THE JEWISH NEWS
A Toast
To Jewish Living
Israel's
For Families
Traveling
Jewishly
By YEFET OZERY
Harlene Winnick Appelman is
the coordinator of Jewish
Experiences For Families and
author of this months's To Our
Readers theme piece on Jewish
family travel. For each issue of
L'Chayim, a rabbi, a Jewish
educator or other notable in the
Jewish community will present an
overview of the month's theme.
The chance for families to
travel together can be a glorious
opportunity. Visiting new places puts
the whole family on the same
footing — experiencing something
brand new, together, for the very
first time. From the moment that a
family decides on its destination,
there are terrific chances to
discover new things. _A trip to the
library or bookstore to find travel
and guide books is a great way for
the excitement to begin. In fact,
some libraries and travel agents
have videotapes about places to
visit. This is also a good time for
the familly to explore an atlas. Map
reading and general geography
skills help everyone get their
bearings on and develop a
relationship with their new
destination. Planning to visit a place
that has a distinctive cooking style?
Experiment with new recipes at
home.
Family travel is also a chance
for everyone to learn to use a
camera or video camera. Recording
a trip either through pictures, slides
or movies or by keeping a family
journal allows families to relive their
trips. There is nothing like a family
trip to evoke "remember when's"
around a dinner table.
According to Barbara Sofer,,
author or Kids Love Israel, Israel
Loves Kids: A Travel Guide For
Families, traveling with children is
different from traveling without
them. "The sooner you abandon
the notion that 'The right way is the
adult way' the better you will be.
Continued on Page L-2
Scrolls of Fire at sunset, B'nai B'rith Forest outside Jerusalem.
American Travel Treasures
By HEIDI PRESS
News Editor
It's always fun to travel to a
foreign place to learn about the
Jewish community there and its
history. But, why go abroad when
one can find many American cities
with rich Jewish backgrounds and
thriving Jewish communities.
A sampling of cities in the
continental U.S. may prove to be a
good source for learning about the
Jewish experience in America.
In Massachusetts, Boston's
Jewish presence can be traced to
1649 with the arrival of Solomon
Franco, but its first synagogue
wasn't founded until 1845 with the
arrival of German Jewish
immigrants. Greater Boston has a
Jewish community numbering about
170,000, but about one-fifth of that is
college students. The city's oldest
synagogue is Congregation Ohabei
Contimied on Page L-2
An American visitor who has
the chance to have a close
encounter with Israeli society will
notice immediately the major value
Israel places on the family. Children
remain close to their parents
throughout adulthood, family
members keep in touch with each
other and there is an important role
for family relationships in the Israeli
lifestyle. In no place in Israel would
a visitor find a sign excluding
children from a residential area.
As tourists, families may travel
on their own using the convenient
and affordable public transportation.
More convenient, though a more
expensive way to see the country, is
to join one of the trips offered by
the various travel agencies such as
Egged Tours. Those agencies offer
tours departing from major hotels in
all the big cities. The touring family
can create its own tour by choosing
from a large selection of trips
ranging from a half day to several
days in length. The tours are guided
by English-speaking tour guides.
Those who have more to spend on
travel may want to consider to use
.
chauffeur-driven limousine. The
driver also is usually a licensed tour
guide and will take a traveler-
wherever he desires.
Families visiting Israel may stay
in a hotel ranging from the cheapest
one-star hotel to the most expensive
five-star hotels. Those visiting for
more than a few days will do right if
they rent an apartment. The most
convenient way is to rent an
apartment from a company
specializing in renting for tourists,
such as Aparthotel in Jerusalem.
Ranging in size from one to three
bedrooms, the apartment is
maintained by the complex's
management. Bedding and a basic
set of dishes are supplied. Tourists
who plan a visit for a few months
should consider renting an
Continued on page L-3