Jewish Singles Travel

Posted by admin

Feb 26 2010

Jewish Singles Travel

Interview: The Wandering Jew travels the world of stories, Ben Harris, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, by Peter Menkin

An American journalist named Ben Harris, who works for Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), is touring the world in search of stories about Jews in their various communities. He says in his blog how this blog been.The single assignment has been any reports on his work as a Jew "wandering".

This lively interview with the Wandering Jew, American journalist, Ben Harris, on his travels and trips, are made primarily by mail, with two conversations via webcam on Skype. When this writer spoke with him off the record for the fund was in the offices of the Telegraphic Agency Jewish in New York, but the interview informed via email come, especially when he was abroad. It is reported in his blog about getting the assignment: "Imagine this: Your boss calls you one day. He says he wants to send him on a journey of many months, almost anywhere you want to go write about ... well, very much to want to write. You will be blogs, make videos, howling, and writing that looks old, the report. From now on, he says, is to spend their days scrounging up the great stories of Jewish life and dream of interesting ways to report them all the world. Surprising, right? "That's more or less the genesis of the Wandering Jew, a project that will take me back JTA Europe and America North in the coming months, looking for stories that illustrate the many ways people express themselves as Jewish. Along the way, I hope we will shed some light on some large themes of Jewish life in these early years of the 21st century. " How to pack for this trip of yours? Nothing special in the package actually, though probably travel less lightly than it should. I have a Wheeling Victorinox suitcase, a backpack with all objects NorthFace fragile - laptops and cameras mostly - and a tripod in a third bag. I managed well with everything, but I'm not exactly light on my feet. I usually manage on my own. The backpack over one shoulder, the tripod on the other, and the suitcase behind. Again, if you're looking for tips on how to travel light, I'm not your man. I have waaaay too much. "Has someone to help you carry all that? Where do you usually stay on the road? Hotels? Can you tell us the name one or two that you remember, what about food? normally stay in hotels, but Europe is expensive, so it had to be creative. The hostel Pfefferrebet Berlin was clean and adequate, though not cheap for a hostel. I paid 59 euros for a private room. He was also a little noisy, and I need quiet for work and sleep. So Amano upgrade to the Hotel, very elegant place, and around 25 euros more per night. The room was small and the heat not working. Berlin was not large in accommodation. In Warsaw, however, I stayed in a hotel exquisite. The hotels are relatively cheap here, including Nice, so I was myself a little. The room was lovely, the staff incredibly helpful, although the Internet was a bit pricy, it is a question for me. But I would highly recommend place - the Hotel Rialto. Food wise, that has changed. I tried Ghoulash kosher kosher Hungarian in Budapest and Vienna Wienerschitzel. But this part of the world is the meat and potatoes country, and frankly it gets old kind of fast, especially not eat meat. I found a beautiful vegetarian restaurant a few blocks from my hotel in Warsaw and I've been there three times. Is there any special advice for travelers who want to know about packaging and transport? Now you are a professional traveler. My best advice is to keep a low-cost laptop and become familiar with critical travel sites. I have no idea how he would have pulled this discount, without access to the Web - all the cities I visited, I read the comments, reviewed the maps made from hotels and flight reservations, networking with people over Twitter and Facebook, looking for food recommendations, and so on. Here's a good story for you. In Mexico, I was in Zacatecas to visiting friends the weekend and wanted to visit Guadalajara to be with the Jewish community of Yom Kippur. But communities in Mexico are very closed - you may not appear. And we try to contact people there and were having problems. Then suddenly I get a message from someone on Twitter that was after my trip, just wondered if I was planning to come to Guadalajara. I immediately responded that not only want to come, but we could not find anyone to host us. Turns out, the I tweeted type was the rabbi of one of two synagogues there. He invited us to dinner before the fast and generally connected us with everyone we had to view. It was unbelievable. Most of my movements in Europe has been by air, although I have some trains especially for shorter hops. I have a lot of team with me. I have an HD camcorder from Sony, a wireless lav mic, a USB microphone from Samson (voice-over for the most part), a sturdy tripod, multiple adapters and electrical connectors, and my MacBook Pro for video editing and writing. All my work is done on the laptop, and interviews and write, record or take notes directly on your computer - and sometimes a combination. Really depends on