Bulgaria is one of the first countries we can visit in the Corona era. Many Israelis are using the opportunity, and all flights from Ben Gurion Airport to Bulgaria were full in recent weeks. Bulgaria is a popular tourist destination, and before the Korona era, about 200,000 Israelis visited Bulgaria every year. Now the Israelis are starting to return להמשך קריאה
Sri Lanka is a tropical island east of India, with a rich Jewish history and a poor Jewish present. It offers stunning views of lagoons, forests and jungles, wildlife, rivers, mountains and waterfalls. All these and more have made Sri Lanka one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Sri Lanka has been dubbed as The Wonder of Asia להמשך קריאה
Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki, known as "Rashi", the most important commentator on the Torah, was one of the giants of Jewish culture. But for some reason he was neglected by tourism aspects. He was living in the 11 century, during the Rambam (Maimonides) period. Today the Rambam has better PR, and many Jewish travelers are going to Cordoba in Spain to see Maimonides statue and to kiss it. But not so many come to visit Troyes, the city of Rashi, because until recently there was almost nothing to see here להמשך קריאה
Petersburg is a charming and popular tourist destination that attracts tourists from all over the world. There are also fascinating Jewish heritage sites in the city להמשך קריאה
Mineralnye Vody is a small town and a brand name of a very well-known tourist destination in Russia. It is located in the Caucasus mountains between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, with 4 cities, the largest of which is Pyatigorsk. It is a well-organized area in terms of tourism services, with about 100 hotels. 5 million Russian tourists come to this region each year, of whom 8,000 are Russian-speaking Israelis להמשך קריאה
Most Jewish travelers arrive in Strasbourg on the way of a trip to the Black Forest and Alsace region. Many of us come there mainly because we are looking for a good kosher restaurant, and for a synagogue to pray on Saturdays להמשך קריאה
Hong Kong is becoming a popular tourist destination for Israelis. In the past, the Far East was considered an exotic and expensive destination for most Israelis. The flights were long and expensive, with tiring connection stops in Europe. Recently, direct flights from Israel to Hong Kong were opened, making Hong Kong more accessible להמשך קריאה
During the Holocaust there was a club of German SS soldiers about 100 meters from the main synagogue of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. On Shabbat Jews would come to daven in the synagogue wearing their Talitot. I wonder what did the SS soldiers felt? i להמשך קריאה
An ancient Georgian legend tells that the Rabbi Longinus of Mtskheta embarked on a pilgrimage to Eretz Israel about two thousand years ago. He arrived in Jerusalem on the days when they crucified Jesus. Rabbi Longinus bought from a Roman soldier the robe of the crucifix. In those early days, Christianity did not yet exist, but Jesus presided over a small Jewish sect that was considered legitimate, like the caste of the Pharisees and Zedokim at the time. When Rabbi Longinus returned to his hometown, which was the capital of Georgia at the time, he gave the robe of Jesus as a gift to his sister, Sidonia. Sidonia excitedly embraced the robe, and puffed her soul on the spot. She was buried in the local Jewish cemetery with the coat of Jesus in her arms להמשך קריאה
Many Israelis and Jews are used to visit in the Black Forest, but only few know about Jewish heritage sites in the nearby Alsace region. Therefore, I strongly recommend to all my friends to also spend a day or two on summer vacation in the Alsace region להמשך קריאה
