Unwelcome Abroad. Unshaken at Home

Where Can You Go on Summer Holiday,  If Not to Israel?

It’s June again. The sun is out, school is almost over, the suitcases are calling and so is the question that every Israeli family, Jewish Zionist, or advocate for Israel inevitably faces: Where in the world can we go this summer?

The answer used to be simple. Rome for history, Spain for beaches, Paris for culture, Berlin for vibrancy. Europe was the dream. It was diverse, close, and rich with art and experience.

But now, things have changed.

Let’s take Italy. A land of breathtaking landscapes and culinary delight. But would you drink wine with Adolf Hitler’s face on the label? In Italian shops, until as recently as 2023, you could. Fascist memorabilia was casually marketed as tourist kitsch. A joke, they say. But who’s laughing?

Spain? It recently became one of the latest countries to “recognize” a Palestinian state. Not a peaceful, negotiated two-state solution, but a one-sided political move in the shadow of October 7th, as if to reward terrorism with legitimacy. As Jews, as Zionists, how can we comfortably sip sangria in a place where our trauma is dismissed?

And don’t even get me started on the Netherlands. Amsterdam, the city of Anne Frank, has become a paradox. Just months ago, Jewish-owned shops were defaced. The mayor sugar-coated the antisemitic climate, downplaying a November Jew-hunt through the city streets. Protesters screamed slurs, marched with signs glorifying Hamas, and the police looked the other way. Israelis there today walk in fear. Zionist students keep their heads down. Kippahs stay in drawers.

Belgium? The land of waffles and grotesque indifference. In Brussels, during pro-Palestinian rallies, chants like “From the river to the sea” echoed through the streets, words that glorify genocide. There were cheers for October 7th. For murdered civilians. For raped women. The message wasn’t subtle: if you support Israel, if you are Israeli, you are not welcome.

Then there’s the UK. Once a bastion of Western democracy, now a battleground of extremism. London’s skyline is slowly being shadowed by radicalization. Muslim extremism is no longer a fringe issue. It is infiltrating schools, media, even Parliament. Jewish schools increase security weekly. Pro-Israel speakers are shouted down, events canceled, academics harassed. In multicultural neighborhoods, flying an Israeli flag might get you attacked.

Germany tries. To its credit, it really does. It has banned Hamas. It is prosecuting antisemitic speech more actively than most. But the ghosts of the past are hard to shake. Israeli tourists are still advised to “blend in.” Antisemitic incidents are rising. A machete attack at a Berlin synagogue. Jewish students harassed on campus. The question isn’t if you’ll face antisemitism, it’s when.

So where does that leave us?

Where can a Jew go on holiday without needing to hide their identity?

Where can a Zionist be open, proud, and safe?

Where can an Israeli wear a blue-and-white bracelet without fearing confrontation?

It’s a short list.

You can still go to Greece, at least for now. A nation with a strong relationship with Israel, and a growing awareness of antisemitism. It’s not perfect, but many Israelis feel genuinely welcome there. Greek hospitality still includes Jews.

You might go to Cyprus, where Israeli tourism is embraced, and cooperation runs deep. It’s small, quiet, and friendly.

The United States remains a patchwork. In places like Florida and Texas, the environment is safer and more pro-Israel than in progressive urban centers like San Francisco or New York City, where antisemitic protests are now part of the weekly calendar.

Maybe the UAE, where Abraham Accords transformed the impossible into reality. Israeli passports are welcomed. Hebrew is heard in hotels. There’s even a kosher restaurant in Dubai Mall. It’s a rare place where Jewish-Muslim relations are based on mutual respect.

But let’s be honest, there is only one place where you can be fully yourself, fully safe, and fully free as a Jew, Zionist, and Israeli.

Israel.

Where you don’t have to justify your identity. Where speaking Hebrew isn’t a political act. Where the flag you fly isn’t a provocation, it’s home.

This isn’t nationalism. This is survival.

In a world where university campuses chant “Intifada,” where Jewish businesses are boycotted, where Jewish children are taught to feel guilty for Israel’s existence, the irony is glaring:

The only truly safe place for a Jew in 2025… is the very place the world condemns.

Israel, for all its flaws and scars, is the miracle our ancestors only dreamed of. It’s the answer to 2,000 years of wandering. It’s the place where “next year in Jerusalem” became this year, next week, tomorrow in Jerusalem.

So yes, we still dream of traveling the world. Of walking through Rome’s ruins, Spain’s plazas, Paris’ streets, without a shadow of fear. Of a world where a Star of David isn’t controversial. But until that world exists, our travel options will remain limited, not because of our ideology, but because of theirs.

If we must choose between being comfortable and being proud, then we choose pride. We choose Israel.

And maybe, just maybe, this summer, the most meaningful vacation is not one of escape, but one of return.

Home.