the circumstances. Recording tends to be the worst option, due to time - then go back and transcribe the interviews. How do I connect with this task? How long are you going, and you do it again? Or do not know yet? I really thank my editors. The trip is funded by donations we have received from a number of different types of coverage. Do not worry about it. The section of Europe is about six weeks. Before I was in Mexico for 10 days and Nevada for a week. When you return before Thanksgiving, I will be leaving again a few days of around 2.5 weeks in South America - Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and possibly some others are on the calendar. I'd love to keep doing this. It's exhausting, physically and mentally, but the opportunity to travel and meet amazing people is really good to pass up. If JTA is willing to stay on the road, I'm happy to keep it. (Just in early November 2009 Ben Harris reported about how things were going with his stories and travel. He has his ups and downs: "One after another, the stories I intend to continue to have fallen through, or wound up not in all stories. After three weeks on the road, I have to admit the possibility that I am - sleeping too little, too many nights in strange hotel rooms, a certain fatigue beginning to set in. I know it's dangerous, if not lazy, trafficking in crude stereotypes. But after weeks in which I have hardly seen the sun (except for the few hours spent in transit above the clouds), it is difficult to resist. ") Who is your favorite person you've known, or most memorable to date? Tell something of the character of the European Jews, in contrast to the U.S.. If you want to. I'm reluctant to name favorites, but Europe is difficult given Jewish history, there is no shortage of amazing stories. In Germany, I met an Orthodox rabbi, who was born of a Jewish mother and Jewish father in Budapest. Intermarriage and children in difficulty, or even unknown, Jewish identity is very common in Europe by the Holocaust and decades of communist oppression. But this guy had an amazing story of discovering their roots, and today is helping to rebuild Jewish life in Germany. I could share some more details about it, if you're interested. Please tell us more. This is interesting to learn about the Jewish community in Europe "rising" and "growth. I also found a large number of Jews Americans who have, for various reasons, left the relative comfort of Jewish life in America and turned back to help the Jews, particularly in Europe Oriental (my travels have been completely in central and eastern Europe to date - I was heading west this week), to rediscover its identity. Your generosity has been very inspiring. In Budapest, I met a group of young Jews who had opened a bar / event space as a kind of gathering place for young people and Jews as a way of participate in the broader debate in Hungary. Hungary is unique in this part of Europe because of its Jewish community is so great. Most were completely wiped out during World War II. However, a considerable number of Hungarians are still Jews - estimates are around 100,000. These children could not get permission to open the bar, so that in essence took the place. They are occupiers, three years later. And the place is a great success. There's a video about them on the blog. (Hungary is a special situation, reports of a recent JTA article about how few Jews living there. They hope to strengthen its Jewish population through immigration. Ben Harris said in a report on his visit to Hungary: "The Haver Foundation offices occupy a room in an apartment on the third floor of the building at the corner of my hotel (convenient, eh?). There I met Mircea Černova, the Romanian-born director, shortly before noon. With Černova as their only full-time employee, Haver uses a network of educators from about 30 volunteers to bring the Holocaust and Jewish studies at the Hungarian students public schools. " In general, Hungarian society became very intolerant, I would say, or a little aggressive, 'Černova said. "Everything is very polarized. There is no dialogue. I think is the most problematic of all levels of society, the political elite top-level of society civilians. "" I'll be sure to offer readers the video. Thanks. There is much to say about Europe against American Jewish identity - If he can sharpen the question a bit maybe I can be more useful. Do you have plans to meet a famous rabbi or highlighted? Do you? Who? Are you receiving a friendly welcome? I'm getting incredible reception. I was able to truly take advantage of networks transnational young Jews who have been incredibly helpful and enlightening for me on the road. In most cities I've visited, there has been someone who has taken upon themselves to show me around, to show a good time to introduce me to the relevant people, etc. I also had the opportunity to meet leaders local communities. In Poland, I spent Saturday here with the chief rabbi, born in New York and Rabbi of race that has been here and beyond about 15 years. He is one of disinterested Americans that I mentioned earlier. Will you tell us your name and the Temple or the community that is party? You have some ideas about this, as I see by your response. His name is Michael