We have a one on one with Russell Lord, of Kenes Tours in Tel Aviv. A native of Brooklyn, NYC – Russell went on a summer holiday to Israel in 1981, met his partner Avi and never went back. Russell is also very instrumental in how Israel sees LGBT people. In 2005, he and 3 other gay couples challenged the State to legally recognize their marriages that they had in Toronto, Canada. The case went to the Israeli Supreme Court and they won. Russell’s ID card was the first to have the word “married” on it and to have his partner Avi’s name listed as his legal spouse. A pioneer in many ways, Russell was among the first to promote LGBTQ+ tourism to Israel, starting tours way back in the 1980s. He is also the IGLTA (the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) Ambassador for Israel. We have a heart to heart on how he feels travel will change – with his thoughts on how LGBTQ+ travellers will lead the pack – in the new norm.
Thank you for listening in to our Israel travel podcast, in partnership with the Israel Government Tourist Office. In this special-edition podcast, we talk to travel experts, from tour operators, to hoteliers, to travel influencers to discuss the future of travel to the ‘Land of Creation’ in hope to inspire you to consider Israel as your next holiday destination.
For more on Israel, visit en.citiesbreak.com
