FOSTERING CROSS CULTURAL DIVERSITY, TOLERANCE, INCLUSION, AND UNDERSTANDING AROUND THE WORLD WITH AN EMPHASIS ON JEWISH HISTORY.
When your friends visit from oversees, what can you show them in Cleveland over a two-day weekend? “Mistake by the lake?” No way. When our friends from Germany arrived last Friday, we and our hometown were ready to impress.
Continue reading “Showing off Cleveland in just one weekend”
In one of our earlier blog posts, we recommended a few credit cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees when you use the card outside of the US. If you travel abroad and don’t have one of those credit cards, your “conventional” credit card might be charging in the area of 2% for foreign transaction fees every time you swipe your Visa or MasterCard at a restaurant, hotel, or car rental office.
Continue reading “How to Avoid Credit Card Foreign Transaction Fees – Part Two”
I recently attended an Educators meeting at the Jewish Federation building in Beachwood. The meeting centered on a fascinating exhibit of old photographs from shtetls or Jewish Villages before World War I. Titled “The Way We Looked,” the Beachwood exhibit marks the first time these photographs have been shown in North America. The collection was loaned to Cleveland by the Center for Judaica Studies from St. Petersburg, Russia. The co-curators of this exhibit, two scholars from the Center, Drs. Alexander Ivanov and Valery Dymshitz, presented an exciting lecture/slide show based on their in-depth research.
Continue reading “Judaica Research and Education Center in St. Petersburg, Russia”
Airlines find new ways to charge us for everything! The Airgarewatchdog has just released their 2015 guide to all domestic airlines’ fees (as pertaining to the economy only).
Continue reading “Important to all travelers: airlines fees”
Irene Shaland’s latest article “Denmark revisited: Hatred and violence in the ‘Righteous among the Nations” was published in Los Angeles Jewish Journal on February 18. Please follow the link to read it: http://bit.ly/17fPUTp
Villa Romana del Casale located in Piazza Armerina in the Sicilian heartland is a not-to-be missed site for all history and art enthusiasts. Covered by layers of mud for 700 years, rediscovered in 1950, and reopened in 2003 after over forty years of reconstruction, the Villa is a treasure trove of the best Roman mosaics in existence today.
Continue reading “Villa Romana Sicily – Must See for Italy History Buffs”
Text and photos by Alex Shaland
Going on an African safari by yourself or in a small group is not advisable. Suppose, you are standing in front of a lion or a rhinoceros and trying to calculate your chances of getting out of this situation in one piece and hopefully not perforated in too many places. You are staring at the whatever it is that is going to do a very bad thing to you and all that is going through your mind is “o sh….t”. But look at the situation from the lion’s point of view. It has to charge you, yes you. Who else is there to eat? You are the protein!
Continue reading “African Safari Tips: The Importance of Good Company”
Are you planning a spring or summer get-away or both? There is still time make sure you don’t spend anything for the airfare. Oh well, you will still have to pay taxes but nothing even closely comparable to what the airfare might cost you. This is what I suggest you do:
Continue reading “Flying for Free is the Best Airfare”
Going to New York any time soon? Looking for a great Broadway show? We can help and recommend a few options:
Continue reading “January 2015: How to get discounted tickets for the best Broadway shows”
Siracusa is truly a summation of Sicilian splendor, and if there is one city in Sicily that personifies this magnificent island it is Siracusa. The city is 3,000 years in the making and combines Greek and Roman civilizations with ancient Jewish culture and baroque masterpieces. Great history of Western civilization: Founded in 734 BC by Greeks from Corinth, Siracusa grew to become a city larger than Corinth and Athens, turning into a capital of Magna Crecia. It became an intellectual magnet that attracted the best brain power of the ancient world: from Aeschylus and Pindar of theater and poetry to Archimedes in mathematics and physics.
Continue reading “Siracusa is a Top Destination in Sicily”