Very much alive - at the Dead Sea

Summer 2013 was the time when I hit the lowest point ever during my life. Literally. Some what 420 meters below sea level.

Nearly ten time saltier than your average sea, the Dead Sea is somewhat a unique formation in the world. In Hebrew, it is called Yam ha Melah - the Sea of Salt - which is actually more describing than naming it dead. Fine, the sea itself doesn't really host life in the water or on the bottom and drinking more than a glass of the salty water means you need to rush to the nearest hospital. But the place is very much alive, hosting hotels and beach resorts both on the Israeli and Jordan shores, not to mention providing minerals and ingredients for the blooming cosmetics business.

The area around the Dead Sea is much warmer that the rest of Israel. If it was +30C when passing by Jerusalem, the thermometer hit my personal record of +42C at the Dead Sea. From afar, and near, it actually looks like any other sea. Blue, watery, pale sandy bottom...

Looks normal, right?

The fun actually starts when you dive in. Well, actually, correction - NEVER DIVE in the Dead Sea. Keeping your head above this sea level is crucial. The saltiness is exquisite and you don't want it anywhere near your nose, mouth or eyes. The sea will kindly remind you of any tiny little cuts (may it be neglected cuticles, uncomfortable shoes you wore the day before) you might have in your body. My hair got dipped in the water when I was floating on my back. After getting out of the sea, some water dripped from my hair to my face and eventually ended up in my eyes. The burning feeling was very unpleasant. I was not able to open my eyes due to the terrible burning sensation (for a moment I could have sworn I'm going to lose my eye sight), so my boyfriend had to lead me like a blind person to the showers to rinse it off. Luckily, the normal water helped rather quickly.

On the positive note, the Dead Sea is very generous and supportive if you happen to be a bad swimmer or suffer from skin problems. Here you can float around without much effort: the saltiness will make sure you stay on the surface. People with psoriasis have been coming to the sea to get help for their condition.

Another beach gimmick that is not very common was the barrels of mud & clay fished out of the Dead Sea, place conveniently near the shore. It was literally about getting dirty - sink your arms elbow deep, grab a chunk of mud and rub it all over yourself. Let it work its magic on your skin until the sun has dried it up, then take a dip and your skill will, most likely, feel nice and smooth.

The quickest "tan" I ever got! The mud also covers any unwanted body hair, hides cellulite and makes your teeth look whiter. Perfect beach attire, that is!

In addition to the Dead Sea, this beach with full facilities had a sulphur pool (very warm water - felt like making human soup). I haven't had time to google what kind of benefits sulphur has, but I'm sure it was a very healthy dip in the pool for the recommended 10-15 minutes. And after these extraordinary aquatic experiences, the regular pool at the beach didn't seem too interesting.

The pool with natural water containing heaps of sulphur.

Not to be pessimistic, but I remember when visiting Venice, Italy, I thought how long would the human kind be able to join that wonderful city - until it finally sinks underwater. The Dead Sea might be a similar, disappearing sight on this planet, as it has been decreasing in size. And there was gruelling evidence showing you this: at this beach, the first showers, bar and lifeguard booth were built approximately 70 meters up from the current seashore. That's how much the water level had withdrawn.

Constructions left unused.

So, we have already a warning example of the Lake Aral in Russia - so I suggest you book your visit to the Dead Sea as soon as possible. If you're not able to visit it in person, you can always indulge yourself with dead sea cosmetics I'm sure can be found at your local beauty store.

Shiksa at the shuk

One of the few new words I learnt in Israel this summer was shuk, which means the market. In Tel Aviv, Shuk Ha Carmel - The Carmel Market - is a nice place for any visitor to swing by.

The Carmel Market is probably the reason why they call Israel the land of milk and honey. Or the land of plenty. Since everything grows in that generous climate, you are bound to find all the fruits from A to Z in this place. For a Northerner like me, there are fruits that I didn't even recognize. And I'm still not sure whether sabra is in just plain simply cactus fruit in English or kaktushedelmä in Finnish.