Schudrich. It is the chief rabbi, so I guess that their community. It is one of disinterested Americans that I mentioned above. (Here's a sample of reporting on Michael Schudrich Ben Harris: "Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, has the air of someone who enjoys being a bit unorthodox. I guess you have to be to leave behind a comfortable Upper West Side education for six years a community leader in Japan, and after that was installed in post-communist Poland. It is an Orthodox rabbi, who was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, a vegetarian in a country meat and potatoes, and seemed to enjoy telling about seeing the Grateful Dead performed at the Nassau Coliseum in 1973. ") This is interesting, to learn on the Jewish community in Europe "rising" and "growing up." In Central and Eastern Europe, of course, the legacy of the Holocaust and communism has been the dominant narrative of Jewish life since the Second World War. The Holocaust wipe out a whole generation, and most of the survivors and their children, who grew up under communism denied or hid their Jewish identity. When the Iron Curtain fell, rebuilding communities began in earnest, largely philanthropic support of the West. Now 20 years have passed, and the work continues. But significantly, the communities are beginning to address not only with the baggage of the past, but with the same difficulties as the Jewish communities around the world face - how to engage young people, how to ensure continuity, build support for Jewish organizations, etc., and which I believe is a sign of maturity. One issue that is seen in the East is the lack of a philanthropic culture. In the United States, Jewish organizations the benefits are almost entirely private to have the support of its members to survive. In the former communist bloc, this remains a foreign concept. Most Jewish communities are official entities recognized by the state, and often receive significant public funding for their activities. Its members hope the service. This makes it difficult for innovative projects outside the communal structure to gain support. At present, most depend philanthropy of Americans and Israelis. There is some effort to change this, but there is a long way to go. It was you who said something differences, and what he said rang true. Jews in Europe tend to be more conservative and orthodox. Americans are more secular and mostly Reform. Say something about this, and intermarriage. That's not quite the situation. What I said was that the institutions of the European Community are generally orthodox, or stick to Orthodox standards. Most Jews everywhere are not particularly religious. But in Europe, this creates a certain tension. Religious pluralism is a value not widespread here. In several countries I visited, only certain Jewish religious movements are represented in community councils established. Other groups are effectively in the cold. And because these tips are conduits for public funds, other groups are at a serious disadvantage. In America, if existing community institutions not serve their needs, religious or otherwise, go down the street and start your own. Of course, you can do it too, but the price is higher - which normally money is to be excluded. And considering what I've seen anything about philanthropy, the other control groups, or get funds from abroad. In Hungary, I met a young Jewish theater group, Teatro de Golem gets 95 percent of its support from abroad. There are many other examples. In mixed marriages - this is a problem everywhere. But in the former communist countries, which rarely finds a young Jewish maiden who has two Jewish parents. And if your mother is not Jewish, Orthodox Judaism does not recognize him. Moreover, given the small number of young Jews in many of these communities, it is hardly clear that the younger generation will do much better to find the Jewish couple. It's good to be eaten and drunk, especially as part of a community of worship. Is there a feature that tells of practice? Food? Hospitality? Where do you feel, for example, and gave a short speech? Were you introduced? (One seminar held at the seminar A San Francisco Bay Area theological - Presbyterian - had as a visitor to lunch with the editor of "Tissue" and gave him about five or ten minutes talking to everyone, from their desktop. Very informal and memorable that he wrote about religion and Hollywood and film. That was the theme of the seminar.) Depends. Osnabruck in Germany, I did give a short talk on Friday night, which translated sentence by sentence. In Warsaw, Rabbi Schudrich visible invited me to sit beside him in the communal Shabbat dinner. Normally, I try to slip in quietly and sit in the back. But that is not often. Travel the best and good luck on your trip. Images: (1) Ben Miriam Tauber and Donkey in Zacatecas, Mexico. Note hat on a donkey, (2) Ben Harris at work with his laptop ( "hard work"), Café de Spinoza, Budapest (3) The Wandering Jewesss at Burning Man This quote from Ben Harris's blog: "My companion of the week The Burning Man was the wandering Jew, who as head of the six grants EY, knows a thing or two about art. Here is their art take the burn and its relationship with the Jewish experience:

