New York manufacturer William Goldberg recently took a “solidarity trip” to Israel—and he’s calling on the rest of the industry to do the same.

“You read such scary reports in the media, and then when you go there it’s a different story,” he said. “At no time did we experience any threat to our safety. … Just stay out of the dangerous areas and you’re fine.”

Goldberg made the journey to give chizuk (strength) to his cutters in Israel. His itinerary included a day of visits to terrorist attack victims and their families at Hadassah Hospital.

He said the lack of tourists had only made locals more hospitable.

“The warm and kind remarks expressed wherever we went made the trip even more gratifying,” he said in a letter written with wife Lili. “Rather than listening to the negative media reports, which can be frightening, take advice from us: Visit Israel and you will most definitely have a rewarding and uplifting experience.”