This time, I actually tasted this thorny procude of Mother Nature. Semi-sweet but a bit rough on the teeth thanks to the seeds. Israeli citizens born in Israel are called sabras, and no wonder why. They are a bit hard to handle :).

Even though it was your typical hot July summer day, a stroll at the Carmel market is actually quite refreshing. Not only is there continuous shade thanks to the booths and their marquise, the fresh fruit juices prepared according to your wishes keep you going and contribute your five colors/half a kilo/vitamins from A to Z a day for sure. Talking about a liquid lunch that keeps you filled and is also approved by your GP...

This stuff puts the 0,99 EUR sugary, colored liquid they claim to be fruit juice at my nearby supermarket to shame.

I love going to a market like this and look in awe at all the products they sell. The fruits, the spices, all the beans and lentils, vegetables... I know where I would go for grocery shopping every weekend if I lived in Tel Aviv. And lead such a healthy life, right?! This time, I grabbed some granola, raw tahina, sweet tahina and hamsa keyrings to bring home. As for spices, I still didn't have to bother to buy a refill for some chili, as the tiny red little buggers I got at Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem last year are nowhere near to finishing. Half a chili is enough to light a fire in my kitchen.

Holy Land, here I come!

Finally! At last – like Etta James would sing – I've got flights booked to Israel. This summer in Finland has been quite balmy to us near the Arctic Circle but I'm the kind of girl who needs minimum +28C to start wearing skirts and shorts to call it a real summer. To reach these degrees, we Northerners usually have no other choice but to hit the South. The temperatures in Tel Aviv seem to bounce nicely between +25C and +30something C, and I especially look forward to those warm evenings and nights when you don't need to carry a sweater and gloves with you "just in case it gets chilly".

I am quite prepared: got some shekels, sunscreen and Crocs waiting to hit the heat. I recently purchased my first-ever pair of Crocs even though I previously had sworn off those hideous clumsy plastic things. But then I was tipped off by a friend and I came across this pretty pair that swooned my picky feet - and we've been walking on air together ever since (love at first step). I've been told that Crocs are somewhat of a national attire in Israel so now I will fit in nicely!

I've never really experienced the lovely sea and beaches or the Dead Sea in Israel. The only swim I have taken there was a hasty dip in the Genesaret, so this time around I am hoping for more. Contemplating a swim means, though, daring the horrors of wearing a bikini... I'm thinking the mud at the Dead Sea would cover nicely all the screaming white, wobbly bits that I am not proud of, so maybe I should opt for that? Panic preparations for the bikini problems have started: I've booked an appointment for ultrasound fat removal procedure next Tuesday. And ran 2km last Tuesday. Desperate? Yes. Will it help? No. But there is no harm in trying is there...

I was determined to book the flights with Finnair in order to commemorate the fact they opened this seasonal route just this year when I'm in first need of this connection. Apparently it is quite a popular one as I could only get my return ticket with the familiar blue & white wings. To make things a tad more interesting, I've booked a kosher meal for my return flight. I am curious to see & taste how a Finnish airline goes kosher!

Need to struggle at work for a little more, and then I can call it a h-o-l-i-d-a-y!

A museum visit in Norway

My Scandinavian tour of Jewish museums is complete. Last weekend I got to tick off the last country off my list: Norway. Established in a building that used to be a synagogue, the Jewish Museum of Oslo is located conveniently in the center. You can recognize the museum from its iron gate so be brave, buzz the door bell and enter. Entrance tickets are reasonably priced (50 NOK for adults).

Unfortunately, it was not allowed to photograph inside, but basically the museum has two aspects that you could expect it to have: the other aspect tells the story of Jews in Norway during WWII and the occupation, and the other is a classic story of a Jewish year, explaining all related holidays. Nearly everything was translated into English, for those who do not know any Norwegian or other Scandinavian languages.

