Why I Am in Israel -- and Why You Should Be
Taking a stand in the battle of good and evil.
November 11, 2015
Dennis Prager
JERUSALEM — I want to explain why I am in Israel.
I am in here with 450 American (and a German and a Canadian) listeners to my radio show. About 400 are non-Jews.
We are here on a "Stand with Israel" tour organized by the syndicator of my radio show, the Salem Radio Network, and I am accompanied by my wife, my producer Allen Estrin and his wife, and my radio colleague Mike Gallagher.
People frustrated with the direction of America and the direction of the world regularly ask: "What can I do to make any difference?"
Here is one of the best answers I know: Visit Israel. And do so especially when there are terror attacks.
If every time there were a spate of attacks on Israel, few people canceled their trips to Israel. Or, if I may imagine a much better world than we live in, tourism to Israel actually increased, three huge things would be achieved.
First, Palestinians would get the message that there are many people outside of Israel who find the stabbings of Israeli Jews morally repulsive.
Second, Palestinians would have to weigh their emotional high from murdering Israelis against the economic benefit Israel would receive in increased tourism.
Third, Israelis would know they are not alone. When I came to Israel to broadcast my show during the worst of the suicide bombings of the Intifada in 2000, Israeli after Israeli would say to me, "Thank you for coming." (You can watch the documentary I made then.)
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The truth is that a visit to Israel, even in when there are terrorist attacks, is extraordinarily safe. A visitor's chances of getting hurt are minuscule. But to the extent there is the slightest danger — well, we all have to decide how we want to live our lives in the few years we are granted.
And when it comes to fighting for good and against evil, we can either play it safe or we can we do good. Very rarely can we do both.
Why I Am in Israel -- and Why You Should Be