El Al is not a simple airline,” says Ben Atar Nissim, general manager of Israel ‘s national carrier. “It is an airline that represents the State of Israel. When we speak of the airline, we not only speak of it but of Israel.”
For those of us who have never been to Israel, chances are what we know of this country is limited only to what we’ve gathered from the news, and more often than not, it’s the negative news that we get. It’s almost like the kind of news that’s aired abroad about the peace and order situation in certain places like Mindanao, and foreigners are led to believe that it is the same unsafe situation in the whole country.
“Israel is the safest place, that’s what I believe,” Nissim says. “We are more alert than others.”
A security and maintenance team accompanies every El Al flight. “The security and safety of our passengers are one of the main values of our company. We take high standards and invest a lot in technology to give the best service to our valuable passengers. I apologize in advance for any kind of unknown inconvenience that might happen during security checks. We promise to do our best to make your flight the safest and comfortable as can be. We welcome and cherish every passenger that is coming to visit Israel, the Holy Land.”
For most Filipinos, this is Israel’s main attraction. Israel is the Holy Land. Here, they come to retrace the footsteps of the Son of God, Jesus Christ — in Nazareth, Cana, the Sea of Galilee, the River Jordan, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.
“In Israel, you can feel thousands of years of history,” Nissim says. “You can feel in every place that you visit the events that happened and only read about in the Bible. You can be in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. You can walk where Jesus walked. It is a very moving experience.”
Tel Aviv is the second most populous city, and is considered the cosmopolitan and financial capital of Israel. Nearly all countries, including the Philippines, maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. El Al flies to Tel Aviv from Hong Kong five times a week; from Bangkok, six times a week; and from Beijing, three times a week. Philippine Airlines is El Al’s connecting partner for Hong Kong, Bangkok and Beijing. “It is also a good connecting way to Europe because of good flight connections from Asia to Tel Aviv and Europe while transiting in the brand-new, beautiful, ultra-modern terminal at Ben Gurion Airport,” says Nissim.
He also announced El Al’s purchase of two new Boeing 777-200 aircraft, the most advanced and sophisticated in the world. “These planes will be the flagship aircraft of the El Al fleet for long-range destinations in North America and the Far East,” Nissim remarked. “El Al will also renew its entire 777 and 747 fleet according to the standards set by the new planes to create a new flight experience for passengers.”
Among the many improvements are an elegant and well-designed first class that includes 12 state-of-the-art seats that recline to a fully horizontal position, 180 degrees in relation to the floor; a business class that includes 36 sophisticated seats that recline to a bed position at an angle of 170 degrees in relation to the floor; and an economy class that includes 232 advanced, ergometrically designed seats to create maximum comfort for the passenger.
The personal entertainment system on the aircraft is among the most advanced, featuring a wide touch screen and a rich assortment of films, programs, audio and game channels, all on demand, allowing passengers to choose what to view when they want it. “It’s like you have a private theater on the plane,” Nissim noted.
Just an hour’s drive away from Tel Aviv is Jerusalem, Israel’s spiritual center since ancient times and the capital of the modern state of Israel. It is an ultra-modern city where the religious shrines of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and archeological sites are reverently preserved. It is the largest city of Israel.
Of the estimated 30,000 Filipinos who live and work in different parts of Israel, an estimated 7,000 live in Jerusalem. Many Filipinos in Israel work as caregivers.
“The same loving and caring by the Filipinos for the Israelis were experienced by the Jews when they took refuge in the Philippines several decades ago,” Nissim remarked. It was in 1939 when the Philippine Commonwealth Government, led by President Manuel L. Quezon, opened our country’s doors and welcomed Jewish refugees escaping Nazi tyranny in Europe. Philippine and Israel relations were officially established in 1948. In November 2007, the Philippines and Israel will celebrate their 50th year of diplomatic relations.
“As the GM of El Al, I am also a representative of Israel,” says Nissim. “I invite all Filipinos to come and visit Israel. The people of Israel are peace loving and friendly like in the Philippines.”
The good news is that you don’t need a visa to travel to Israel. “El Al is the only airline that supplies a direct flight, landing in Israel with comfort because it is an evening flight that allows passengers to relax, get a good night’s sleep, and wake up in Israel fully recharged and ready to enjoy the Holy Land,” Nissim says. “Everyone should go, at least once in his lifetime, to the Holy Land. This is the time to come.”