The day that we (yes, my boyfriend joined!) visited the museum was no ordinary day... There was a "family Sunday" arranged around Pesach. There was a play by local teens telling the story of Moses and Exodus, and activities around the Seder dinner and plate for kids: coloring, cutting out and pasting paper maror etc. on a paper Seder, and a tasting menu of matza and the rest that you can find on a Seder plate. A note was given to typically Scandinavian kids: charoset cannot be eaten by those who are allergic to nuts (because all the kids in the Nordics are allergic to something!). The museum was rather packed because of this event, and it was quite endearing and heart-warming to see such a small but tight community getting together for the holiday season.

A snapshot of the museum's website about Family Sunday - Pesach.

It was interesting to read about what went on in Norway during the WWII. All the Nordic countries had very different destinies during this war. Sweden remained untouched, Finland messed with the Germans but kept Finnish-Jews safe and Denmark and Norway were occupied. It was shocking to learn that prison/labor camps were established in Norway and Jewish prisoners were under more harsh treatment in these places. So the camps weren't just in Poland and elsewhere in Central Europe - also here in the Nordics. Many Norwegian Jews fled to Sweden, but nearly 800 Jews were murdered - for the most part in Auschwitz. Those who fled to Sweden or beyond, often chose not to return.

The Norwegian government cooperated with the Nazi regime as the Norwegian Royal Family left for exile during the war. Jewish families were not allowed to own radios, their IDs were stamped with the letter "J" and as mentioned, possessions were confiscated and many ended up dying at concentration camps. Today, the community has been revived with somewhat 1500s Jews in Norway that are well integrated in the society, however the Chabad-Lubavitch has a permanent presence in Norway.

The building served as a synagogue until 1942. Outside the museum, there are metal placates on the ground with names of those Jews who lived in the area and were sent to Auschwitz.

If I had to rank the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Jewish museums, I'd say the Norwegian one is the best and most comprehensive one. There's also a great gift shop with many Jewish items. Unfortunately, though, I have seem to come 100% with Judaica and Jewish items, since I could not find anything that I didn't have to buy at the gift shop!

As there was nothing new to add to my souvenir collection, I took the recipe for Natascha's blintzes :-).

PS. An interesting tidbit I learnt while visiting this museum was the vague connection between astrology and Judaism. The Kabbalah is into astrology, and the Zodiac signs almost seem to sync better with the Jewish calendar months better than the Gregorian months... I always wondered why Capricorn isn't 1st-31st of January but overlaps from December to January etc.

A museum visit in Sweden

As discussed before, one of the first things I do when visiting another city is to check if there's a Jewish museum in town. This time, I get to add Stockholm - the capital of Sweden - to my list of Jewish musems visited. Heja Sverige!

Located in the beautiful area of Vasastaden, the museum isn't something you would come accidentally across with. Compared to the fellow museums in Paris or New York, where there's a whole building dedicated to the cause, the museum in Stockholm is in more humble settings - downstairs a typical apartment building. You need to ring a bell to get in, and be aware of the opening ours (12:00-16:00 daily, except for Saturdays of course).

But don't worry, once you're round the corner, the signs will lead you there.

The museum has a permanent exhibition that is the size of a large livingroom. It presents the basics of the Jewish faith as well as some Swedish aspect to Judaism. You get your classic introduction to Torah and the Jewish holidays, but also family trees of Swedish-Jews and a small shrine to Raoul Wallenberg. There are also authentic memorabilia from the Holocaust, provided by the survivors. The Red Cross of Sweden arranged the so-called "White Buses" (army buses painted white) after the WWII ended and transported 30.000 survivors of the concentration camps to Sweden. Around 10 000 of them were Jews.

A long time since I saw a mezuza somewhere else than at my home. And first time I could actually read something in Hebrew when visiting a Jewish museum!

Barbie converts to Judaism? Not quite, but there were miniature doll settings of Jewish holidays (a wedding chuppah and sukkot), as well as artifacts used in Passover and Hanukkah.

