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April 28, 2006

A story about a cluster of grapes

When people think of Israel, the first thought that comes into their heads is not usually that it is a land flowing with...wine. However, Israel is overflowing with surprises as there is always something new to discover in this fascinating country. Did you know that there are 200 wineries in Israel? Many produce wines on par with other regions of the world, and frequently win awards at international exhibitions.

There is a long history of wine flowing throughout Israel. The story begins with Moses who sent twelve spies across the river to explore the Promised Land. As the story is told, two of the spies returned with a cluster of grapes and those grapes yielded enough wine to last the people for their forty years wandering in the desert.

Israel used to offer only sweet, syrupy wine utilized primarily for ceremonial purposes. The wine culture dramatically changed after the 1970’s when experts discovered that the soil and climate of the newly-captured Golan Heights was ideal for cultivating grapes. Vines were planted, and in 1983 the first wines produced in the Golan Heights were released to the public. Some of the famous wineries that can be found throughout Israel are located in Rishon Lezion, Zichron Ya’acov, Castel and Tzora.

For your next trip to the Holy Land, don’t miss the chance to experience the best wine Israel has to offer, when customizing your next program, ask your ARZA World program specialist about incorporating a private visit to a boutique vineyard in Israel.

Posted by ARZA World Team at 03:01 PM

April 11, 2006

European River Cruise | Air & Land from $999 per person | Cruise Only from $499 per person

The Danube River surges through Central Europe, she has been a sort of magical bridge between West and East through the centuries. Cruise by great valley gorges; visit famous cities of great cultural interest like Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and Passau, treat yourself to an exquisite vacation and watch the beautiful river landscapes floating before your eyes. For more information about our river cruise programs please click here.

Posted by ARZA World Team at 08:40 PM

April 03, 2006

The Florentin Quarter: A Tel Aviv Neighborhood not to be missed!

By Rachel Spitz

Intensity lingers about the neighborhood despite its stillness. One gets the sensation that the neighborhood of Florentin by night is only half the story.

During the day, Florentin is a busy, bustling, neighborhood filled with craftsmen, carpenters, upholsterers, cobblers and bakers. And, for each trade, there are countless shops; some have been around for decades, others are just sprouting up now. Day or night, Florentin awakens the senses.

Sounds of life call out from Vital Street just a few meters away. This street is an oasis of modernity that, in the last few years, has rejuvenated the nightlife in this neighborhood. A side street boasts trendy cafes, pubs and dance clubs filled with young, hip people. Music and conversation spill into the street, breathing energy into this district.

The Florentin Quarter was named after David Florentin, a Greek Zionist who purchased the land from Arabs in the late 1920s. Early inhabitants found the area appealing since, at the time, it lay near a train line from Jaffo to Jerusalem. Ashkenazi artists were the initial inhabitants of the neighborhood.

In the 1990s, a gentrification campaign sponsored by the municipality started bringing back Ashkenazi artists, yuppies and hippies. A small renaissance has been set in motion by young Tel Avivians who are interested in inexpensive apartments, Bauhaus architecture, and chic night life. Today, bakeries, pubs and restaurants compete with old-fashioned, family-owned hummus and bureka shops whose names seldom even appear on their dusty awnings.

Pedestrians, cars and bicycle riders all compete for space in the narrow streets. Trucks stop in the middle of the traffic to unload furniture, inviting a cacophony of car horns and shouts. Shiny, new convertibles inch past immigrant workers on their bikes. Young men with Rasta dreadlocks impatiently weave around old men whose shopping carts get caught on the potholed pavement.

Florentin’s bustle extends throughout the entire neighborhood. On Levinsky Street, spice shops overlap each other seizing your senses. Burlap sacks brimming with colored seasonings are labeled in both Arabic and Hebrew; their scents blur together into one overwhelming fragrance of rosemary, oregano, curry and vanilla. Wolfson, Matalon and Herzl Streets are lined with countless stores that sell furniture, household appliances and various light fixtures. Window after window shows off similar displays, leaving you with a wonderful feeling of knowing that you are witnessing a diversity of cultures all in one block.

Between Vital and Stern Streets, a lane exists that, at first glance, seems a charming respite from the surrounding stimulation. Brick replaces pavement underfoot, trees line the middle of the lane, and lampposts with candy-cane curves smile onto park benches. Blooming flowers decorate the porches overhead - this street could resemble a tiny slice of Europe.

Venturing into the Florentin Quarter is like entering a melting pot. Old and new converge into one with jumbled ease, providing a sense of curiosity. The neighborhood’s character may be a complex one, but it clearly speaks for itself.

Experience all the wonderful sights and cultures that Israel offers.

ARZA World is committed to using a holistic approach to the educational experience. Our programs are designed thematically, combining educational and geographical considerations while in Israel. Please call ARZA World Toll Free: 888-811-2812 or e-mail: groups@arzatravel.com

Posted by ARZA World Team at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)

April 01, 2006

Moments that remind one that occasionally a group trip to Israel can change your life. Every day.

By Rabbi Keith Stern

I am exhausted. Up and down Masada. Ein Gedi Springs. Just wrote a long blog entry that disappeared. But...I have to report on the amazing moment that my group shared on Masada. Way up on top of this mountain in the middle of the desert...

Way up on top of this mountain in the middle of the desert where Herod built his winter palace and 1000 Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to the Romans is an ancient synagogue. It was built by the Zealots in the 1st century. In that synagogue is a room double locked and in that room is a safe with an ark cover over it. With the right keys I opened it and pulled out a Torah. Can I tell you what it's like traipsing across Masada with a Torah in my hands? The overwhelming feeling of somehow continuing a process? Of doing a bold new thing?

Rabbi Keith Stern

I can't describe it. It was too new, too intense, too over determined... Walking into the room where the Temple Beth Avodah group was waiting, and seeing their eyes as I entered with that scroll. It could've been a thousand years ago -- 2 thousand years ago. To see the excitement and the joy in their faces.

We made a ceremony honoring our most recent Bat Mitzvah, Monique and our next Bat Mitzvah, Halley. Standing on one side of the room were all those who already had a Bar/t Mitzvah. On the other, those kids and adults who never had one. I had all the Temple Beth Avodah post Bar Mitzvah celebrants line up and pass the Torah to Monique, who then gave it to Halley who held it as all the younger kids touched the Torah. Talk about symmetry and a perfect moment.

I then asked the non-Bar/t Mitzvah adults a question: Is anyone ready to declare that they are ready to commit to the next adult B'nei Mitzvah class? No pressure, really. Just 2 thousand years of history swirling through the air. Reesa, Suzanne, Deborah and Michele and John stepped up. How amazing was that?

These are the moments that reminds one that occasionally a group trip can change your life. Every day.

Posted by ARZA World Team at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)