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Destination: Israel

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Remember the Holocaust — So it Will Never be Repeated

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As a tour guide, I have an ethic that every Rick Steves bus tour through Germany includes a pilgrimage to a concentration camp memorial. It’s our hope, as guides, that with this powerful experience, our travelers will heed the collective wish of Hitler’s victims: Forgive but Never Forget. When you travel thoughtfully — and incorporate stops at memorials to the six million Jews who were murdered by Nazi Germany — the impact changes you.

If you search for “Holocaust” in the Rick Steves Classroom Europe video library, you’ll find a dozen clips (totaling about 45 minutes) that can be shared as a teaching tool at home or in the classroom. As the last people with first-hand memories of this tragic period in history pass away, it is important to keep alive the stark lessons of what happens when a society gives power to hate and racism.

On this day, especially, history is speaking to all of us. Here’s a 90-second visit to Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem. This sprawling memorial and museum chronicles the slaughter of six million Jews and celebrates the spirit of Zionism and the creation of modern Israel. (Of course, there are peace and justice issues between Israel and Palestine. But, for me, today is a day to focus — prayerfully — on the Holocaust.

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Video: Rick Steves on Israel and Palestine Today

In the last month, I’ve traveled to both Denver and Palo Alto to share my experiences in the Holy Land and help raise money for Bright Stars of Bethlehem, a nonprofit that promotes peace and justice in Palestine through Bethlehem’s Dar al-Kalima University of Arts & Culture. Policymaking in the US and the Middle East has been impulsive and erratic lately, making it more important than ever for American citizens to reach out and gain a little context on the Holy Land — and that was the focus of my talk.

I put this report together after traveling to the Holy Land to produce a public television special, which you can stream online — but I’d say it’s more important to watch this hour-long talk, recorded at Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto. While the production is simple, the content is both timely and important.

We don’t need a one-sided narrative about the Holy Land told by someone dug-in on this complicated issue. To understand this situation, we need a “dual-narrative” approach that respects both sides. And that was what I shared in this talk: the lessons I learned by walking with caring people on both sides of the wall that divides this land.

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“Rick Steves’ The Holy Land”: Directors’ Cut with Commentary

I’ve always enjoyed “director’s cuts” of favorite movies or documentaries because you feel like you’re sitting casually with the host, director, and producer of the show as they reminisce and kibitz on “behind the camera” insights. And I’ve always wanted to record one so our viewers could get to know our producer/director Simon Griffith. If you enjoy our TV show and are interested in both how we make our shows and what it was like filming our Holy Land special in Israel and Palestine, here’s a chance to join me and Simon in a fun, candid, and intimate peek at our production process. As you watch this, you’ll better understand why I feel so thankful to be able to collaborate with an artist like Simon Griffith.

(You can watch Rick Steves’ The Holy Land with the normal audio anytime at ricksteves.com/holy-land.)

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Holy Land Interview: Israeli Farmer in the West Bank

This is clip #9 of a 10-part series of interviews I did while producing our public television special Rick Steves’ The Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today. Considering the impact of American policies on the daily lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, this is my attempt to introduce you to some people in both camps whose voices might otherwise not be heard.

Venturing into a simply fortified Israeli farming settlement in the West Bank, we met a young farmer who welcomed us with fresh-squeezed juice and a chance to film his thoughts. A young father, he was enjoying what he considers the good life: to be a farmer, back to nature, and raising his kids in an idyllic settlement in the West Bank.

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Holy Land Interview: Arab-Israeli Family

This is clip #7 of a 10-part series of interviews I did while producing our public television special Rick Steves’ The Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today. Considering the impact of American policies on the daily lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, this is my attempt to introduce you to some people in both camps whose voices might otherwise not be heard.

We met this Muslim family in Haifa, a modern Israeli town well-known for a younger generation where Jewish and Arab Israelis live and work in relative peace. They were happy to let me join them at their restaurant table and discuss the reality of being an Arab Israeli (as opposed to an Arab living in the West Bank).