Where in the world is still safe for Israelis to vacation?

It’s August, the month that most Israelis are preparing for their last summer fling vacation. However, this year is different from all others, because it wasn’t that long ago that all flights came to a halt, since we were embroiled in a full-out war.

That caused many to put their travel plans on hold and wait for the approach of calmer days. Yet, between soaring airline prices and, now, the unwelcoming atmosphere of some local populations, one has to think hard and long as to which venues abroad will be safe and embracing for Israelis who are searching for a memorable time.

The sad news is that each day, the newspapers are filled with accounts of Israelis being turned away or prevented from accessing sites that once were readily available to them. For example, recent headlines revealed that Austrian campsites and restaurants have turned away Israelis.

Whether responding to fears that security personnel will be unable to ensure the safety of Israelis at a particular place, or the unexpected presence of pro-Palestinian activists, who seem to pop up unannounced, threatening to harm Jewish tourists, the result is the same. Israelis can no longer take it for granted that they can choose from a smorgasbord of vacation spots, free from the dangers of antisemitism.

That was the case at the Salzburg Festival, which took place last weekend, when six activists disrupted the event, shouting that the vice-chancellor had “blood on his hands,” while he attempted to deliver a speech. In a more worrisome case, a couple was denied the right to park their motor home at an Austrian campsite, being told that “there was no place for Jews there.” This was more egregious because the sentiments being expressed were tantamount to racist bigotry, singling out Jews.

Of course, we all heard about the cruise ship carrying Israeli passengers that was unable to disembark at the island of Syros, due to the 150 protesters who made it impossible for them to tour the area as they’d hoped to see. More of the same occurred in Rhodes as Israelis were met with shouts that they were not welcome there.

Does it get any worse than the braz​en display, in the window of a Milan shop, where a Hebrew sign reads, “Zionist Israelis are not welcome here.” Or what about the French Jewish man, accompanied by his young son, who were harassed, only a few days ago, by pro-Palestinian agitators shouting vulgar threats, also taking place in the same city?

A Ynet report has outlined the “top holiday picks” that are proving to be “increasingly unsafe” for Israeli tourists who must now carefully consider how to spend their money if they want to return unscathed – among those being Amsterdam. Also listed, on other sites, as destinations where unpleasant incidents have occurred are London, Paris, certain locales in Spain, Canada, and even the frequented American cities of New York, Washington​, DC, and Miami.

Long gone are the days when neighboring Turkey was the hotspot for Israeli vacationers, who flocked to the beautiful resorts that offered maximum pampering at inexpensive prices. Between the regrettable 2021 arrest of an Israeli, accused of espionage after photographing one of the president’s residences, along with the increasingly hostile positions towards Israel by the local government there, Israelis quickly ​c​oncluded that their money was better spent elsewhere. To this day, that decision has been much to the regret of local merchants, who greatly benefited from our tourism.

According to an Israeli government site, there are potential threats listed for Israelis traveling to Australia, Armenia, Austria, and Angola. On a Reddit site, Berlin is also a venue that has a warning for Jews in certain areas of the city.

Let’s face it, the list of safe places for Israelis and Jews to enjoy a pleasurable holiday, without incident, is fast dwindling, and that reality is a sad reminder of the growing sentiment against the Jewish race, divorced from religious practice but solely based on ethnicity.

And while venues, such as Montenegro, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, Warsaw, and Dubai​, are still being listed as safe and friendly, there are no assurances that unpleasant incidents won’t eventually pop up in these places as well.

We are living at a time when being Jewish or Israeli is ​becoming more and more ​of a liability, as it relates to travel. When topics of discussion, among friends, are focused on the benefits of using a foreign passport to avoid being identified as Israeli, then we are reverting to an era similar to the 1930s, when Jews were forced to rethink their freedom of movement for fear of finding themselves in dangerous territory.

Who would have thought we’d go backward in time – to a period of intolerance, the fear of unjustified prejudice, and the insane need to cast blame on an entire people, attributing the world’s evils to their existence?

Why did we think that establishing ​a​ homeland, excelling in technology, medicine, and societal advancement for the betterment of all, would endear a hateful and vengeful world to the people who, for centuries, have been singled out as their biggest problem?

It makes you realize that there are not enough feats of wonder that can be accomplished to cause people to take a fresh look at the Jewish nation and see it through the eyes of gratitude and appreciation.

Perhaps it says more about them than it does about us, but it is the new world in which we live, necessitating thought and consideration of safe places and how best to retain our security. While this is also true for every ethnicity, given the overall global threat of terrorism, which could erupt anywhere, anytime, the dangers posed for Jews and Israelis are increased, since they remain the optimal target.

With just one month left to decide on how to spend the final days of summer, it’s best advised to do some personal research before putting out the cash, just to make sure that your vacation will be all that you hoped, rather than wishing that you’d booked a lovely hotel in your own backyard – the one place where Israelis can still identify as themselves.

This article originally appeared on the Jerusalem Post and is reposted with permission.