Israel's Ministry of Tourism is celebrating the country's 60th anniversary of independence with a competition to recognize the best travel article published on Israel in North America during the 60th anniversary year - May 1 through December 31, 2008. The grand prize is a repeat visit to Israel at the ministry's expense, as well as an elegant silver plaque featuring a medieval map of Israel. The five runners-up will receive books.
"We want to show our appreciation to those whose writings inspire visits to Israel," says Arie Sommer, Israel Tourism Commissioner for North and South America.
The competition is named for "Benjamin of Tudela," a Spanish Jew who began a journey to the Land of Israel in 1165 and described his experiences in The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela: Travels in the Middle Ages. His journey took eight years. He returned to Navarro in Spain in 1173 and took him not only to Israel but also through southern Europe, to Mesopotamia and to Egypt. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years.
Writers may enter on-line at www.goisrael.com/benjaminoftudela no later than February 28, 2009. Travel articles published in the United States and Canada are valid for entry and will be judged by a committee of experts, including Israel tourism industry representatives and North American travel editors. The Ministry of Tourism held a similar competition in 1998 to mark Israel's 50th birthday.
