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Vietnam & Cambodia this August!!

May 31, 2011 By 2 Comments

We are very excited about our upcoming tour of Vietnam and Cambodia. Traveling to this magnificent part of the world is a treat to the senses from the beautiful sights to the lovely music and the amazing landscapes. All this and kosher too!!!

You can find our itinerary here

and read about the tour here and here

Vietnam and Cambodia are photographers’ paradises. I am including just a few more photos, but I could have easily added another 50. Please come and join us on this fantastic tour!

My email is drsavta@gmail.com

Inside the grounds of the Temple of Literature


Traffic in downtown Hanoi


Walking beside rice terraces in the north



Girls talking in the market

Filed Under: Cambodia, Kosher Tours, Vietnam Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Malta, Part 5

April 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Shabbat descended on Malta. We had had our frozen meals heated in the microwave just before I lit the candles and my husband brought them up to our room. We enjoyed a restful evening. We got up early in the morning and made our way to the synagogue.

Malta has a small Jewish community. There is one family that is primarily involved in keeping the synagogue going. Mr. Avraham Ohayon is the president of the congregation and one of his sons, Reuben, serves as the shaliach tzibor. Their extended family comprises a good portion of the Malta Jewish community. There are about 80-100 Jews in Malta.

We walked along the seaside and then veered to the right and a couple of blocks later, the synagogue was on the left. The synagogue is located in an apartment building. There is no indication on the outside of the building that there is a synagogue inside. We worried that we wouldn’t be able to get in because without a key, one would have to buzz to enter. That is one of the reasons we made sure to come early. As it happened, just as we got to the building, a woman was going into it via the front door and we followed her in. We walked up to the apartment which was located on the first floor above ground level. We knocked on the door, but no one else had arrived yet.

After a few minutes, Mr. Reuben Ohayon and some other people arrived. The apartment in which the synagogue is located is very large and the area was very pleasantly planned. The men’s section was long and thin with the ark at one end and the reader’s desk in the center. The men’s chairs were located on either long side of the room facing the center. The women’s section was at the back separated by a tasteful curtain. The room used for the kiddush was off to the side.

The service started at about 10 a.m. and the service followed the Ashkenazi (European) ritual even though the majority of Maltese Jews originally lived in northern Africa. There were two sifrei torah, one Sefardi and one Ashkenazi. About 25 men and about 10 women showed up as well as a number of children including the famous quadruplets, two boys and two girls who are now in their teens. During the torah service, the wimple (the long piece of fabric that is wrapped around the torah as is done in German synagogues) was given to the women to coil and it was passed from one woman to another and each held it and said a prayer. After the torah service, they said a prayer for the government of Malta, just as Jews in every land pray for the well-being of their government. Then they said a prayer for the members of the Israel Defense Forces. The service was very beautiful and very moving.

After the service, the very warm, welcoming congregation gathered for a lovely kiddush serving products mostly imported from Israel. A mixture of English, Maltese, and Hebrew was spoken. It was lovely meeting these people and with the increased number of Israelis visiting Malta these days, perhaps the community will gain strength.

Jews visiting Malta over shabbat should take advantage of the opportunity to visit the synagogue and meet this community. Since hotels are scattered throughout Malta, it would be a very good idea to locate the synagogue on a map and then find a hotel that is nearby. The synagogue is on Enrico Mizzi Street which appears on the map as Enrico Street in Ta’Xbiex. As a basis of judging distance, we stayed at the Park Hotel in Sliema and the walk was between 30 and 40 minutes.

Enjoy Malta, and when you get to the synagogue, be sure to give the people there my warmest regards!

Filed Under: Kosher Tours, Malta Tagged With: , , , , ,

Chengdu, China — Pandas!

