A tour company refused to take an Israeli woman on a trek of Olympus, citing “ideological reasons.”
Naomi Cohen Friedman reached out to Olympos Trek asking for a spot on the tour. The company responded by saying, “For ideological reasons concerning the current atrocities by the Israelis that take place in Palestine, we do not have a vacancy for people from Israel.”
Israeli traveler shares exchange on social media
Cohen Friedman posted a screenshot on a Facebook group on Wednesday with the caption “antisemitic travel company.”
The company offers two, three, four and eight-day Mt. Olympus ascents “to feel the unique energy and atmosphere of the gods’ mountain.”
Interestingly, one of the three testimonies the company posted on its website is from an Israeli woman named Danielle.
Greek travel CEO calls incident an isolated case
Sivan Zamir, CEO of the Greece & Islands travel company, said, “This guy from the Olympus activities company does not represent any opinion about Israel in Greece.”
“The vast majority of the public in Greece highly appreciates Israel. In all my 20 years of experience in marketing tourism from Israel to Greece, I have encountered [few] individuals like him. Maybe two or three.”
“This is a very rare case because even if someone does not like us [which, as mentioned, is a very small minority in Greece], they are still obligated to provide service to everyone; otherwise our business license will be revoked.”
Zamir said he has already taken steps to contact the official authorities through the correct channels, regarding a response to Cohen Friedman.
“He will get what he deserves, by and large, I promise you,” he said.