They have a rich music, dance and art community. It has one of the highest literacy rates in the world, and the highest rates of college graduates in the world. It has the most museums per capita in the world. Its cities have some of the nicest hotels you can find. It has one of the largest and fastest growing high tech communities in the world. They have more new patents issued than any other nation besides the US. Warren Buffet just invested four billion dollars in Iscar Industries, an Israeli cutting tools manufacturer and his first foreign holding.

Israel is safe, very clean and one of the most interesting places you can find to visit. A life spent without seeing the miracle of this country is incomplete.

Saturday, April 28, 2007
HKO

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