DATE=4/16/02

TYPE=English Feature

NUMBER=7-36183

TITLE=American Travel to Israel

BYLINE=Joshua Levs

TELEPHONE=260-1623 (Editor)

DATELINE=Atlanta, Georgia

EDITOR=Faith Lapidus

CONTENT=

_

INTRO: Amid the escalating violence in the Middle East, fewer and fewer Americans are visiting Israel. But as we hear from Joshua Levs in Atlanta for some travelers, making that trip is a mission… and making it now sends a message:

TEXT: 16 year-old Sara Dermer of Norcross, Georgia wanted to go to Israel this summer. Several months ago she had her eyes set on a program for American students called High School in Israel.

TAPE: CUT 1 SARA

You get to meet other Jewish kids, and you get to learn about cultural history. I just thought it would be a really neat experience.

TEXT: But in the wake of the latest events in the region, Sara and her parents have decided she will not go. Her mother, Rhonda Dermer, says what concerns her most are the suicide bombs in hotels, restaurants, and buses.

TAPE: CUT 2 DERMER

If the violence were more oriented toward military facilities, West Bank areas where I know the students wouldn't be going to, then I think I would be less concerned. The fact that the violence is so random, and is anywhere and everywhere. That's the piece that frightens me.

TEXT: Like thousands of Americans, the Dermers also heeded the U-S State Department warning to defer trips to Israel. The Israel Ministry of Tourism estimates that travel from the United States is down about 20% from last year and those 250 thousand Americans visitors were markedly fewer than the year before. Ramy Levy, Israel's tourism commissioner for North America, recognizes that individual families and tour groups are not interested in vacationing in the region right now. So the tourism ministry is focusing its efforts on those who feel a need to go. Mr. Levy says the Ministry is reaching out to two specific markets.

TAPE: CUT 3 LEVY

The evangelical Christians and the Jewish market of course. We work very closely with synagogues, rabbis, different denominations within the Christian market that are very loyal to Israel and want to come to Israel to show solidarity.

TEXT: Among the groups pushing solidarity missions is the International Christian Embassy, a Zionist Christian organization that staunchly supports Israel as a Jewish state. Still, spokesman David Parsons says many church-run Holy Land trips have been canceled recently… not only for safety concerns, but because some popular sites, such as the Church of the Nativity, are inaccessible to tourists because of the fighting.

TAPE: CUT 4 PARSONS

If they want to come see the holy sites they'll probably wait. If they want to come because they know this conflict has ramifications for the Christian faith and they want to show solidarity for Israel, then this is the time to come. So we've said the people we can make an appeal to are those with that sort of ideological motivation.

TEXT: Mister Parsons says his group is reaching out to church leaders. But he doesn't know of any evangelical trips scheduled for the coming weeks. Wieuca (why-YOU-kuh) Road Baptist Church in Atlanta has traditionally sponsored popular Holy Land tours. Senior Pastor Jim King says he would have scheduled another trip for this spring but he doesn't want to put his congregants in danger.

TAPE: CUT 5 KING

It would be a real shock to me to hear that anyone was attempting to get up a group to go to Israel right now.

TEXT: In fact, travel agencies specializing in Holy Land tours say business is terrible. But there are some group trips being planned with a good deal of success.

TAPE: CUT 6 KRUPKE

Our phones are ringing off the hook.

TEXT: Rabbi Moshe Krupke (CREUP-kuh) is National Director for Community and Synagogue Services with the Orthodox Union, a group that represents thousands of orthodox Jews nationwide. His office is helping coordinate synagogue trips to Israel.

TAPE: CUT 7 KRUPKE

A number of our synagogues have literally put together missions in as little as two weeks.

TEXT: The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta made scholarships for summer programs in Israel available to young people who called a special number beginning April 1st, right after several suicide bombings in Israel. Coordinator Jan Jaben-Eilon (JAY-ben-ae-LAHN) says she thought no one would call… but the phone began ringing the minute the hotline opened.

TAPE: CUT 8 JABEN-EILON

A few at midnight, one at 3am, then going on through the day and continuing now.

TEXT: Miz Jaben-Eilon points out that the summer youth trips take abundant safety measures... many will avoid crowded hotels and restaurants... some will even skip Jerusalem altogether. Given those precautions, David and Eve Adler are comfortable sending their two children to Israel. But Miz Adler says she's worried about her kids' safety wherever they go.

TAPE: CUT 9 EVE ADLER

I think we're targets here in our own country. I have more comfort about that now but since 9-11 when planes go overhead I get nervous. I don't think the comfort level is any different there than it is here.

TEXT: The Adlers are both first generation Americans and children of Holocaust survivors. David Adler says he's grateful his children have the chance to spend time in the Jewish homeland.

TAPE: CUT 10 DAVID ADLER

And we will not deprive our children of the opportunity to visit, participate, and be part of an experience in Israel where they can literally live and be a part of what many of our family members died for.

TEXT: The Israel Tourism Ministry says it expects travel to Israel will pick back up as it has historically after every crisis. I'm Joshua Levs in Atlanta, Georgia.