The Israel Ministry of Tourism has launched a new website dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI’s first Papal visit. Israel is a Jewish state and to produce a site and video presentation which promotes the "holiness" of Christianity at the expense of Jewish identity is a sham and a shame. Talk about replacement theology! The video repeatedly hails jesus as lord and savior, while Israel is reduced to a "modern, democratic state" on the cutting edge of Hi -Tech, Bio-Tech and Agri-Tech (oh, I forgot... there was Jewish content... I caught a glimpse of the Chief Rabbi bowing to the Pope).
It was also reported on Israel National News that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, "It is possible to bring an additional one million tourists per annum to Israel in the near future."
Netanyahu said he believe that Christian historical sites have a great unrealized potential that could assist the Israeli economy in general, and the development of the Galilee in particular. The Prime Minister has previously raised the need for a comprehensive plan that would lead to a revolution in the tourism sector by rehabilitating various sites, increasing incoming tourism, creating jobs and increasing revenues.
The Jerusalem Post also reported on an increase in Christian pilgrims, but the stats were a bit suprising..."Last year, more than a million incoming tourists defined themselves as Catholic, 300,000 as Protestant, 360,000 as "other Christian," and 75,000 as Evangelicals, according to the Tourism Ministry statistics that were released during a tour of Christian holy sites in Nazareth ahead of the Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the Holy Land next month."
Hmmmm...the evangelicals seem to have come up a bit short... Does this mean that the Catholics are our new best friends?
While you ponder that question, take a look at the video (which is also on YouTube) and if it offends you, write to the Minister of Tourism at smiseznikov@knesset.gov.il
4 comments:
During Chol HaMoed, we decided to go visit two sites maintained by the Nature and Parks Authority - Qumran and the nearby Einot Tzukim.
When we got there, I decided to treat my family to ice cream at the small kiosk and went through the labels in the freezers looking for non-kitniyot stuff and we would some wonderful treats. Later after our short tour ( the site is really rudimentary and could be much more developed) we went through the gift store to do 'window shopping'. I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised to see virtually the hole store full of crosses and other Xian paraphernalia. Seemed a bit overdone. But then I saw a wall poster with the symbol of the 'Jews for Yeshu' cross, fish, magen david and almost puked. Not that we were going to buy anything at the cafeteria, but I only have to glance through the door to see the beers well stocked to confirm that this site was a state sanctioned seller of chametz.
Einot Tzukim was sort of nice, but too bad the springs / swimming areas are all mixed areas.
As usual, you've hit the ball right on the head by bringing up this issue, Batya. I don't believe that what you described is what the Torah means when we are destined to be "Ore La'goyim," a light unto the nations. Why are we as a people so perpetually absorbed with finding favor in the eyes of the world? Has the Holocaust taught us nothing?! Try as we might to "kiss up" to them, we will always remain Jews in their eyes, hence better we be proper KOSHER Jews with our heads held high! Mr. Papal Nuncio, who needs your visit here to Israel anyway? Do us a favor and stay in Rome!
Esther, I agree that this is a great post, but I didn't write it. Ellen Horowitz did.
Josh, we must make a list of all the tourist sites dominated by christians, even though the history is Jewish.
I would think that any G-d fearing Jew would be afraid to produce a presentation like that, and would squirm at its viewing.
But any Jew - whether religious or secular - should have enough self-respect and self-awareness to feel very uncomfortable with the content - especially a Jew who stands in Eretz Yisrael.
There is absolutely no reason why the Ministry of Tourism can't build an overwhelmingly popular Jewish and Gentile tourist base based on Tanach and Jewish history.
For those concerned with economics, they should consider that their tax dollars just went to "spread the gospel" in a very big way. No missionary group (nor the Vatican itself) could have done a better job.
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