My friends,

Few countries on earth are so often in the news. Hardly a week passes without Israel being in the headlines. A recent survey of U.S. high school children underscored an enormous lack of knowledge of the world’s geography, yet it’s rare for us to find anyone who doesn’t know where or what Israel is!

There is a lot more to Israel than politics. Israel is home to seven million Israelis, a multi-faith, multi-ethnic country that is a truly western-style democracy. It is a land where virtually everyone speaks English, and where America and Americans are admired and loved.  But above all else, Israel is the cradle of monotheistic faith. The recognition that there is but one Almighty was born in Israel, a recognition that gave birth to Judaism, to Christianity and to Islam.

For Christians, visiting Israel is not merely a tourism experience…it is a journey of faith. I am constantly meeting Christians who tell me how dramatically their visits to Israel have transformed their understanding of scripture, and how dramatically visiting Jerusalem and the Galilee transformed their understanding of the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Millions of tourists visit Israel every year. And we Israelis never miss an opportunity to discover every corner of our country. Not a weekend or holiday passes without our getting into our cars to visit an archeological site, a nature park, or a historic location such as Capernaum, the River Jordan, Jaffa, Cana, Mount Tabor, Haifa and the Dead Sea.

We Israelis invite you to come see us. We will welcome you with open arms. I know you will find your visit both intriguing and inspiring. Indeed, once you’ve visited Israel you will never be the same.

Thank you, and Shalom