Shanah Tovah! In honor of Rosh Hashana, a brief history of Jews in Morocco – Continue reading
Jews in Morocco
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Greek Salad, Have Some Today!
It’s tomato season! That blessed time of the year when honest, sun-ripened, fruits-of-the-gods are bending vines from Portland to Pireaus.
Typical of many cultures, other than the North American, Greeks traditionally eat their big meal in the midday, followed by a rest before heading back to work. The evening meal will be something light, salad and bread, for example. The traditional Greek salad (Horiatiki) is on every menu this time of year. It’s quick and easy to make, pretty to look at and perfectly healthy to eat. Continue reading
Athens Highlights
The last few years have been very difficult for Greece. The economic situation is dire and ordinary Greeks struggle everyday to get by. The anxiety and uncertainty has to be crushing. From the outside, we can only guess. Even from the inside, as visitors, it’s not obvious. Recently, our illustrious leader, Ronen Paldi, visited our friends and colleagues in Greece, and he found the streets, squares and tavernas alive with Greeks. They are not, after all, staying under the covers all day lamenting their hard lot. Greek character has weathered some pretty wretched chapters in 3,000+ years, some of the worst in just the last century. They won’t be beat by this latest test. Visitors are welcomed with the same exuberance as always, only now, perhaps, appreciated more than ever. Continue reading
Istanbul, a wee bit off the beaten path
One of my favorite places in Istanbul is the Byzantine Church of the Holy Savior in Chora, also known as the Kariye Camii or the Chora Museum. The surviving structure is mostly from the 11th century, but when the original church was built on this site in the 4th century, it was outside the city walls. Chora means country in ancient Greek. It’s a relatively small church and although pleasant enough, there’s nothing outstanding about the architecture. The real reason to visit is to see the 14th-century mosaics and frescos that cover the interior walls. Continue reading
Istanbul Highlights #2
the Grand Bazaar – If you’re a serious shopper, you need a full day or two here and a guide or a map and a compass. For most of us, a few hours is more than enough. One of the oldest and largest traditional covered markets, there are more than 4,000 shops on over 60 streets and they are not laid out on a grid, much. As long as you have an ultimate exit plan and plenty of time, it’s a wondrous place to get lost in. Just about everything you can think of is for sale here, but leather, gold and silver jewelry, ceramics, textiles and carpets are good buys in Turkey. Shops selling similar items are grouped together. Merchants in the Grand Bazaar can be quite aggressive. If you’re shopping for a big ticket item, you should go in with some knowledge about quality, firm resolve and a sense of humor. Continue reading
Istanbul Not Constantinople
We really wish the Turkish Tourist Office would market their country more aggressively in the United States. It seems few Americans know what it has to offer.
Although it’s a Muslim country and mostly in Asia (a small part of the country is in Europe), modern Turkey really has much more in common with Europe than with its other neighbors. Continue reading
Kibbutzim
Kibbutzim (the plural of kibbutz) are cooperative communities in Israel. There are around 270 kibbutzim across the country today, with an average membership of 500-600. Continue reading
The Cuban Economic Embargo: Unfair & Unbalanced
We’re ready for the US trade embargo against Cuba to be over. The policy has had more than 50 years to achieve its goal of democratization in Cuba and it has failed. With the advent of normalized trade relations with China in 2000, the moral argument for the Cuban embargo lost all credibility. (Not that there aren’t many other examples of moral inconsistency in US trade policy, but China and Cuba are easily compared.) Continue reading
Ramadan Kareem
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Quran during this month and so it is the holiest time in the Muslim faith.
The primary practice of Ramadan is fasting, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Healthy, observant adults refrain from eating and drinking (also smoking, gum chewing, sex, cursing and any less-than-upstanding behavior) from dawn to sunset. The idea is to enter a more spiritual way of being, to know gratitude, compassion and self-discipline. More prayer and more charity are also part of Ramadan observance. Continue reading
Gold vs Golden Arches
The government of Dubai is paying its residents to lose weight. For 30 days beginning with a weigh-in on July 19th, reducers will be rewarded 1 gram of gold per kilogram lost, with a minimum of 2 kilos required for a pay-out. Lose 4.5 lbs, gain $82, roughly, and $41 for every additional 2.2lbs, lost, with no limit, until the final weigh-in on August 16. At the end of the month, one of the three biggest losers will be randomly picked to win a gold coin worth over $5,000. Continue reading
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