A smaller room is dedicated to exhibitions with changing themes, and when I visited the theme was Jesus Christ Super-Star. Well, not quite, but Jesus the Jew anyway. It was a kind attempt to bridge the gap between Judaism and Christianity with the one thing that both connects but separates the two religions. There were artifacts from exclavations from Jesus' times, and points how Jesus was a Jew. Even his "golden rule" in the New Testament is actually just a borrowed mindset from the Old Testament.

A false prophet or the son of G-d, the man that creates controversy even after 2000 years...

Today, the Jewish population in Sweden is estimated to be around 20.000, half of them living in Stockholm or the nearby region. In Stockholm, there are three synagogues with conservative and orthodox services. And of course, let's not forget the small gift shop of the museum, where I bought the below article. It replaced my old Sex and the City movie "Love" key chain replica. The message stays the same, though!

Ahava.

A nice museum visit all in all! Convenient and compact, but I must say that my command of Swedish language came handy - not all the information was available in English too. And a small tidbit that also the Finns will recognize: the gherkins & pickles, ketchup etc. branded Felix that you find in every supermarket here --- well, a company founded by a Jewish immigrant in Sweden!

Jewish à la Paris

Paris is one of the most Jewish cities I have visited. After New York City and Jerusalem, it's a city where I most saw guys wearing kippahs and synagogues marked all over the town map. And, well, what do you know! My observation was spot on, as France has the largest Jewish population in Europe and 3rd largest in the world - after Israel and the United States. Makes a lot of sense.

In addition to the Memorial de la Shoah and Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme (the latter one saved for my next visit), there is a neighborhood in Paris that has the nickname of being the Jewish Quarters. Being a novice in the city, I thought it must be the area where all the synagogues seem to have gathered. I was ready with my phone to snap photos... But there was nothing Jewish about the area and even the synagogues were not visible to my shiksa eye.

Running through my facts with some locals, I was enlightened that the Jewish quarters are actually the area of Le Marais, spread across the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris.

Go here!

So, what "Jewish" can you find in Le Marais? Jews settled in the region over 600 years ago, so no wonder Hebrew letters decorate the windows of many establishments there. I ventured a bookshop but to my misfortune, the books were either in Hebrew or French. The topics would have been interesting but with my language skills I wouldn't have been able to read them. Then, there was a falafel place, of course, and lots of them to choose from. This is the part of Paris where you can find one of those authentic, delicious falafels that you just wanna sink your teeth in and come back up for air with your chin smeared and dripping with tahina. Messy, but so worth it!

In addition there were a lot of Jewish restaurants, serving dishes I have only heard spoken of. Gefilte fish, blintz, knish... You name it, they have it. The delis and bakeries offered also to-go alternatives for those craving for Jewish cuisine and one of the latkes on display found its way to my mouth.

Le Marais isn't all kosher with just Jewish stuff. It is also known as the gay area in Paris and in addition to all the Jewish restaurants and shops, there are trendy boutiques as well. Sounds a lot like Israel - the country is much like this as well: a blend of everything. If you're ever around in Paris, visiting the narrow streets (= this is how Paris used to be) of Le Marais is worthwhile. And needless to say, it would make a perfect Sunday destination. On Saturday, thou shall not bother ;-)!

Random pictures of the Jewish Paris. Chez Hanna? Oui, s'il vous plaît!

Names on the wall

It has become almost like a habit for me to google any foreign city I am traveling to, to see if they have a Jewish museum in town. Surprisingly, quite many capitals or otherwise large cities do have one (Helsinki being the obvious exception here). I have visited Jewish museums in Athens (Greece), New York City, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and now most recently, Paris.

In many languages the word “holocaust” is the brand name for what happened to the Jews in WWII. This word of Greek origin, meaning whole/everything burnt, has found its way to most of the languages of the world. But the French language - bien sûr - is different. They use the Hebrew word “shoah” (meaning calamity) instead. Hence, voilà, in Paris you can find a museum called Mémorial de la Shoah.