February 17, 2011 By 1 Comment

China has a myriad of sights to see. One of my favorite places in China is Chengdu. It’s a large city in Sichuan Province and is best known to westerners for being the prime breeding center for pandas.
Welcome to the Panda Breeding Base
Pandas!
Pandas had become endangered, and for good reason. Female pandas are fertile for one to two days a YEAR! Add to that the fact that pandas often expend more energy eating than the caloric content provides, and you have tired male pandas who really can’t be bothered.
Bamboo
Pandas chiefly eat bamboo, but because the energy required to chew and digest the bamboo is roughly equal to the energy they get from it, they are not lively. At the breeding center, the pandas have been acclimated to a more varied diet that provides them with more energy. In addition, the Chinese have actually developed “panda porn.” They actually screen suggestive movies so their pandas will become inspired.

At the Chengdu panda breeding ground, many of the female pandas are artificially inseminated and all of the pandas are monitored carefully and cared for so that their offspring are healthy. Most often, the panda has one cub, but there are also frequent occurrences of twins.

The breeding program has been enormously successful and pandas soon will not be an endangered species.
Mother and baby panda on closed circuit TV
Above, the mother panda is seen from above with a little fishlike thing on her chest. That is the baby panda. They are tiny when born, but they grow very rapidly. Visitors are not allowed to approach the rooms where the mother panda and her newborn offspring are. Instead, visitors can view them on these TV monitors. To see the cubs when they are somewhere between six months and two years old, one must put on paper booties over one’s shoes and walk by the nursery cages silently so as not to disturb the pandas.

Walking through the large panda base, one could spy pandas resting (of course).
Catching some rays
This panda was one that was somewhat domesticated. For $50, one could have a picture taken with him. We graciously declined.

Pandas are also a business for the Chinese. For a million dollars a year, a foreign zoo can rent a panda for 10 years. Of course, the zoo must meet certain criteria for how they will house and care for the panda. In addition, the zoos must work toward mating the male and female pandas, usually through artificial insemination, and the panda cubs also become the property of the Chinese government. So why would a zoo do it? Pandas are a huge draw for zoos. People are fascinated by the big furry animals. Add a baby panda, and the zoo attendance soars for the first two years. It pays.

In the US, one can see pandas in the zoos in Washington DC, San Diego, Memphis, and Atlanta.

And last but not least, the pandas have friends who live with them, red pandas, also known as firefoxes. They are not of a related species, but their distinctive markings remind people of pandas. Firefoxes are able to be domesticated and are both beautiful and entertaining. I seriously wanted to bring one home!
Red Panda / Firefox

Filed Under: China, Kosher Tours Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Details of the synagogue in Rhodes

January 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Over the door of the synagogue in Rhodes is a large plaque that contains verses, all of which contain the word “shalom” which is the name of the synagogue. Shalom, of course, means peace.
The "Shalom" Plaque
Unfortunately the synagogue knew war and destruction. Years ago we visited the synagogue. I remember the interior looking very different. When I looked a bit closer this time, I saw that the interior had been repainted but they had left some of the original art that had been painted on the walls.

The interior showing some of the art work

The interior showing some of the art work


To the right of the chandelier on the right and on the left wall, you can see some of the wall painting that was preserved when the synagogue was repainted.
One of the details on the wall

One of the details on the wall


Unfortunately, this one was impossible for me to read. The letters were not clear.
Detail on one of the columns and a remnant of earlier painting

Detail on one of the columns and a remnant of earlier painting


Another wall detail

Another wall detail


The picture above is an artistic rendition of the tablets of the ten commandments. Interestingly, only two of the ten remain on them. It looks as if they were restored. I am puzzled as to why the rest of them are not there as the text is readily available. The two commandments on the wall are “Honor you father and your mother” and “Don’t murder.”
David's Harp

David's Harp


Above and to the left, you can see another patch of the remaining wall painting.

Visiting the synagogue was a moving experience. I looked at the few remaining illustrations and thought about how the once vibrant community was destroyed. Now only about 30 Jews live in Rhodes and the future of the community is by no means assured as their children have left to marry and settle elsewhere.

It’s worth our support and definitely worth a visit next time you’re in Rhodes.

