Why go to Israel in 2024?

Israel needs us now, more than ever

By Jane Schiff

There is a trip to Israel being offered by Jewish Federation of Greater Naples the first two weeks in November this year. I know, there’s a war. I know you and/ or your family thinks this isn’t the right time to go to Israel. However, before you say no, think about the following three things.

When's a good time to go?

For 75 years, Israel has existed in a very bad neighborhood. The first time I went to Israel was 1964 — yes, before the 1967 war. I didn’t get to see Masada, the old city or many of the sites we now see regularly. The first night there, I went to sleep to gunfire and woke up to gunfire. It was a bad time to go to Israel. Every trip I have taken to Israel since, there has been an Intifada, a bombing or some other “problem.” And each time, someone here in the States has said to me, “Jane, this is not the time to be going to Israel.” In my view, it is always a good time to go to Israel, except July and August when it is brutally hot.

Israel needs us now, more than ever

The people of Israel are feeling abandoned and need to know that we Jews stand together. We care about what they are going through enough to come over and see what has happened and hear their stories so that we can come back and tell people here the truth. We are them and they are us. If we don’t go, learn and come back with their stories, who will?

The economy needs us

This war has devastated the economy. Our travel and retail dollars in Israel matter. Jobs have been lost. No one is coming to buy their treasures. We make a difference. Our dollars at hotels, restaurants, buses, guides and security provide jobs that were lost during the war.

This is a trip designed to be user friendly. If you want to see family or friends, we’ll make time for that. If you want to come early, stay late, volunteer before or after the trip, we’ll help make all those arrangements. This is a trip with friends from Naples. This will be fun, exciting, impactful and interesting.

Join us Oct. 31 through Nov. 14 as we visit Israel and the United Arab Emirates. We have a meeting to explain the trip on March 14 at 7 p.m. and another on April 15 at 3 p.m. Sign up for one of these informational sessions with Jeffrey Feld at jfeld@jewishnaples.org. Jeffrey and I look forward to seeing you in Israel – this year!