Nearby the memorial, these signs will guide you to your destination.

In fact, there are two Jewish museums in Paris that I could find. Pressed for time, I had to choose one and opted for the Shoah Museum - a very dark theme to explore in a city known famous for its Light. Dragging along a very hesitant and unwilling companion, we buzzed the museum door and after a quick security check (very Israeli of them, by the way!) could roam free the inner court of the museum.

The outside and inner court of the museum are dominated by walls. There is a wall dedicated for the French people who helped Jews during the times of despair. A wall much bigger, with a lot more names on it, 76.000 to be exact, is a list of all those French Jewish men, women and children who were deported from France.

Names of the just people.

And the deported ones.

Inside, the museum is quite formal (much so, as there is no funky gift shop but just a bookstore). Unlike the other Jewish museums I have visited, this one stays in the subject and really, true to its name, concentrates on the Shoah. There are countless original photographs, posters, private letters to tell the story we all are familiar with. Yet, every time I am left speechless by it. And this time embarrassed, too, as Finland is marked in the maps on the same level as Hungary, Romania and other allies of Germany.

Antisemitism isn't anything new. It started already in 597 B.C.

Nazi-German propaganda on racial features, here children used as examples.

All railroads of Europe lead to Auschwitz back then....

Yellow stars were produced in France, too. The Dutch wrote "Jood", here in French "Juif".

A map of European countries during the war. Finland listed as scum with the rest of them.

Clothes of a survivor.

Mémorial de la Shoah is Europe's biggest information center on the subject and since there is no entrance free, a visit there should not take much effort if you are in Paris.  The museum is consequently located in the Jewish area of Paris known as Marais, but I will write more about that in another post...

In the memory of all those who were lost.

Thou shall not always expect the worst

I think last Sunday I experienced a brief moment where I noticed how I have lost my innocence - towards Israel. At breakfast table, I was glancing through a Finnish newspaper and noticed in the travel section an article on Eilat with a huge headline exclaiming:

Two weeks, one moment of fear

F**k, I thought to myself. Whereas I try to advocate the positive sides and attributes that Israel has, this woman goes and ruins the reputation of a nice country by writing some article on her terror moments when vacationing in Eilat for two weeks with her husband and three kids. What had happened to them? What went wrong? I almost didn't want to keep reading, as I myself had a very pleasant vacation in Eilat as I wrote earlier. At minimum, I was expecting rockets, suicide bombs, inappropriate treatment at the airport and what not.

So what frightened this family while in Eilat? [Insert drum roll].... They were on the beach one day. The youngest child of the family skipped the parents' watchful eye for a nanosecond and crawled to the other tourist family next to them. This was it. Sure, every parent's worst nightmare is to not to know for a brief moment where your child is, but to title a newspaper article - on Israel - after it... Do you find it provoking?

For the record, the family had a great time in Eilat and enjoyed their visit a lot - except they were disappointed with the Biblical theme park called King's City.

Eilat, Eilat

Eila is a Finnish female name. That's why the Israeli town ”Eilat” sounds like two Eilas in our language. So, what about visiting these two lovely ladies – if you get my joke? :)

It all started with my cousin actually. It was a painfully long Finnish winter. Dark, cold and snowy – the usual stuff. A break in a warm, sunny destination sounded like a great idea. As Spain, Italy or Greece aren't too warm in March/April, we looked for a destination more in the South, but close enough for the trip to be reasonably priced and worth going for one week. Eilat fit our criteria. But, between my work projects and her thesis pains, we weren't able to find a time slot that would fit both of our schedules.

I told my mother about this who then suddenly jumped at the chance: I want to visit Israel! It didn't take long until we booked the holiday in Eilat in January, and my long, dark winter started looking much better as I had something to look forward to in early March. From then on, it was counting the days till we leave.