Filed Under: Kosher Tours, Rhodes Tagged With: , , , , ,

How the Sifrei Torah in Rhodes were saved

January 12, 2011 By 2 Comments

I promised an interesting story about the sifrei torah in Rhodes. This is a story we discovered at the brand new Jewish museum in Rhodes.

In 1943, the German military took control of Rhodes. Early in 1944, British bombs resulted in the deaths of thirty-four Jews. Realizing that the situation in Rhodes was not secure, the community decided to find a way to safeguard their sifrei torah, among them one that was about 800 years old.

In secret, they turned over the sifrei torah to the Turkish religious leader, the Grand Mufti of Rhodes, Seyh Suleyman Kaslioglu, who hid them in the pulpit of a mosque that was located in the new city of Rhodes, far from the old town which was the target of the bombings.

In July 1944, the Jews of Rhodes were deported by the Germans, most of them to Auschwitz. Of the 1,676 Jews deported, only about 151 survived the war. At the end of the war, all of the sifrei torah were returned to the survivors and to this day are preserved in the synagogue in Rhodes.

In a conversation in 1971 with a Jewish friend of his, the Grand Mufti confided, “One of the greatest moments of my life was when I was able to embrace the Torah and carry it and put it in the pulpit of the mosque because we knew that no German would ever think that the Torahs were preserved in the pulpit of the mosque.”

In a later interview with the daughter of the Grand Mufti, in 2004, she revealed that she “had Jewish blood.” Further investigation showed that the Grand Mufti’s father-in-law was Jewish and that through the years, the Grand Mufti had meetings with the Grand Rabbi of Rhodes and other Jewish leaders.
The Grand Mufti

Mosque

Mosque pulpit

Filed Under: Kosher Tours, Rhodes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

All roams lead to Rhodes

January 10, 2011 By 5 Comments

My husband and I were sitting around wondering where to go this winter where we wouldn’t freeze. My husband didn’t feel like going far, so it limited our choices. But we had been to Rhodes several times for a few hours at a time on cruises and always enjoyed visiting and always wanted to visit the museum in the Place of the Grand Master and never got there. Somehow, the ship always left Haifa late and our time in Rhodes was shortened. Rhodes has a fascinating history, having been conquered again and again by different countries and only returning to Greece in 1949.

We took off yesterday and in a mere one hour and fifteen minutes, we were here. The hotel is lovely, situated along the coast. The weather has been ideal.

Today, because it is Monday, all of the museums and archaeological sites are closed. In addition, because Rhodes is a very popular tourist destination in the summer, but not so much in the winter, most of the stores in the old town were closed. There was something quite amazing about visiting a very very beautiful place and having it almost to ourselves. Here are some of the things we saw:
Deer on columns at the port
Street in the Old Town
Courtyard in Old Town

Although we had visited the synagogue before, this visit was very special. The community is very small, number perhaps 30 people. All of the young people have moved away and the community only has a minyan when visitors are present. They have managed, however, to refurbish the synagogue and to convert part of the building complex to an attractive and moving museum of the history of the Jews of Rhodes.
Entrance to the synagogue
The Bima
The twin arks
Inside the museum

The rest of our walk was lovely too.

We did come upon a rabbit
The rabbit
or was it a horse?
A horse

And of course, here is a peek at the Grand Masters Palace…
Palace of the Grand Masters

More about the trip and especially an interesting story about the Sifrei Torah from the Rhodes synagogue and how they were saved during World War II… next time…

Filed Under: Rhodes Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Jews of Quito

August 26, 2010 By 2 Comments

One of the joys of visiting and revisiting places is that I get to see the same people time after time. I will be talking about the people I met in Quito, but to preserve their privacy, I won’t identify any of them.

The Quito Jewish Community has two major elements:

1. The large indigenous community that has a beautiful community center and a synagogue and lovely grounds. People in the community are of European origin, most of their families arriving before or during the Second World War. They number around 500 and have a community school of high academic quality that has a non-Jewish majority and afternoon religious school for other children in the Jewish community. The community is a Conservative community and so people who live throughout the Quito area can belong and attend services there. We were lucky enough to visit their complex and to see their synagogue.