One way to characterize it as a Burning Man art festival. When I am forced to reduce the significance of art to a sentence, I often say that art "creates meaning in people's lives," or "helps us see the world and our experiences in a new way." Part of the appeal Burning Man (and part of what made it so funny) is that I often felt like I was living inside a giant ephemeral participation performance art. "

(4) Rabbi Michael Schudrich with his friend, (5) on his bike at Burning Man, Ben is seen here in the Nevada desert. All photos courtesy Jewish Telegraphic Agency. - Peter Menkin, Mill Valley, CA, USA

The Aish Center

The Treasure (Sunburst Book)
Sale Price: $7.99

Eligible for free shipping!
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
See Reviews For This Product

Description

A retelling of the traditional English tale in which a poor man follows the advice of his dream and is eventually led to a treasure.

Features

ISBN13: 9780374479558
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Open Closed Open: Poems
Sale Price: $28.00

Eligible for free shipping!
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
See Reviews For This Product

Description

Amichai writes of the language of love, and tea with roasted almonds, of desire and love. Of a Jewish cemetery whose groundskeeper is an expert on flowers and seasons of the year, but no expert on buried Jews; of Russian shirts embroidered in the colors of love and death; of Jerusalem, the city where everything sails: the flags, the prayer shawls, the caftans, the monks' robes, the kaffiyehs, and young women's dresses. The poet tenderly, mischievously, breaks open the grand diction of the revered Jewish verses and supplications and suddenly discovers the light that his own experience casts upon them. Here, the bread of memory and the circuses of forgetting, nostalgia for God and a better world, dust and heat, and tamarisk trees that stand as flight attendants for the next millennium, saying, "You can still get a seat on the third millennium before liftoff." Open Closed Open-poems at once meditative and playful, anxious and full of hope, sung in a language of biblical directness and meaning, that through the microcosm of the everyday give us the gift of the world at large.

In the centerpiece of Open Closed Open, the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai ponders his most treasured keepsake, "a triangular fragment of stone from a Jewish graveyard destroyed / many generations ago." This object is, needless to say, more than a souvenir: throughout the zigzagging lines of "The Amen Stone," it allows Amichai to reconstruct bits and pieces of the past, "fragment to fragment, / like the resurrection of the dead, a mosaic, / a jigsaw puzzle. Child's play." The ensuing narrative leads the poet directly into his nation's history. Yet this is not merely a political but a personal resurrection, for Amichai sees himself as the stone's well-weathered counterpart, a byproduct of time. And he, too, has experienced an inevitable erosion: "Jewish History and World History / grind me between them like two grindstones / sometimes to a powder." Throughout the collection, Amichai returns again and again to this convergence. In "Once I Wrote 'Now and in Other Days.' Thus Glory Passes, Thus the Psalms Pass," for example, he chronicles the destruction of Huleh swamp, an open ecosystem drained by the Israeli government during the 1950s to fight malaria and provide arable land: Now half a century later they are filling it with water again because it was a mistake. Perhaps my entire life I've been living a mistake Indeed, Amichai's misgivings seem to extend to the very foundations of the modern Israeli state. Might not the "bright-colored birds" who fled the swamp "for their lives" be figures for the displaced Palestinians? Huleh, we learn, was eventually restored. But sowing the seeds of peace is as precarious an enterprise as rebuilding a fragile ecosystem. Elsewhere, "My Son Was Drafted" records a father's concern and fear for his military-age child. Amichai wishes his son were joining an army without a war, where soldiers serve as decorations around monuments, where the ornate and impractical replace the camouflaged and tactical. But here, too, the father has a few spiritual heirlooms to pass on to his son, which incidentally allow him to open up yet another closed system: I would like to add two more commandments to the ten: the Eleventh Commandment: "Thou shalt not change," and the Twelfth Commandment "Thou shalt change. You will change." My dead father added those for me. A man, Amichai suggests, is more pliable once he has been opened up, refreshed, newly defined. Cultures, alas, are not so flexible. But the rich language of Open Closed Open, which has been meticulously translated by Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld, holds out the hope that nations, too, might submit to the Twelfth Commandment. --Ryan Kuykendall