Travel

WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO---It's not everyday, or every year, or every decade, or even every century, that a beautifully-designed, 180-seat, air-conditioned synagogue rises in the Caribbean, let alone a modern Orthodox one.

The Kotel Hakatan is the “little sister” of the well-known Western Wall, and is reminiscent of the photos and drawings of the way the Kotel looked before 1948. It is located 200 yards further north of the Kotel, and is on the same level as Har HaBayit (the Temple Mount). Since its plaza is much narrower, and the majority of the wall is underground (thereby concealing much of its height), the Small Wall is less impressive than the Western Wall.

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On the way to Israel? Have a long stopover in Europe? Are you wondering what to see so you can get a feel for the place?

The Liberty Bell is a symbol of American Independence.

The hotel’s location is incomparable. You can see the old city from your balcony, and it’s a five-minute walk to the Light Rail.

There’s no better place to celebrate Chanukah than in the country where it all began.

The country was once home to the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world, and Jews have lived here – largely free from oppression apart from some rocky periods – for more than 2,000 years.

We try to visit them once a year although obviously it is challenging to visit those living in the Outback.

The crane is the king of the Hula Valley with welcoming squawks and shrieks of sheer delight from the thousands on the ground and the many hundreds in the skies above. They are surely calling out “Shalom aleichem, my friends, alechem shalom, so glad you arrived,” for it is known that cranes inform each other of favorable domiciles.

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The Boston Public Garden is the first public botanical garden in America and dates back to 1838.

Only half an hour’s drive from Jerusalem, the majestically beautiful Einot Tzukim Nature Reserve is a lush, green oasis surrounded by miles of flat arid, desert.

Below is a listing of many attractions that are open during January and February's winter break.

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Seeing Israel is one thing. Seeing Israel through the eyes of a 12-year-old is another, especially when the child is your grandson or granddaughter.

When contemplating the Negev, one must set aside any preconcieved notion of what a desert is. In Eretz Yisrael there are no rolling yellow sand dunes in softly rising and falling landscapes as unbroken as the sea. Far from being a simple expanse of sand, the Negev is marked by a mélange of cliffs, crags, boulders and dry river vadies. Where the Judean Desert ends, the Negev begins, an impressive region of low sandstone hills, rocky peaks (for example the high plateau area of Ramat HaNegev - The Negev Heights - stands between 370 meters and 520 meters), and plains rutted with narrow canyons. The Negev Desert is mesmerizing, beautiful and rich in geological history.

Although there are more direct and faster routes to Beer Sheva and Eilat and all the sites and towns in-between, the Basor River is one of the beauties of the Negev that defiantly justifies a diversion.

Below is a listing of many attractions that are open during January and February's winter break.

On a beautiful sunny day in the middle of August, my husband and I took an incredible boat ride around Manhattan Island.

A traditional Purim in Hong Kong requires an obligatory visit to Pottinger Street in the bustling Central District. Also known locally as Stone Step Street, Pottinger Street is more of a steep, irregularly paved pedestrian stone path (with steps too small for Western feet) than a street. My children run ahead up the stone slabs as I carefully balance my size nine feet on the thin, uneven stairs. My five year old stumbles but quickly recovers and catches up to the big kids.

With the famous Touro Synagogue, a variety of mansions, each with its own distinct personality, as well as the beautiful coast, Rhode Island makes for an excellent vacation spot.

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Particularly, Yaya Tours focuses on the post-Inquisition heritage of Sephardic Jewry, so most of their expeditions are concentrated in Southern Europe and North Africa.

The exhibit covers three floors. The first floor depicts pre-war Poland and Germany, the second floor covers the “camps," and the third floor highlights the individuals who populated Auschwitz.

Observant Jews looking to travel far from home once had to confine themselves to day trips and packed sandwiches.

"I didn't choose the landscape; it chose me."

If you're looking to sneak in one last day trip before the kids start yeshiva, then the obvious place to look is Pennsylvania, filled with numerous kid-friendly theme parks. Two great ones for all children under the teenage years are Sesame Place in Langhorne, and Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster.

Jerusalem’s historic King David Hotel is being called one of the top 12 “iconic hotels” and one of the world’s best 100 by Fodor’s.