The system uses travel advisories, reports from Jewish communities, media coverage of antisemitic incidents and information submitted by users.
By Shula Rosen
An Israeli technology entrepreneur has developed a digital tool that allows Jewish and Israeli travelers to check reported antisemitism and security concerns at destinations around the world before deciding where to visit.
Shay Yaish created “Safe for Jews,” a bilingual Hebrew-English platform that assigns safety assessments to countries and cities using several types of information rather than relying on a single source.
The system draws on government travel advisories, reports from Jewish communities, media coverage of antisemitic incidents and information submitted by users.
Artificial intelligence is used to scan and organize information about antisemitism and other developments that could affect Jewish or Israeli visitors.
Locations are then placed into categories ranging from relatively safe to dangerous.
The platform also provides more localized information, allowing travelers to examine conditions in particular cities or regions rather than relying only on a countrywide assessment. Its information is updated as new incidents and reports emerge.
Yaish developed the project after encountering difficulty finding centralized information while researching possible destinations for a family vacation. Instead of searching separately through numerous sources, he sought to create one place where travelers could compare potential destinations.
The website has since attracted hundreds of visits each day.
Its current assessments place several Eastern European destinations, including the Czech Republic, Albania, Lithuania and Belarus, among locations considered relatively safe. Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, Iceland and Cyprus also receive favorable assessments, along with Bolivia, Paraguay and Ecuador in Latin America.
The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau and Tuvalu are among smaller destinations receiving favorable ratings.
The platform advises greater caution in several destinations traditionally popular with Israeli and Jewish tourists. The United States, Australia and much of Western Europe carry recommendations that visitors consider limiting visible indications that they are Jewish or Israeli.
Spain, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa and Russia receive a stronger “warning” designation. Most Muslim countries, including Egypt, are classified as “dangerous” for Jewish or Israeli travelers.
The ratings are not official government assessments. The website includes a disclaimer advising travelers not to rely exclusively on its classifications and to conduct their own research before making travel decisions.
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