Brief Kauai vacation tutorial
The path to Nounou Mountain is a gentle incline through a forest of magnificent Norfolk pine trees. (photo by Lauren Kramer) There were only a few items in my grocery basket so, when the cashier asked me for $100, I…
Travel
Israel issues travel warnings
A view of shore from a dive shop in Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt. (photo by B. Simpson via commons.wikimedia.org) During the upcoming school holidays of Passover, followed by the summer months, many Israelis travel abroad. Europe is only a few…
New Jewish journeys
The Jewish Heritage Travel tour to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia inclues a visit to the historic Trakai Castle, in Trakai, ancient capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. (photo from jhtravel.org) In August 2015, the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A…
Red rocks, Jewish lullabies
Today’s Sedona Jewish community is spread out over the surrounding Verde Valley. (photo by Lauren Kramer) “Whatever you do, please don’t write about vortex or New Age stuff!” I was socializing after Friday night services with congregants at Sedona’s synagogue…
Gators, jazz and more
Honey Island Swamp tours take passengers through a landscape untouched by time. (photo from louisiananorthshore.com) Our Jeep is stationary and I’m marveling at the scenery when I feel someone nuzzling my back very gently. Turning slowly, I find myself eye to…
Calcutta: community, family, history
There are a few vestiges that remain of the Jewish community in Calcutta, including the Jewish Girls’ School and Nahoum’s. (photos by David Berson) It was family history, alongside a taste for discovery, that took local Jewish community member and…
Jewish Cuba mission
Michael and Phyllis Moscovich in Cuba. (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver) When community lay leaders Michael and Phyllis Moscovich were planning their most recent mission trip, they never imagined discovering Jewish ties to former Cuban president Fidel Castro, and…
In search of perfect shofar
On the right track to finding a place to purchase shofarot. (photo from Steven Finkleman) Heading down the B2 from Swakopmund to Windhoek, I could see by the road signage that this would be a prime location to search for the perfect…
A Curaçao adventure to start
Mikve Israel-Emanuel in Willemstad, Curaçao, is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas. (photo from Masada Siegel) The night was aglow with candles and the silky white sand found its way in between my toes. I grinned, as it only…
Idaho’s whitewater family adventure
The magic on the journey down the Salmon River comes from exhilarating rapids safe for the whole family and from the experience of being disconnected from “real life” and the electronics that distract us from the here and now. (photo from…