After entering the complex, one sees two buildings with a patio area between them. To the left is the huge auditorium/banquet hall, said to the be second largest banquet hall in Quito. On the lower floor is a room that we used for lunch. It was also large and because the building was built on the side of a hill, it had large windows and an outdoor area as well. Further to the left outside is the swimming pool.

On the right is the synagogue building itself. Although the congregation president did speak with us about the community, we were not able to take a full tour of the facilities since we still had a lot to do and wanted to get back to the hotel well before shabbat so that people would have time to prepare.

The synagogue grounds

The synagogue grounds


The doors and entrance hall

The doors and entrance hall


The synagogue interior

The synagogue interior


Synagogue under attack by camera-wielding tourists

Synagogue under attack by camera-wielding tourists


The inside of the domed roof

The inside of the domed roof


2. The Israeli/Orthodox element
The first two times I visited Quito, I became acquainted with these people. They are almost all ex-patriots living in Quito for various reasons. Although it is possible to acquire many kosher products in Quito, the lack of the thriving Orthodox community means that they need to rely on each other to be neighbors, friends, and family. They do not have a synagogue and so they lean on each other when they need strength. Watching them interacting with each other is something special. They have become a family, accepting of each other, caring, and warm. They enjoy seeing and playing with each other’s children. When they came to spend shabbat with us, the visiting Israelis/ Australians/ Americans they were open and friendly and simply nice people. They joined in our tfilot (prayers), zmirot (songs), and divrei torah (homilies.) By now, returning to Quito is a bit like visiting family.

Filed Under: Ecuador, Kosher Tours, South America Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Ecuador, Part 6 of the Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, & Peru Tour

April 15, 2010 By 1 Comment

After our lovely trip to Otavalo and environs and then back to the middle of the world, we went back to the hotel to prepare for shabbat.

And what a shabbat it was! First of all the flowers that filled the hotel put all of us in a good mood.

Roses

Roses

As shabbat neared, the women went to the dining room to light shabbat candles and shortly afterwards, the services started. The chanting and singing were lovely and in the short time we had been together, we had become a group.

More roses

More roses

After services, at dinner, we began to get acquainted with our guests, members of the Jewish community of Ecuador. Eating with us Friday night were the Israel consul to Ecuador and his wife and children. In addition, there were other Jews who lived in Quito and the vicinity. It was fascinating to hear about them and their backgrounds and why they were living in Quito and a little about life there.

Quito does indeed have a Jewish community. It numbers about 500 people and follows the Conservative stream of Judaism. There are some Orthodox Jews as well, but they comprise only a small fraction of the community. The community is dwindling with young people leaving the country for the US or Israel. There is a community center and a synagogue. There is also a Jewish school, the Albert Einstein school which is known for its excellent education. We were told that a majority of the students are not Jewish and are sent there because of the fine academic reputation the school possesses. The community has a store that sells Judaica, a mikvah, and the availability of kosher food. There is also a mohel (ritual circumcisor).

On Friday night and Saturday we enjoyed talking to the people who came to our hotel to join us for services and meals. We loved seeing the bright-eyed, beautiful children they brought with them– little children learning to speak Hebrew, English, and Spanish. I was not the only one who tried to encourage them to take the aliya plunge! After all, being a Jew in Ecuador is a bit like being a fish out of water. In Israel, they will be swimming along in a current of wonderful, refreshing, fresh water.

We were treated to talks by the Israel Ambassador and the Israel Consul to Ecuador and in addition, we met the local Chabad rabbi.

Yes, more roses

Yes, more roses

On shabbat afternoon we went to see a very beautiful ethnology museum. We enjoyed seeing the dress and artifacts and crafts of some of the peoples who have been living in Ecuador for centuries.

Our walk back to the hotel was pleasant and once shabbat was over, we were treated to a folkdance show put on especially for us in the hotel.

But all of us were very excited because we knew that bright and early on Sunday morning we would be getting up to start the adventure of a lifetime, a trip to the Galapagos!!!

