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• Congregation Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County
•Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Create
A Trip
To Israel
Visiting Israel
It's more than you might expect.
A
s Detroit
joins the
flurry of
international celebra-
tions marking Israel's
60th anniversary of
a modern state, it
seems like a good
time to consider what
we
think about when
Uri Steinberg
we
think
of Israel.
Special to the
Israel
is
the
Jewish
Jewish News
homeland, where
Jewish statehood began and was reborn.
In Israel one can feel thousands of years of
history come alive — from the days of the
Davidic kings to the early Zionist pioneers.
But Israel today is more than a center of
Jewish religion and history. Did you know
that there are over 145 wineries in Israel? Or
that Tel Aviv is the third-largest sushi mar-
ket per capita in the world? There is more
to Israel than meets the eye, and each year
more and more people are finding out just
how surprising a trip to Israel can be.
Israel is always an exciting place to visit,
and the coming months are no exception. In
addition to the country's 60th anniversary
celebrations, Tel Aviv is gearing up to cel-
ebrate its 100th year as a modern city with a
full schedule of special events. These celebra-
tions are in addition to the myriad of fes-
tivals, concerts and exhibits that take place
year-round throughout the country.
Israel offers something for everyone's
interests — whether it's history and archae-
ology, adventure and sport, food and wine
sampling, or relaxing on a beautiful beach.
From the snowy peaks of Mount Hermon
to the arid Negev Desert and from ancient
Jerusalem to modern Tel Aviv, Israel offers
a diversity and mixture of old and new that
one finds in few other places.
Over the past 21/2 years, Israel has seen
a boom in tourism unlike any other in the
country's history. The country welcomed
more than 2.2 million visitors in 2007
— including 545,000 Americans. For 2008,
officials are expecting a total of 2.8 million
visitors, topping the previous record tour-
ism record set in 2000. Israel is becoming
increasingly accessible, with more and more
incoming flights from all over the world,
including 10 daily flights from the United
States.
The tourism infrastructure is continually
expanding and improving. Israel already
boasts some of the top hotels in the Middle
East, and will be soon be adding Robert
DeNiro's Nobu Hotel in Netanya and the
Waldorf-Astoria's renovated Palace Hotel in
Jerusalem.
Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv has
consistently been ranked as the top Middle
East airport in passenger surveys. Visitors
to Israel encounter service and accommoda-
tions of the highest quality, along with the
beautiful weather that Israel enjoys year-
round.
As they have for all of Israel's history,
Americans represent the largest number of
incoming tourists from any single country.
Nearly a fifth of American tourists come
The Internet, along with
Eitan Tours, has made tai-
loring a trip to Israel as
easy as 1,2,3. The Israel-
based tourist agency has
made planning a trip to
Israel as simple as click,
click, click.
With the "Create Your
Own Trip" program, clients
enjoy an opportunity to play
a decisive role in planning
each stage of their trip.
Labeled "Create Your
Own Trip," this interactive
feature of the Eitan Web
site allows clients anywhere
in the world to work togeth-
er to plan their trip.
Even for those not inter-
ested in using Eitan Tours,
the Web site can be a help-
ful tool with its plethora of
information. The program
provides a selection of
sites categorized by the
country's regions. Each site
is accompanied by a picture,
brief explanation and link
to the particular location's
Web site.
According to Alan
Moreshet, executive direc-
tor of Eitan Tours, "We have
made it so easy for clients
to tailor their next trip to
Israel. It is simply a matter
of going through and click-
ing on the sites or areas
you want to visit."
Once the sites have been
selected and submitted via
the Web site. Staff at Eitan
Tours organize transporta-
tion, accommodations and
other necessities.
"Client feedback and
interaction are integral in
arranging our tours. Many
of our clients have been to
Israel before and want to
make sure they aren't visit-
ing the same places again, "
Moreshet said.
Visiting Israel on page A38
August 21 • 2008
A37