Travel and Food

Food, pandemics, and heat waves

Our editor has opened SDJW pages to contributors of  fiction. What follows is true, but has the hallmarks of incredulity. We are wending our Pandemic way from August in Wyoming with the lowest Covid rate in the nation, to Richmond with a detour staying with my sister and brother in law in Laguna Woods. It is 2 pm and 104 degrees outside, and today, Sunday, is predicted to be 108 with “Very Unhealthy Air Quality.” [Oliver B. Pollak]

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Lifestyles, Oliver Pollak, Travel and Food, USA

Exploring ‘The Other Side’: Journeys in Baja California

With ethnic studies being required in K-12 public school and at the California State University, I recently picked up a book published by my friends at Sunbelt Publishing in El Cajon to engage in some welcome learning about another ethnicity. The Other Side: Journeys in Baja California by Judy Goldstein Botello, which I chose from Sunbelt’s warehouse at 1250 Fayette Street was not newly issued, but it was on topic and quite readable. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Streaming Jewish Programs (Sept. 6-11)          

Laurie Baron, Ph.D, rounds up streaming programs of Jewish interest for scholars and lay people, from Sunday, Sept. 6 through Friday, Sept. 11

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA

Person-to-person diplomacy in Swaziland

We stayed overnight at the upscale Hotel Orion in the community of Piggs Peak. After checking in, and dinner at the hotel restaurant, we strolled into the lobby. Sitting on the floor in an alcove was a young man with several nicely wood carved figures of animals. Curious I picked up and examined a few of them. Pasted on the bottom were tags showing how many hours it had taken him to carve each piece. A small simple elephant caught my eye. It had taken 32 hours to carve. I remarked how lovely I thought the piece was, but asked if he was aware of the small inexpensive hand held Dremel electric Motor tool which I had used for years in my carving, sanding and polishing work? He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an old Dremel catalogue and replied,”yes I am, but they are not available in my country and I can’t afford to buy one.” Impulsively I said, “I will send you one when I get back home.” What’s your name and address? And that’s how I became introduced to Pius Mthupha of Piggs Peak, Swaziland. [Ira Spector]

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International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Travel and Food, USA

Museum pretends to be an airport terminal

The Museum of the Jewish People has temporarily transformed itself into an “airport terminal” so children and families can “travel” the world both in-person and virtually despite ongoing air travel limited due to COVID-19 safety concerns. There’s even a “Museum Airlines” to help visitors’ imaginations take flight.   [Press Release0

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

An outdoor Shofar service for 2nd night Rosh Hashanah

Zoom services  may be good, but those in the open air are better in the opinion of Rabbi Mendy Begun of Chabad of Chula Vista.  With what he hopes will be the help of other Jewish congregations, the rabbi plans to put on a free second night of Rosh Hashanah shofar blowing and concert  by Cantor Daniel Moreno in Cottonwood Park in Chula Vista. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Animals enact biblical moment at Ein Gedi gorge

It was my habit to stop at a corner along the trail, in the spreading shade of a tropical Moringa tree, and to recite the story of a fateful meeting between David and Saul (2 Samuel 26), here on the very location where it took place. It couldn’t be more authentic.
If the tour leader had a good voice, not a tiresome mumble, I would find the designated chapter in his travelers’ bible, thrust it in his hand and request him to read it to his flock. (Ithamar Perath)

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, The World We Share, Travel and Food

An impressionistic tour of France

Our first night in France we slept at a farmhouse with many goats, sheep, geese and chickens. We had petit dejeuner(little meal) on a massive wood table in the owner’s family room. Orange juice cheeses, cold meats, yogurt, bread and rolls, home made jam and butter and hot or cold cereal with great coffee. Little breakfast? We drove west toward the coast through the Burgundy countryside which was draped with vineyards on every hill and valley. We came upon an obscure town on a hillside town far from the usual tourist route, and found the historic first public outdoor toilet in France, “The Pissotiere De Glockhemerle.” I gratefully added my portion to its history, and we drove on. [Ira Spector]

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International, Travel and Food, USA

An impressionistic tour of Germany and Austria

Our guide book indicated the location of Hitler’s underground Chancellery on our walk. The place where he died has no marker anywhere. There are nomarkers anywhere in the world memorializing Hitler’s existence. The location shown on our map was Potsdamer Platz, where an entire city within the city of Berlin was under construction. We counted twenty-five giant cranes in this ten square block area. I could only approximate where the Chancellery was, and so a symbolic spit was the best I could do to memorialize “Der Fuhrer.” [Ira Spector]

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International, Jewish History, Travel and Food

Wildfires illustrate difference between spiritual and physical

Even while back in Petaluma, our family experienced life on the wild side, or better worded: wild-fire side. We awoke to find ashes on the car and all windows in the house closed to protect from the low air quality.  As we kept a watchful eye as the Lightning Complex Fires continued to spread, we tried to look at the events around us to see what we could learn to become better people. We looked at the difference between the physical and spiritual.  [Rabbi Rafi Andrusier]

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Lifestyles, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA

Making a feline friend in a new sunny city

After graduating college in New York, I moved to Seattle.  Having finally landed my first job, I was excited to put my aeronautical engineering degree to work and design jumbo jets for a premier aerospace company.  Everything was great—Seattle has a thriving Jewish community, a vibrant arts scene, and spectacular nature.  However, it also has rain.  A lot of rain.  Did I mention the rain? [Teresa Konopka]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County, Teresa_Konopka, The World We Share, Travel and Food

Lebanese memories prompted by Beirut explosion

George Salameh, owner of the Alforon Restaurant on El Cajon Boulevard near 59th Street, remembers living within the area near the port of  Beirut that was leveled by the terrible blast on August 4  that killed at least 177 people and wounded or injured 6,000 more, leaving as many as 150,000 people homeless, and causing property damage estimated between $10 billion and $15 billion. [Our Shtetl San Diego County by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA