At Ben-Gurion Airport, Israelis are doing what exhausted people do: leaving for a few days.
No one should begrudge them that. Nearly three years after the October 7 massacre, Israel has inflicted serious damage on its enemies but has failed to bring its conflicts to durable conclusions. Hamas remains a threat in Gaza, Hezbollah remains a threat from Lebanon, and Iran and its proxies continue to seek revenge, even as the situation in the West Bank grows more volatile.
At home, the country is entering an election campaign without an authoritative accounting of the failures that brought it here.
People want to breathe. They want a beach, a city break, a family holiday, or simply a week in which every notification does not carry the possibility of another attack.
But boarding a plane is not an escape from being Israeli.
Terrorist organizations and lone-wolf attackers continue to seek opportunities to target Israelis and Jews abroad, particularly as the High Holy Days and the third anniversary of October 7 approach, the National Security Council warned on Sunday.
The notice did not impose new travel warnings, but it described a threat environment that has expanded alongside Israel’s continuing war fronts. Iran and its proxies remain the principal global terrorist threat to Israelis and Jews, the council said, while Hamas is investing resources in building terrorist infrastructure in Europe for possible attacks.
Antisemitic incidents up 136% since 2022
Antisemitism, meanwhile, remains far above its pre-October 7 levels and has become increasingly violent. The 2026 J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism, covering seven of the world’s largest Jewish communities, found that recorded antisemitic incidents were 136% higher in 2025 than in 2022, while violent incidents had risen by 97%.
The Foreign Ministry separately received 45 reports in one year from Israelis who experienced physical assault, verbal abuse, denial of service, or other antisemitic incidents abroad. The figure is not a comprehensive count of every incident, but it reflects a reality that travelers cannot simply dismiss.
Israelis therefore need to understand where they are going, the local threat level, and the protections available to them. They should know how to reach local authorities and the nearest Israeli diplomatic mission. Discrimination should be documented and reported, and credible threats should not be shrugged off. Nobody should be expected to tolerate abuse because of an Israeli passport or a Hebrew accent.
None of this means Israelis must accept collective punishment for their government’s policies. Antisemitism is not caused by an Israeli tourist behaving badly, and violence is never justified by boorishness.
Israelis and Jews abroad should travel responsibly
That does not eliminate personal responsibility. Travelers should follow official warnings, protect sensitive personal information, avoid demonstrations, and exercise judgment in unfamiliar situations.
They should also respect local laws and treat those around them accordingly. Being alert does not require being confrontational, and knowing one’s rights does not mean turning every dispute into a test of national pride.
Israelis abroad are private citizens, not government spokespeople. Yet regardless of whether they welcome it, they are often readily identified with their country. Their conduct can affect not only how they themselves are treated, but also Jewish communities that will remain after they return home.
This is particularly important at a time when a minor confrontation can be recorded, stripped of context, and circulated as evidence of something much larger. Israelis should not have to perform for the approval of hostile audiences. Basic consideration is not capitulation, however, and needless bravado is not patriotism.
Travelers can reduce their exposure, but they cannot remove the underlying threats. The government cannot treat travel warnings as a substitute for reducing the dangers that increasingly follow Israelis beyond the country’s borders. Individual caution is necessary, but it cannot compensate for the absence of a national strategy capable of bringing Israel’s open fronts toward resolution.
Israelis are entitled to rest, travel, and enjoy the world without apologizing for their existence. After years of war, reserve duty, displacement, bereavement, and uncertainty, the need for respite is neither frivolous nor disloyal.
Crossing the border, however, does not erase their identity or the circumstances surrounding it. Israelis should go abroad with confidence, but also with awareness: knowing their rights, taking genuine dangers seriously, and extending to others the same consideration they rightly expect for themselves.
There may be no vacation from being Israeli. There can still be a responsible way to take one.