And finally the 8^th of March came. The charter flight took something between four and five hours, and when landing at Ovda airport my tired, blinded-by-the-winter-darkness eyes saw palm trees, desert and the so bright sunlight. It was like landing in a bliss of my own making, guarded by an armed man when stepping out of the airplane.

The formalities entering Israel did take a while. The border control people were very keen on our holiday plans, and probably found it interesting that we had different last names – yet were family. Never mind, after the 24 questions we were greeted by smiling Israeli men at the airport, welcoming us to the country.

There was an hour drive from the airport to the town of Eilat, and the scenery was nothing but desert on the way. Those kibbutzim build in the area seemed like an utmost miracle, how anyone could cultivate anything in this dry land. The tall palm trees standing in orderly rows in the desert, pushing out delicious dates for us to enjoy, reminded me of persistent soldiers – standing there straight, diligently, and loyally persisting the heat and sun.

We stayed at Hotel Astral Coral which definitely was worth its price tag. It was centrally located, and the proximity to the Eilat Airport (located right downtown) did not bother us at all. When arriving at the hotel, the reception desk was congested with Israeli tourists all shouting and yelling very loud, and the hotel poor staff trying to meet their demands. Typical Mediterranean mess where no one seemed to get nowhere. It looked like it might take a while until we get a room, so I dug out my Greek attitude and elbowed my way rudely through the masses of these loud, short, dark-haired pensioners and handed over my passport to get a room. It paid off, as the guy at the reception gave us a very, very spacious room with a view to the pool. Toda!

Just looooved waking up to this every morning!

The first thing we did was to head for some food. And something local, please. We headed for a street side restaurant serving falafels, Jerusalem mix, shwarma and my personal favorite – hummus. After the confusion on how to order (sit down and wait, go to the desk, pick it up yourself, what about tipping, how much is this in euros) we got huge plates of fresh stuff in front of us – and couldn't even finish the half of it. Delicious! Then we visited a supermarket to pick up some water, local snacks and dates.

Eilat isn't a very big place, so we decided to check out whatever the tour guide had recommended. Right the next day, we took a taxi to a nearby kibbutz where shabbat buffet dinner was served. Never mind the humble surroundings, the buffet table was something I had never seen before. There were... So. Many. Different. Dishes. Everything fresh, everything local. It does not get any better than this! By the time I had sampled through the delicious salads and veggie stuff, I barely had room for the meat - let alone dessert. Israelis know how to eat, and they do it well! The people enjoying this massive feast were mixed: tourists like us, young teenagers working at the kibbutz and local Jews. They recited their shabbat prayers and blessings without anyone interfering or getting annoyed. Only my mother and I shyly spied on them and wondered what they were saying in Hebrew, as we had never seen or heard something like this in Finland.

Unfortunately I didn't take photos at the kibbutz, but this was just the salad section of the dinner at our hotel. One night, the hotel treated us for the dinner for free. Toda again!

A couple of other things I enjoyed in Eilat was, ehm, the Mall by the Sea. It doesn't take much to please me, but visiting the Gap, Gant, shoe shops etc. keep me happy no matter where I am. When entering the mall, handbags where screened for weapons or bombs - but that's just how things work in Israel. At least you know you're safe inside. Another sight is the local Aquarium and underwater observatory. Getting there by local bus was cheap and relatively easy. It was fun, and the perfect way for us non-divers to see the underwater wonders of the Red Sea without getting our feet wet.

Here you can get familiar with the wonderful fauna and flora of the Red Sea.

A souvenir I picked up at the Aquarium.

There is also a quite nice beach promenade in Eilat, packed with little shops selling souvenirs and whatnot. I stocked up on affordable but good Dead Sea cosmetics as they were a steal at €2/tube or jar. A special offer at the sunglass hut prompted my mother and I to buy sunglasses: Marc Jacobs for her, Dior pour moi. My vacation also included a day trip to Petra in Jordan (be prepared for some border control formalities) and a day visit to Jerusalem.

