{"id":49323,"date":"2026-07-10T01:39:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T08:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=49323"},"modified":"2026-07-09T17:32:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T00:32:42","slug":"once-in-a-lifetime-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/10\/once-in-a-lifetime-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Once-in-a-lifetime trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Grade 12 class of King David High School traveled to Panama last month. <\/i>(photo from KDHS)<\/i><\/p>\n

In February, the outbreak of war in the Middle East meant that the long-awaited Israel trip for the Grade 12 class of King David High School was cancelled. It was the third cancellation in five years, as COVID and the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre had made two prior planned visits impossible. Head of School Seth Goldsweig knew he had just three months to pull an alternative together \u2013 and it needed to be fabulous. The destination selected was Panama, both for its fun, unique tourism experience and its thriving Jewish community.<\/p>\n

Over eight days in June, a group of 43 students and six staff members visited the Panama Canal, hiked, spent time in Panama\u2019s Old Town, interacted with monkeys on Monkey Island, and got to know members of the indigenous Embera people on a day-long visit to their community.<\/p>\n

The travelers dined at kosher restaurants, spent Shabbat experiencing two of the city\u2019s synagogues, packed food and organized supplies for a local Jewish organization, and learned about the Jewish history of Panama.<\/p>\n

\u201cPanama was a great choice,\u201d said Goldsweig, who had visited the country previously with his family. \u201cThe city has 40 kosher restaurants, so we knew food wouldn\u2019t be an issue. The country\u2019s Jewish life is thriving \u2013 even the mayor is Jewish! And, while they\u2019ve not experienced security threats, they\u2019re incredibly proactive security-wise, with some of the most intense security I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the group could attend services on Shabbat, King David was required to show proof of each individual\u2019s connection to the school, as well as their passports. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t get into the synagogues until they confirmed each person\u2019s name, one by one,\u201d Goldsweig said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStaying at our hotel felt like being in Jerusalem, because the majority of the 18-floor hotel was occupied by Orthodox Jews!\u201d he added. Some were in town on business, but many came because Panama has developed a reputation as a fascinating and welcoming Jewish destination. (See jewishindependent.ca\/panama-city-welcoming<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
On their trip to Panama, KDHS students did many things, including visiting and learning from the indigenous Embera community. (photo from KDHS)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Goldsweig noted that some 18,000 Jews call Panama city home, the majority of them Sephardi. The city has several synagogues and its kosher supermarkets are the largest of their kind outside of Israel.<\/p>\n

Eitan Arazi, 18, said Panama City felt like a hidden gem. \u201cI was blown away by its infrastructure and how well developed it is,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was also incredible to see the city\u2019s synagogues and to experience a tight-knit Jewish community with a lot of energy. On Friday night and Saturday morning, it felt like the whole community came for shul services.<\/p>\n

\u201cShabbat was the highlight of the trip for me,\u201d he continued. \u201cI\u2019m not shomer Shabbat in Vancouver but, over Shabbat in Panama, I put my phone away for the whole 24 hours and was surrounded by friends and having a great time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sierra Brosgall, 18, concurred that the Grade 12 group\u2019s celebration of Shabbat was special and deeply memorable. \u201cWe went to the Sephardic synagogue on Friday night, sang songs together at dinner at our hotel and experienced Panama\u2019s Jewish culture,\u201d she said. \u201cI also loved visiting the Embera tribe and learning about their culture. They performed traditional dances for us, and we played soccer with kids in their community. It was amazing!\u201d<\/p>\n

During the Havdalah service at the hotel, students shared the trip\u2019s highlights, Goldsweig said. \u201cMany talked about their day with the Embera community. The Embera were so welcoming, and they really engaged with our students. Their kids were on our students\u2019 laps, and they painted henna-like tattoos on students\u2019 arms. They seemed very happy to have us there.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther students spoke of how amazing it was to see the thriving Jewish community in Panama,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey said the trip provided an incredible opportunity to bond with their classmates, and that it was unforgettable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The timing for the Panama trip was perfect, said Lev Shustik, 17. \u201cIt was right before graduation, so schoolwork was not stressful, and everyone in our group was focused on the moment, and just having fun,\u201d he said. \u201cThe trip itself was well-planned and amazing, teaching us about Panama\u2019s Jewish vibrancy, but, also, the country\u2019s history and its rich culture. And being able to do this while bonding with our peers was truly a meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime experience. I\u2019m beyond grateful for that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lauren Kramer<\/b>, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Grade 12 class of King David High School traveled to Panama last month. (photo from KDHS) In February, the outbreak of war in the Middle East meant that the long-awaited Israel trip for the Grade 12 class of King David High School was cancelled. It was the third cancellation in five years, as COVID […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[3076,1559,1047,7396,2084],"class_list":["post-49323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-education","tag-kdhs","tag-king-david-high-school","tag-panama","tag-travel-2"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}