israel Archives - Global Travel Authors

November 11, 2025November 11, 2025

Trip to Israel with Our Friends at BZD

Our friends at BZD (Baltimore Zionist District) are organizing a trip to Israel from December 12 through 17, 2025, to experience Hanukkah in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and southern Israel.

Request the recording from BZD Info Session: https://bzdisrael.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/bzd-shining-in-israel-an-unforgettable-hanukkah-experience-for-adults-in-the-land-of-light

Visit the BZD website to learn more about this amazing organization: https://bzdisrael.org/

Regrettably, Alex and I will not be able to join due to previous commitments.

Irene Shaland, Jewish Historian and Author

Image and links provided by BZD.

December 25, 2018December 9, 2020

THE JEWISH GREETING FOR THE SECULAR NEW YEAR

Reprinted with permission of the author, Rabbi Barbara Aiello

Throughout Israel, especially in Tel Aviv, the last day of the year is “party night.” On December 31st Israelis will celebrate along with the rest of the world but instead of shouting “Happy New Year,” Israelis do something different. As the year turns from one year to the next, Israel’s Jews will wish each other a “Happy Sylvester,” a New Year’s greeting that invokes, of all things, the name of a Catholic saint!