The Jewish presence in Hong Kong is al­most 200 years old. The community began during the mid-19th century when traders from Iraq and India came to the island after the Opium Wars of 1839-42. As the 20th century approached, the growing community recog­nized the need for a permanent synagogue. A generous donation of land in an area then high above the city

Kibbutz Neot Semadar is best known for its array of organic products grown and prepared on the kibbutz and as “that place with the weird, colorful tower sticking up in the sky in the middle of nowhere.”

Anyone who has driven along Route 40 in the Arava region will have seen Neot Semadar’s famous landmark. Taking the time to veer

When we traveled to Brazil, we had a lot to learn, especially about Recife—the easternmost city in Brazil and center of the slave trade way back when the Portuguese brought African slaves to the Americas to work on sugar plantations. It is also the city from which the Jews fled to New Amsterdam in 1654 when the Portuguese Inquisition began the New

JERUSALEM—As Pesach approaches, Israelis prepare for the impending flock of tourists and pilgrims coming for the festival known in Hebrew as Chag Ha’aviv (the Spring Holiday, in Hebrew). It is truly a gorgeous time to be in Israel, with all of her natural beauty, her nature and fauna, revealing itself after a long winter as the land

Going on holiday can mean relaxing or sightseeing, tasting new foods or learning firsthand about new cultures. A growing segment of vacationers, however, goes abroad to work for free.

Voluntourism—volunteering and tourism—has been cited as one of the fastest-growing sectors of worldwide tourism. Israel, a top destination for a myriad of reasons

When the Seder dishes are put away, families can go out to play.  Chol Hamoed this year is limited to Thursday, April 17; Friday, April 18 until sundown; Motzei Shabbos, April 19; and Sunday, April 20 until sundown.  So we’re highlighting activities that don’t take you too far from home. This week we focus on Brooklyn and Manhattan.  Next week we look at where

1000 Washington Avenue

Brooklyn, NY  11225

Prospect Heights

1-718-623-7200

http://www.bbg.org

With over 52 acres of gardens, research collections and educational programs, Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an oasis in the heart of Brooklyn.  The garden is open Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6p.m.

190th Street and Margaret Corbin Circle

Beautiful gardens and fantastic views across the Hudson River are two reasons to visit Fort Tryon Park.  Another is the Cloisters, a division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, known for its medieval collection.  The Unicorn tapestries are beautiful and

If you want to take a tour of Jewish Brooklyn without leaving your car, a Brooklyn-born maven suggests this route to see the sites.  Pack lunch and snacks for the family:

You come into Williamsburg over the bridge from Delancey Street, make a right to Lee Ave. Go through the heart of the Hasidic part of town, continue to Nostrand Ave, make another

Arava, literally meaning “desolate” and “dry area” in Hebrew, on the map is a section of the Jordan Rift Valley, running in a north-south orientation between the southern end of the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea and continuing further south, where it ends at Eilat and the Gulf of Aqaba. It includes most of the border between Israel to

Past the Gaza Strip, toward the rocket-battered city of Sderot, a new train now connects isolated Negev communities to the larger Israeli population centers. Not surprisingly, the Sderot line also opens the gates to increased tourism in that region.

For many people in Sderot, the rocket-proof train station, which opened in December 2013, was a landmark event. 

Sure, it helps if you love to ogle the latest in hand-made crafts. But even if you don’t know a piece of greenware from earthenware, Tel Aviv’s Nachalat Binyamin Art & Craft Fair is a fun and funky way to spend a lazy Tuesday or Friday afternoon (the two days the fair is open).

The nearly 10,000 visitors who meander through 200-plus artist stalls