To Our Friends Interested in Going to
Israel,
I just returned from California, from a Messianic conference I was
participating in. Although not the subject or theme of the conference,
the conferees heard briefly from an Israeli who was a friend of
a couple of the participants. He spoke on the situation in Israel
and the safety of those who travel there. In view of our planned
trip this summer, I listened very attentively. He was very clear
about the security and advisability of going to Israel and encouraged
us all to come. He said: "The situation is not anywhere near as
bad as it is pictured on CNN." This concurs completely with the
assessment of our Israeli friend Kenny, who called us from Israel
a couple of weeks ago. He told us he would not encourage us to come
unless it was safe. And, he was strongly encouraging us to come.
In fact, we have heard from various people who have been on or led
tours virtually every month from May to December last year. And,
the reports are unanimous; they all felt safe and secure in Israel,
even more so than in the United States.
In point of fact, as I discovered, it is safer in Israel than in
the United States. This is just what Edward Kaplan, professor of
public health at Yale University, pointed out in a January article.
In the 14 months since the latest outbreaks began in Israel, 120
Israelis have been killed in various terrorist attacks, whether
through shootings, bombings, or other means; and this is tragic.
But, given the over 6 million people living in Israel, the annual
personal risk of death from terrorism in Israel is 16 in one million.
Comparatively speaking, the risk from death by automobile accidents
is 73 in one million. In other words, there is over 4 times the
risk of dying in an auto accident in Israel than in a terrorist
attack!
We travel by bus! :-)
Before panicking about traveling in Israel, consider the following.
The risk of dying in a car accident in the United States is 145
in one million. So your risk of dying in a car accident in the U.S.
is twice as high as it is in Israel. That also means that the risk
of dying in a car accident in the U.S. is 9 times greater than dying
in a terrorist attack in Israel! So if you want a safe summer, stop
driving in the United States and join us in Israel. :-)
I just wanted to share this information with you since travel to
Israel is a matter of concern for many people. If the situation
should become unsafe or insecure, our friends in Israel would not
let us come. So join us this summer for the experience of your life.
(You need to send your deposit right away to reserve your place.)
Warmly in our Messiah,
Dr. John Fischer
Executive Director
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