NEW YORK, Oct. 20 (JTA) – Blame it on the Israeli army. The desire among young Israelis to live it up after they complete their mandatory service appears to be the main reason why tourists from the Jewish state are considered the world’s worst-behaved travelers. For recently released members of the Army, “the desire to get to know other cultures does not hold a high priority,” said Yehuda Jacobson, a sociologist at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Now a new campaign is being launched to improve the behavior of Israelis abroad. Yuval Limon, the manger of LaMetayel, Israel’s largest chain of travel stores, launched the campaign. Limon is calling for classes on tourist etiquette to be introduced in schools, and he hopes to collect enough signatures to force the Knesset’s Education Committee to deal with the issue. We want to “admit our sins and move forward,” he said. Apparently, he’s got a long way to go. A recent survey of Norwegian hotel owners found Israelis to be the least liked of tourists because they “steal everything possible,” according to Limon.
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