‘Yes, I felt safe’ during pleasurable trip to Israel

Friday, December 13, 2002 | by

Ronnie Caplane

I prayed at the Western Wall, stood on the ground where King David lived and photographed the controversial "bulge" in the southern wall of the Temple Mount. I saw a wooden fishing boat that sailed on the Galilee 2,000 years ago, sat in synagogues in the mystical city of Safed and ate in world-class restaurants.

But when I got back from a week in Israel this November that's not what people wanted to hear about.

"Did you feel safe?" they asked. Every time I considered the question, reflected on my experience and my answer was always the same.

"Yes, I felt safe."

Admittedly it wasn't the best time to be in Israel. For the past two years there's been an unending stream of suicide bombing and terrorist attacks. My son pleaded with me not to go. Friends thought I was crazy. But news reports distort what's going on. I've lived in the Bay Area through earthquakes and fires and know what the reality of living in the middle of the 6 o'clock news is. It's never what it seems like to the outside world.

Besides, waiting to go to Israel until the violence has ended is like waiting to go to California until there are no more earthquakes. I had been to Israel before and always felt safer than news reports led me to believe I would.

"There's security everywhere—at shopping centers, hotels, restaurants and on the streets," I told people in the spirit of full disclosure. It's surprising how quickly you get used to seeing young men and women, in uniform or civilian attire, with automatic rifles draped over their shoulders. "I was probably more tuned into my surroundings than I am at home, but security is a fact of life these days everywhere. Who would have thought Bali or Kenya or New York City? And who better to deal with terrorism than Israelis?"

I'm not a risk taker, at least not with my life, and this felt nothing like that. It was a press tour, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, focusing on women in Israel. We wouldn't be taking public transportation, going to the West Bank or visiting any other vulnerable areas, and would have an experienced guide with us throughout. I knew that we wouldn't be in harm's way. Getting a bunch of American journalists blown up could be very bad for business.

Technically this was a working trip, meeting with women representing various aspects of Israeli life, but it also would be a vacation. The itinerary included sightseeing, dinners in fancy restaurants, a spa and an afternoon at the Dead Sea. I couldn't pass it up. There's a power to Israel that's unparalleled anywhere else and I wanted to experience that again.

In the United States, old is 300 years. In Europe, 700 or 800 years is getting up there. But Israel is the land of the Bible, and sites there go back more than 2,000 years. At Masada we wandered around the remains of King Herod's palace with its mosaic tiled floors, decorative stone columns and frescoed walls. Although Herod never lived on Masada, he had it outfitted for a king, with a bathhouse, steam room, swimming pool, storehouses, water cistern and several palaces.

In the City of David, just south of Jerusalem, our guide told us about clay seals that had been found during the excavation of one of the dwellings of David's advisers. The initials on the seal matched those of the scribe in the Book of Ezra.

It's overwhelming.

But on another level, Israel is a country where I've always felt at home, like I belonged. There's a familiarity to the people, the customs and the culture for me unlike anywhere else.

No, I never felt like I was in any kind of danger. People thanked us for coming. Some called us brave, not because we had taken any risks but because we hadn't been scared off by what we read in the press.

But sadly many other people have been scared away and Israel is no longer the tourist destination it was. Historical sites are deserted. Stores have closed. Restaurants are empty and hotels are well below capacity. A representative of the Ministry of Tourism estimated that has cost 40,000 jobs, an economic blow for a country with a population of 6 million. But Israel will survive. It will bounce back. It always does. And as for me, if I had the chance, I'd go back tomorrow.