ABOUT ME

TRAVEL TIPS

TOURISTS BY YEHUDA AMICHAI

Visits of condolence is all we get from them.
They squat at the Holocaust Memorial,
They put on grave faces at the Wailing Wall
And they laugh behind heavy curtains
In their hotels.
They have their pictures taken
Together with our famous dead
At Rachel's Tomb and Herzl's Tomb
And on Ammunition Hill.
They weep over our sweet boys
And lust after our tough girls
And hang up their underwear
To dry quickly
In cool, blue bathrooms.


Once I sat on the steps by agate at David's Tower,
I placed my two heavy baskets at my side. A group of tourists
was standing around their guide and I became their target marker. "You see
that man with the baskets? Just right of his head there's an arch
from the Roman period. Just right of his head." "But he's moving, he's moving!"
I said to myself: redemption will come only if their guide tells them,
"You see that arch from the Roman period? It's not important: but next to it,
left and down a bit, there sits a man who's bought fruit and vegetables for his family."

WUPJ INSIDER’S GUIDE TO JEWISH WORLD TRAVEL: WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO SEE, WHAT TO EAT, AND HOW TO CONNECT

Reform Judaism Magazine & WUPJ Premiere 2nd Jewish World Travel Guide In partnership with the World Union, Reform Judaism magazine has just released the 2nd Annual RJ Insider’s Guide to Jewish World Travel -- where to go, what to see, what to eat, and how to connect -- exploring Paris, Melbourne, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Jamaica, Warsaw, Budapest, Prague—and premiering the first-ever map of Reform congregations worldwide.

To read the individual stories:

My Big Small Jewish World My Big Small Jewish World: Meeting my Reform brethren in Warsaw, Budapest, and Prague, by Eileen Winter 

Turn Your Vacation into a Homecoming: How to find your larger Progressive/Reform/Liberal family when traveling outside North America, by Gary Bretton-Granatoor 

Reform Judaism World Map (PDF): Map detailing the 49 countries with affiliated Reform congregations worldwide

Tracks of Time in Jamaican Sands: We experienced a Jewish community the likes of which are not to be found anywhere else in the world, by Aron and Judith Hirt-Manheimer 

Paris: Culture & Community: Best sightseeing and dining, and what it's like to be a Jew in France today, interview with Stephane Beder 

Reform Judaism Worldwide: The renewal of Jewish life worldwide since the World Union's establishment in 1926, by Joel Oseran 

Melbourne: Culture & Community: Best sightseeing, Jews in Australian history, and Jewish life in Melbourne today, interview with Philip Bliss 

Cape Town: Culture & Community: Best sightseeing and dining, Jews in South African history, and Jewish life in Cape Town today, interview with Alvin Kushner 

Buenos Aires:  Culture & Community: Best sightseeing and dining, and Buenos Aires' model Jewish community, interview with Sergio Brukman 

In addition, the articles are searchable via RJPedia atop the Reform Judaism magazine homepage.  Click on “Travel & World Reports” and then select the applicable country.  

JEWISH BABY BOOMER TRAVEL: AFRICA, ASIA, & AUSTRALIA

​

Jewish Baby Boomer Travel Destinations: Africa, Asia & Australia

​

They say that travel broadens the mind, but Jewish travel can broaden the soul.

​

Make sure to visit our pages on Jewish tourism worldwide; in Europe; and North America, South America & The Caribbean, for more specific information about Jewish heritage sites in each area. You’ll also find useful resources for kosher travelers, in our Kosher Travel section.

Jewish Baby Boomer Travel: Africa:

Jews lived in the Arab lands of Northern Africa for millennia, from the destruction of the First Temple until their expulsion shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel. Since then, it has often been too dangerous for Jews to visit Jewish heritage sites in Northern Africa. We recommend that Jewish seniors check the security situation before travel.

Algeria:

Algeria.com: Article about a visit to Jewish Heritage sites in Algeria.

Morocco:

Rick Gold Travel: Jewish Morocco. History, guided tours, lists of Moroccan sites of Jewish interest, a list of tombs of Moroccan Jewish saints with their locations; and Jewish heritage information about many towns in Morocco.

Jewish Morocco: Information about the history and heritage sites of Jewish Morocco.

Smithsonian Journeys: Descriptions and information about Jewish Heritage sites across Morocco.

Travel Exploration: Itinerary of Jewish tourist destinations in Casablanca, Morocco.

Southern Africa:

Global Travel Info:  A good article about visiting Jewish tourist sites in South Africa.

South Africa.net: Visiting the Lemba, one of the ‘lost tribes’ of Israel living in Africa.

Tunisia:

Tunisia Live: Article describing the Jewish tourist locations in Tunisia, along with some information about Jewish amenities.

​

Asia:

​

The Jewish heritage of India, China and some other parts of Asia is rich and varied. In many areas, Jewish settlement dates back to the Babylonian exile at the time of the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. However, in many countries,  the Jewish sites are hard to find without prior knowledge, and sometimes a guide is needed too. Also, much of Asia is increasingly unstable: make sure to check the security advice for your destination before booking any travel. 

Burma (Mynamar):

Haruth Burma: Links to Jewish Heritage sites in Burma (Myanmar).

The Jewish Chronicle: An article about visiting the Jewish Heritage sites in Burma, with descriptions of the sites and brief history of Burma’s Jews.

Myanmar Shalom: Jewish Heritage sites in Myanmar (Burma).

China:

Sino-Judaic: A guide to Jewish heritage sites in China.

China.org: An article about an ancient Jewish archaeological find in Eastern China.

China Travel: Jewish Heritage sites in Kaifeng, China.

Shanghai Jewish Memorial: Shanghai Jewish Memorial.

India:

Haruth: Many links for Jewish India. A lot of the links are broken, but still some interesting heritage information.

Muziris Heritage Tourism: List of Jewish Heritage destinations in Kerala, India.

The Jerusalem Post – The Jewish World: An article about the Jewish history and tourist sights of India.

Kerala Tourism: Monuments in Kerala, including the locations and details of two historic synagogues.

Malaysia:

Short video about the Jewish cemetery in Malaysia.

Regional Geography: Blog article about a visit to Jewish Heritage sites in Malaysia.

Penang Travel Tips: Description and useful information about the Jewish cemetery in Penang, Malaysia.

Singapore:

Jewish Sites Visited: Travel blog article about the Jewish sights of Singapore.

Turkey:

A Tour of Turkey’s Synagogues: An article published in the Huffington Post with a lot of useful information for touring Jewish Heritage sites in Turkey, along with beautiful photographs of Turkey’s ancient synagogues.

Quick Facts

• More than 45 countries with Progressive congregations*

• 1,200 Progressive, Liberal, Reform and Reconstructionist congregations around the world.

• 850 youths participating in weekly activities in 60 youth clubs in the former Soviet Union.

• 3,000 Jewish, Christian and Muslim families receiving pre- holiday food assistance in Israel.

• 16,000 members of Netzer Olami, the World Union's international youth movement.

• 45,000 family members reached through Progressive Judaism’s pluralistic Jewish Studies program in Israeli public schools.

• 70,00 people a year enjoy quality educational and cultural programs in our Mercaz Shimshon / Beit Shmuel center in Jerusalem.

• 1,800,000 people affiliated with the World Union's constituent movements globally.

* Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.