Valdimir,
a Muscovite taxi driver, is astonished that Israel, a tiny little
country "that's all desert and sand" exports its fruit and vegetables
all over the world -- including to Russia, where Israeli produce has
become a common sight in Moscow, and even to the country's periphery.
But it doesn't end with
carrots and potatoes. In general, Russia holds a positive view of
Israel as an exciting, developed country. It is beguiling to many
Russians as a tourist destination, and if anything stands in the way of
increased Russian tourism, it is the fact that Israel is more expensive
than other vacation locales.
This has proved beyond a
doubt that tourism to Israel can help create a positive image for the
country. The many Russians who have visited Israel since the visa
requirement was canceled have changed the way Israel is viewed by the
Russian public. Almost anyone you meet in Moscow has a friend, relative,
or acquaintance who recently visited the Holy Land and came back with
tales of its wonders.
These positive stories add up to create more and
more circles of support for Israel.
More @ Israel Hayom
I visited Israel in August of 1971, while on a special thirty day leave from the war in the old Republic of Viet Nam, where I was serving in the 101st Airborne Division.
ReplyDeleteI stayed at the Park Hotel in Tel Aviv, and went on guided bus tours throughout Israel, tours where I was the ONLY Christian (I'm a Mormon) on all-Jewish guided tours.
To this day, I urge other folks, that if at all possible, to also visit Israel, and enjoy telling them that Israel "is a combination of the Bible - - - and HOLLYWOOD!"
(Yes, I stole that line from the Hollywood movie, "PATTON")
Here is a poem that I composed upon my return to the old Republic of Viet Nam:
___________________________________________
"MY TRIP TO ISRAEL"
BY: JOHN ROBERT MALLERNEE
Gather 'round, my comrades
And I'll tell of the day
I boarded a plane
And flew far away.
In Viet Nam, I'd spent
Six months and a year
Living like a dog
And surrounded by fear.
So, I bid "Farewell!",
With leave orders in my hand,
As Trans World Airlines
Flew me to the Promised Land.
The Land of Israel,
The Land of the Book!
I could hardly wait
To have my first look!
After many long hours
Above the clouds we'd trod,
Trans World Airlines
Finally landed at Lod.
In Tel Aviv,
I roomed at the "Park"
And ventured forth,
Happy as a lark.
Bethlehem, Masada,
Jerusalem of Gold;
I visted them each,
And other places of old.
I met a young lady
On my guided bus tour.
Entranced by her femineness,
I thought, "Vive L' Amour!"
From Montreal, Canada,
Is where she came.
But, I was too shy
To ask her name.
All through the trip,
I watched her and stared.
She would never know
How much for her I cared.
We would never meet,
As decreed by the Fates,
For the girl went to Greece,
As I flew to the States.
I bought Yemenite jewelry for Mom,
An antique sword for myself.
Pictures of Israel
Are in albums on the shelf.
Though I'm back in Viet Nam
With my head in a whirl,
I remember Israel,
And I remember that girl.
https://youtu.be/1U3RBxhwTdQ
___________________________________________
That is very good, John. Thanks. I plan on going back to Vietnam the end of November, by the way.
DeleteProbably is some kind of relationship. Putin took his
ReplyDeletemother to Israel to live. The house he procured for his
mother, one would have waited a very extended amount of
time to be placed. She was placed in the home immediately.
Thanks.
DeletePutin's mother was not Jewish. She was Christian, very
ReplyDeleteChristian.