Tourism Ministry officials  onWednesday met with chareidi lawmakers as they begin working towards attracting a greater number of chareidi visitors to Israel. The meeting was held in the office of Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, attended by most chareidi MKs and [deputy] ministers.

Misezhnikov stated that the meeting was not called towards launching a public relations campaign, but to formulate a concrete plan that will bring more chareidi visitors to Israel. “We want to know how to reach this population” he explained. He questioned what Israel can offer that will entice more chareidim to come and visit.

The ministry is also interested in increasing domestic chareidi tourism and while it is not yet official, it appears a first ministry-approved tour guide course for chareidi women will be hosted by the Beis Yaakov system.

Shas’ R’ Eli Yishai stated there is much than can and must be done, beginning with improving condition at kivrei tzaddikim, many having been ignored for too long, today in poor conditions ,with poor access roads and lacking basic accommodations for visitors.

Yahadut HaTorah’s R’ Meir Porush stated from his perspective, if one wishes to promote something, one must boast the beauty of the item being promoted. Therefore he explained, in this case, the item being sold is yiddishkeit, and the ministry has to decide just how much it is willing to promote yiddishkeit in the campaign.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)