What do Oscar winning celebrities, tech nerds, international hiking enthusiasts, and history buffs all have in common? They are all planning a trip to Israel this year, and so am I. Just saying this makes me giddy.
2015 was a record year for travel to Israel. In fact, more Americans visited Israel in 2015 than in any year since Israel was reborn in 1948.
Recently released tourism statistics show that some 620,000 Americans visited Israel in 2015, 3% more than in 2014, the previous record year. 2016 is shaping up to be pretty epic as well. Especially for me!
I don’t self identify as a particularly religious person, though I come from a long line of respected rabbis and sages on my father’s side. My paternal grandparents are buried on the Mount of Olives. I am, in some ways, and to some relatives, a disappointment to that tradition. I’m ethnically Jewish, and enjoy celebrating holidays and sharing family traditions but I don’t keep kosher or attend temple very often. My husband’s family are Christians (a variety of branches) and my close social circle includes people from dozens of faiths.
My primary beliefs are those of tolerance, compassion and respect.
What’s rooted in me is more of a personal spiritual awareness and a desire for “Tikkun Olam” – which is the concept of healing the world, leaving it better than you found it. This is the kernel of truth that I look for at the core of all beliefs. This and an ability to ask questions, seek your own truth and find meaning and beauty in your life.
You cannot talk Israel without talking religion, but my love of Israel ultimately has very little to do with my religious upbringing or present beliefs. It’s personal, it’s emotional, and it’s about the damned good Israeli food too. If Israel and I had a relationship status, it might say “It’s complicated.”
So what makes Israel holy for me? Magic. Sunsets. Alchemy and a primal energy that you can only feel when you stroll the streets of Jerusalem on a golden sunlit afternoon.
My love affair with the Holy Land began when I was a teenager. From the moment I arrived, I felt the electric buzz and observed the way it affected me, and everyone around me. It’s something that centuries of people from all around the world have felt, observed and fought over. It’s undeniable. Some people say it’s unnerving, crazymaking. Other’s say energizing, healing peaceful. I’m in that camp!
There is no place on earth I have ever felt more at peace, and closer to my own core of well being. Whether hiking to ancient ruins in the Negev desert, shopping in the shuk of the Old City in Jerusalem, strolling the beach in Tel Aviv, or paddling on the Jordan river, Israel has always felt like home to me. There’s a sense of being closer to the source there. Whatever you believe that is.
Naturally I want to share this with my whole family and fortunately there is plenty for everyone to do, see and explore.
You don’t have to be a religion or history buff to love Israel, though it certainly doesn’t hurt. The country is attracting tourists who are into tech, eco tourism, luxury travel, food and wine, and more. It seems that whatever you are into, there is something for you in Israel, and it’s a good something – bubbling up from fertile, creative soil.
If you’ve ever considered going, I hope you’ll follow along with me. Ask me any question and I’ll try to find the answer. Be sure to follow me @Momfluential across all channels. I’ll be periscoping, snapchatting and instagramming my trip. Stay tuned. And as they say in Israel – L’hitraot! I will be back to share more soon!
Visit Explore Israel to check out some of the amazing things you could be doing in Israel right now.
Read More:
A Week’s Worth of Feral Israeli Cats
The Worldly Joy of Israeli Breakfasts
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