8 April 11 • 2019 jn T he virulently anti-Israel movement known as Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions — BDS — is roiling through cam- puses, overflowing into city councils, encroaching into cor- porate boardrooms and now chomping at the essence of Israel’ s special niche in the world: its travel and tourism industry. Everywhere, the boycotters have been asking to isolate Israel. Whereas similar boycotts against other countries have inflicted with- ering effects on national economies, in Israel — it simply hasn’ t worked. Yes, boycotters are busy demoniz- ing Israel. Yet despite this, Israel’ s tourism industry continues to grow and now employs tens of thousands. Flights are packed and new non- stops are being added across the globe. Travel and tourism to Israel has dramatically changed. It’ s not just synagogue sisterhoods and Jewish organizations. Israel is now a destination for the entire world. Traditional Jewish-American travel- ers from Miami to Seattle must now compete with Silicon Valley techies, Chinese students, Indian tourists, East European Christian pilgrims and diverse businessmen from across the planet. In 2016, 2.9 million people world- wide visited Israel. By the close of 2018, that number had blossomed to 4.1 million. Within the coming decade, Israel expects to employ 98,000 people in its tourism sector. When Israeli tourism prospers, so does the Palestinian community. Christian pilgrims make a beeline for Bethlehem. Thus, tourism breeds economic interdependence and strengthens co-existence. Today, most North American travelers to Israel are not Jewish; upwards of 60 percent are Christian. And since 2016, travel from North America has increased overall by 42 percent. In 2009, only 20,000 Indians vis- ited Israel, reports Israel’ s tourism office in New Delhi. Dramatically improved diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Jerusalem combined with thrice-weekly direct Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner service has created a steady flow of Indian visitors. This year, Israel expects more than 80,000 Indian arrivals. In 2015, only 30,000 tourists vis- ited Israel from China. But when direct flights between Ben-Gurion airport and numerous Chinese cit- ies were added, the number more than trebled to 100,000-plus annu- ally. Today, China is Israel’ s greatest growth market. Air connections are the lifeblood of Israel’ s tourism as well as its international viability. Nowadays you can fly nonstop to Israel from numerous North American cities. From Toronto, Air Canada offers daily non-stops. From Montreal, Air Canada will fly twice weekly during the summer. From San Francisco, United flies daily, primarily for the surging nexus to Silicon Valley. North American carriers all com- pete with El Al, which is the con- tinent’ s dominant carrier to Israel — offering 45 nonstop flights weekly that carry more than 50,000 passen- gers per month. For many Israel- bound travelers, El Al is the one and only carrier. With the exception of the Jewish Sabbath and holidays, Israel’ s national carrier flies day or night, rain or shine, good news or bad news. El Al has overcome labor problems and addressed on-board religious tiffs. Israel’ s tourism growth has been possible, in part, because of El Al’ s growth and improvements. ■ Edwin Black is the author of IBM and the Holocaust and a syndicated columnist. The author can be found at www.edwinblack. com. essay Israel Tourism Growth Flies In Face of BDS views Edwin Black O ne of the most fundamental, vital practices in our faith tradition of Judaism is the act of listening. As a religious Jew, I am called to listen each and every day. It’ s a calling I am reminded of when I recite the Shema, a central prayer in the Jewish tradition. We recite it multiple times a day. Its essence is wonderfully clear: Pay attention. Understand. Internalize. Listen. This year, I’ ve been fortunate enough to have many opportunities to take a step back, listen and learn from people across Michigan. Recently, I attended a roundtable discussion at the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib that centered on the experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer young people. Several youth from the center shared their personal experiences of harassment, abuse and discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They discussed painful challenges with their parents rejecting their identities and leaving them feeling like they had nowhere to turn. They recalled being bullied and attacked at school or in public because of the way they dress or the way they speak. Most importantly, they shared fears about growing up in a world where LGBTQ people are evicted, fired or denied service simply because of who they are. At this discussion the older people in the room, including Congresswoman Tlaib, me, other community members and other members of the clergy from varying faith traditions received a tremendous gift. The gift was the opportunity to hear and to understand more about the challenges and triumphs of being a young LGBTQ person in Michigan. In Michigan and a majority of states in our country, LGBTQ people are not explicitly protected from discrimination in employment, housing, public spaces, and so much more. We’ ve seen positive steps forward from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and a growing sense of momentum that it’ s well past time for change — but the fact is that in our state and at the federal level, these young people, as well as LGBTQ adults, are left vulnerable to mistreatment and discrimination. The question for us, then, comes back to the teachings of the Shema. Are lawmakers in Lansing listening? Are clergy, privileged with access to these stories, outraged into action? At the roundtable gathering, I saw people from across faith traditions coming together for something important. Christian leaders wearing clerical clothing sitting side by side with me, a Jewish leader, and Congresswoman Tlaib, who shared her experiences as a Muslim woman trying to do what’ s best for her constituents. Our faiths may be different, but our calling is the same: To awake to the brokenness in our society and to do whatever we can to act toward wholeness. We must all commit to changing our policies in Michigan and at the federal level so that no LGBTQ person faces discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It begins with the sacred practice of listening. ■ Rabbi Alpert is spiritual leader for Detroit Jews for Justice and Congregation T’ chiyah. commentary The Religious Practice of Listening, Acting On LGBTQ Discrimination Rabbi Alana Alpert