Filed Under: Ecuador, Kosher Tours, South America, The Galapagos Islands Tagged With: , , , , ,

Rona & Aaron’s Excellent Adventure, Part 14

February 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Previously…

When we returned from the Mekong Delta, we had enough time to get ourselves ready for a relaxing shabbat. What a delight to be wth Rabbi and Mrs. Hartman at Chabad for services and shabbat dinner! It was wonderful seeing that there is a community developing among people who had until recently been isolated. We enjoyed eating and singing and hearing stories about life in Vietnam. Shabbat morning too was enjoyable.

When we returned to the hotel, we put on comfortable shoes and headed out to see some of the sights. First we walked to the post office (fortunately, on a previous tour, we done this excursion during the week, so I have photos)

Post Office, Ho Chi Minh City

Post Office, Ho Chi Minh City

The post office is, of course, from the period that the French were in Vietnam, and so the architecture is European. In fact, the French reproduced the Notre Dame Cathedral just across the street.

Notre Dame, HCMC

Notre Dame, HCMC

We then walked on to the Palace of Reunification. This had been the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam when Vietnam was divided. Inside, now, there are reception rooms and the building is used for ceremonial purposes. However, they have retained the furnishings and equipment that were used in the Palace during the war, including the war maps and communications equipment.

The Palace is very impressive.

The Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Here is the former presidential office

Former presidential office

Former presidential office

Here are some reception rooms. All are decorated in exquisite taste.

Reception room

Reception room

Reception room

Reception room

After our lovely walk, we returned to the hotel to change (those who wanted to) because it was already time to go back to Chabad for Mincha and Seuda Shlishit!

After a wonderful shabbat, we made havdalah and bade farewell to Chabad and went back to the hotel to get our money because Saturday night was just made for shopping!

Next: Come along with us to the Saigon night market, learn how the Viet Cong defeated the US Army, and see for yourself a most colorful and interesting religious group and their Disneyland-like Temple!

Continuing…

Filed Under: Kosher Tours, Rona & Aaron's Excellent Adventure, Vietnam Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Rona & Aaron’s Excellent Adventure, Part 12

February 2, 2010 By 1 Comment

Previously…

Yes, folks, we are back for our next adventure, but first let’s carry on with this one and then I will tell you about the next one.

We drove through the Hai Van Pass, a very impressive ride when the weather is clear. Unfortunately, the weather was rainy and foggy, so all we saw was the condensation on our windows and the fog in front of the bus which made us gasp from time to time.

By the time we got to Hue, it was already time for me to go to the restaurant to supervise dinner. My husband went on with the group to the Perfume River and the Thien Mu Pagoda, both of them very lovely.

The kitchen staff was wonderful, anxious to please. Of course, having no common language offered a bit of a challenge, but how could I become frustrated when they took me to the special room they had set up for us with Israeli flags on the tables?

So, I watched carefully and as usual, checked every item that was used in the preparation of the food. One man sat for over an hour sculpting carrots and this was the result:

Artistry in food

Artistry in food

When served at the table, it looked like this:

Pineapple, carrot, and garlic creation

Pineapple, carrot, and garlic creation

The next morning, the light rain continued and we took a walk through the wet and slippery, but very beautiful Forbidden City in Hue, dated from 1804. The city is reminiscent of the Ming Dynasty Forbidden City in Beijing, China, but the architecture is more delicate and understated. Here is one of the gates:

A gate in the Forbidden City, Hue

A gate in the Forbidden City, Hue

We walked through gardens and saw beautiful buildings.

The Forbidden City, Hue

The Forbidden City, Hue

The Forbidden City, Hue

The Forbidden City, Hue

And then before we knew it, we were on our way to the big, bustling city of Saigon, officially known as Ho Chi Minh City.

Next stop: The Mekong Delta as you never imagined it.

Continuing…

Filed Under: Kosher Tours, Rona & Aaron's Excellent Adventure, Vietnam Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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