From opening ancient Jewish texts, to hotels opening its doors to host evacuees, hospitality in times of distress is imbedded in Jewish tradition
By Motti Verses
One of the most impressive phenomena in Israel after the Hamas atrocities on October 7th is the impressive solidarity shown by the hospitality industry. Around 130,000 Israelis had to leave their homes along the Gaza and Lebanon borders. The first hours and days were crucial as the civil service scheme that had to take charge was completely paralyzed. Owners and managers of hotels, hostels, guest houses and short-term rentals warmly opened their doors to the evacuees offering free accommodation.
Is this unprecedented solidarity of an industry related to the essence of Judaism?
Throughout our history, providing shelter to people is fundamental in the Jewish religion. For thousands of years, the showing of hospitality – “hakhnasat orchim” – is considered a mitzvah (good deed done from religious duty). In fact, it is considered one of the most important of Jewish values. The Talmud even says that welcoming guests is “greater than welcoming the Divine Presence”. When one knows of strangers who are hungry or need a place to relax, it becomes a legal obligation.
Mutual guarantee is another beacon of responsibility – an obligation of the community towards each of its members, and of each member of the community towards the whole. In Judaism a moral and halachic rule was established by the sages to indicate a mutual guarantee. All of Israel are guarantors to each other. Its original meaning was that each Jew is responsible for the fulfillment of his fellow mitzvot. The most prominent examples of mutual guarantee nowadays, are the various volunteer organizations in which assistance is provided to citizens free of charge.
Even the chuppah in marriage symbolizes a shelter and refuge that is created by the bond of love and the goodness Jews selflessly give to one another because of that love.
After centuries of endless antisemitism at the conclusion of World War II, there were millions of refugees in Europe. Holocaust survivors had no homes to return to. These survivors experienced undue hardship as they sought to rebuild their lives. However, in the shadow of the Shoah, there was only one true home that welcomed them with open arms – Israel. Ever since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a home for Jews was eternally assured, and following the atrocities of the Nazis, an oath was taken that resonates for all time – “Never Again”.
No wonder when the Hamas massacre occurred on October 7, it struck deep within the genealogy of the Jewish people in Israel. Hoteliers suddenly found themselves in the frontline. They felt a moral duty as Jews to meet the needs of their people and help provide solutions to the evacuees. It was an industry showing solidarity with pride.
While hospitality institutions are by nature commercial entities, the Jewish people are by nature uniquely remarkable, and in times of a national crisis the true collective character of this impressive little country is revealed. The people galvanize in solidarity and overwhelming generosity and Israel’s hospitality industry is in the forefront of this proud phenomenon.
“This is true Zionism. We say yes, make things happen and at the later stage ask questions,” says Itamar Elitzur, Head of the Eilat Hotel Association. This Red Sea resort city with 50,000 residents is host to approximately 60,000 evacuees. “Over the years we have gained experience during previous clashes with Hamas and so with this war following the massacre they perpetrated, we were able to organize very quickly. At first evacuees arrived separately but within a short time, it became more organized with group arrivals and today the hotels are fully booked. Despite being short-staffed because of the situation to cope for such high occupancy, we are nevertheless managing well,” he says proudly.
ALIVE AT THE DEAD SEA
Ein Gedi Kibbutz Hotel at the Dead Sea was crowded with guests – evacuated survivors – from the kibbutzim of Be’eri and Holit that suffered devastating massacres. “They arrived here without luggage and basic personal equipment such as medicines, hearing aids and even dentures,” says kibbutz Chairwoman, Maya Dvir. “Almost 400 people, nearly the same number as the kibbutz members, are being hosted in the hotel and some even in the homes of our kibbutz members. We had an enormous shortage of employees, but all of the kibbutz members rose to the occasion in providing everything that was needed, from appliances and provisions to just sharing time with these devastated people; after all they are like family,” she said.
MAKING THEM FEEL AT HOME
“Requests to host evacuees from the Gaza border area following the Hamas massacre began immediately. We started hosting them in our hotels without hesitation,” says Leon Avigad, co-founder of the boutique Israeli brand, Brown Hotels, that started out in Tel Aviv in 2010 and now has 27 hotels throughout Israel, 12 in Greece and 1 in Croatia.
“Our response to the dire situation was immediate with overwhelming effort to make them feel at home. Well-known Israeli comedians and entertainers joined in our ‘mission’ to help revive their spirits. Even Kosher food was offered by outside vendors, although it is not part of all our hotel’s philosophy. Helping people in need is what we believe in. We were there also during the summer Greece wildfires providing similar assistance to evacuees. This is who we are. We are brownies with a soul,” he says.
Atlas Hotels is an Israeli brand with 16 urban properties and a family business of the founder Danny Lipman and his sons Yaron and Lior, who nowadays carry the torch. They are also proudly carrying the torch of Jewish humanitarian tradition. “Being active by hosting evacuees sends a message of optimism, unity and togetherness,” says Vice president Yaron Lipman. “We are emphasizing the giving. The majority of our guests are usually travelers from abroad and we felt it was important to convey to them through our social media channels, the message of unity. We see it as making a statement of standing together in times of adversity,” he says.
Even owners of short-term rentals with 7000 units and apartments all across the country offered free accommodation. “Within 48 hours, most of the apartments in Israel were full with approximately 15,000 civilian evacuees. This amounted to a multi-million contribution by the entire sector,” explains Eyal Levanthal, Director of Israel Short Term Rentals Association.
As this human drama unfolds, one reflects as a Jew back to the Torah’s detailed description of the mitzvah of ‘hachnasat orchim’ in Genesis when our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah offered hospitality to three wayfarers who happened to be passing by their tent. Jewish goodwill today has only developed from this earliest fine example of our forefathers that set us on our righteous path.
Some argue there is a world of difference between doing good deeds according to our own human understanding and doing mitzvahs according to God’s plan as outlined in this mythical biblical story. For my money, there is no difference.
This is the foundation of Judaism.
It also provides many-millennia later, the inspiration for Israel’s hospitality industry, that in the spirit of Abraham and Sarah, have opened its doors welcoming people in need.
About the writer:
The writer, Motti Verses, is a Travel Flash Tips publisher. His travel stories are published on THE TIMES OF ISRAEL https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/motti-verses/.
And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS
And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS
* Feature picture: The writer at the Herzliya Daniel hotel standing in front of the slogan “TOGETHER WE WILL WIN”.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
