It is hard to be in this place and not have an emotional reaction. The colors on canvas are so vibrant, the themes so recognizable, the small details so impactful, that for anyone - art lover, scholar, or even casual observer - there is something to find that can easily create an intense experience. But…
It seems that every dynasty has that one monarch somewhere down the line who gets to define the house. Sometimes it is due to greatness - and indeed the number of monarchs with that epithet probably all qualify - and sometimes it is for another quality. Sometimes it is for a specific deed, guiding the…
Editor’s note: back in 2021, as the world was just beginning to open up from COVID, Curacao was my first destination. I spent three weeks on the island, and fell absolutely in love with the place and its people. It is really great to see that Sam felt similarly, even in a much shorter span…
Editor’s note: I truly love when our amazing writer Sam Spector does a series on a country I haven’t visited yet, and really don’t know much about. I hadn’t even known Lublin existed before reading this piece, and now it is on my future Poland itinerary. For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit…
Editor’s note: I have never been to Poland. But as a Jew, I feel a connection to a place where so many of my people lived - and died. As an aside, if after reading this powerful piece by Sam Spector you want to immerse even more in the events of the Warsaw Ghetto, Mila…
Editor’s note: I have been to Slovakia, spending about a week in Bratislava as part of a large trip based mainly in Germany. However, I will admit that the rest of the country is a blank for me. It is really nice to learn more via our wonderful traveling rabbi, Sam Spector. For more of…
Editor’s note: Prague is a city unique. It has a well preserved medieval core, incredible food, and the best preserved Jewish quarter in all of Europe. For my personal takes on the city, you can find my guide here. But this is Sam’s version, and describes a whirlwind tour through some truly amazing locales. For…
It would be an exaggeration to say that without Morocco there would be no Judaism, as well as a stretch to say that without Jews there would be no Morocco. But both would look completely different than they do today were it not for a partnership that saw two peoples working together to reach heights…
Editor’s note: the final chapter of writer Sam Spector’s Egypt chronicles might be the best. Coincidentally, I recently decided on an amazing Egypt itinerary for myself, so while that isn’t until 2027, I am even more excited after reading this piece. For more of Sam’s adventures, click here to visit his index page. One of…
Until you get close, it is really impossible to imagine the true scale of the Hassan II Mosque. Opened in 1993 at a cost of about a billion dollars (yes, billion with a b), I’m told it is the third largest mosque in the world, behind those in Mecca and Medina. (Truth told, my subsequent…