The relationship between modernity and Judaism is perhaps the central question that Jews have struggled with and debated over the past 250 years.…
Shabbat in Budapest
Kazinczy, Dohany, Rumbach. For the average Hungarian these are street names in the heart of Budapest. For Jews these are names of three of the most…
Thoughts From Budapest: Past, Present, and Future
Jews first settled in Hungary in the 13th century, settling mainly in the city of Buda. In 1526 the Ottoman Empire occupied Hungary and as…
Torah in Toledo
The city of Toledo sits some 75 kilometres to the south of Madrid, the capital of Spain. It is a most picturesque and charming city, perched on a…
The Expulsion
If 1148 marks the end of the Golden Age of Spain, the beginning of the end of Spanish Jewry as a whole begins in 1391. By that time the Christians…
Some Thoughts From Spain
Jews lived in Spain for a very, very long time, possibly from as early as Biblical times. The first recorded evidence of Jewish life in Spain dates…
Humbling History
I have long had an interest in Jewish history, finding it inspiring and illuminating to be part of a people who go back 4,000 years, who have lived…
Commentary from Cascais
Portugal is one of the few countries in Europe in which no Jews were deported during World War ll. The only Portuguese Jews to be killed in the…
Beauty in Belmonte
The ancient town of Belmonte is nestled in the mountains of Portugal, with breathtaking views and beautifully cobblestoned streets steeped in history…
Forced to Convert
When one thinks of recent world powers, it is unlikely many would think of Portugal. But had we lived 500 years ago our thinking would be very…
Landing in Lisbon
I last travelled abroad in February 2020 to visit our daughter studying in Israel. Arriving back in Toronto I smiled upon seeing the signs to let…
Musings from Morocco: Lasting Impressions
Visiting Morocco leaves one with both a sense of hope and of despair. The sense of despair does not refer to the decline of Jewish community,…
Musings from Morocco: Shabbat in Marrakech
The city of Marrakech was, for many years, home to the largest Jewish population in Morocco. Today it has two functioning shuls: one in the …
Musings from Morocco: Berber Blessings
“Eizo asheer? Hasameach bechelko, Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot”. It is often hard for many of us raised in the…
Musings from Morocco: Welcome to Fez
Outside of the world of the yeshiva, it’s a safe bet to assume that most who study Talmud do so as part of the Daf Yomi cycle. This…
Musings from Morocco
“With fidelity to its irreversible choice to construct a democratic State of Law, the Kingdom of Morocco…having as its bases the…
Goodbye Greece
As I sit on the plane, having just spent ten glorious days in Greece, let me share some final thoughts of our wonderful trip. Greece is a…
The Charm of Chalkis
Something that one might be fairly certain will never appear in a shul, no matter where it is or what the denomination, is a cross. Well, almost…