A holiday in Eilat offers two birds with one stone: catch the ancient city of Petra in Jordan while you're in Israel.

Eilat is a nice destination for a vacation, if you're looking for a quiet place to spend a relaxing week at. Compared to the other Mediterranean countries, here you won't be bothered by pushy (door)men at restaurants, nightclubs or souvenir shop but may stroll around in peace. I saw only one stray cat during my visit, and no one got food poisoning (hooray kosher?:). For beginners, it might take some time getting used to armed soldiers, kosher hotels (e.g. automated elevators and coffee machines on shabbat, no meat at breakfast) and Israel is not a country of low prices compared to Finland - price levels are more or less the same except for the cheap cosmetics and falafel joints. I would go to Eilat again, and then seize the opportunity to swim with the dolphins and buy the Mulberry Alexa bag tax free at the Helsinki Airport upon departure!

I just wanted to grab a small bite. Not chicken wraps the size of my arms and a whole loaf of bread...!

HEL-TLV-HEL!

Yes! Our ah-so-Finnish airline Finnair has announced that Tel Aviv will be a new summer destination in the airline's schedule. Starting early June, you Finns or you Israelis who are reading this have the possibility to fly directly from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to Ben Gurion - or vice versa. There are flights on Mondays and Fridays. Hope the one on Friday leaves Israel before sunset!

But trust me, this Finnair route is a very convenient one, compared to the uncomfortable journeys I have made (one via Riga, one via Warsaw, one via Kiev...) with crazy early wake-ups and long transits.

There is no Helsinki post on my blog, but you can read what I think about Tel Aviv here. The latest nickname I heard for the city is "The Miami of Europe". Not too far fetched, I'd say. :)

Picture courtesy of goisrael.about.com

 Source for the flight news in Finnish.

JHM

Nestled in the center of the beautiful city by or rather among water, namely Amsterdam, you can find the local Jewish Cultural Quarters. The Quarters consist of the Jewish Historical Museum, JHM Children's Museum, the Portuguese Synagogue (see earlier post) and the Hollandsche Schouwburg, a Dutch theater. Nearby, you can also a monument for the Jewish Resistance.

It was a while ago I visit the the Jewish Historical Museum there but somehow I was more taken by the visit in the synagogue, so I never got around to reporting about the museum itself. Until now, of course.

Like many other Jewish museums, this one showcases the basics of the religion, history of the local Jewish culture, WWII events and Judaism in the modern day. Downstairs the museum, you can read all about the religion, its habits and holidays. Spiced up with videos and a portable private audio phone, if you have time, you can learn everything. Since I'm already more or less familiar with the basics, I tried to tune in for information I didn't know. A tidbit like this I found and share with you now: it is common among Jews to engrave ”mazal tov” inside wedding rings.

Moving upstairs, you will learn about how the Jewish community formed in the Netherlands. Sephardi Jewish merchants fled from the Iberian peninsula to the more free-thinking Northern Europe, and due to their language and business skills were a welcome addition to the already trade & shipping driven Holland in the 1600s. The Ashkenazim Jews from Germany and Poland were less-welcomed, as they usually came from more humble conditions.

The last room upstairs concentrates on 1900s-2000s, what happened to the Dutch Jews under the German rule and how the Jewish culture is nowadays live and well in the Netherlands.

The infamous yellow star badges, mass-produced in Dutch language.

Note in the middle in red text Maoz. A nice falafel place in Amsterdam (but not nearly as good as Fafa's!).

The museum ends in, this material girl's favorite, a gift shop of course! I didn't leave empty-handed this time but picked up a dreidel for myself (which turned out to be much fun), an Einstein energy bar for the diligent student (still not eaten – check the expiry date!), some Hebrew postcards (to learn words) and a Jerusalem card game for my cousin (turned out to be too advanced even for the likes of her).

A lamb cuddled up in the hug of a lion can only mean one thing: shalom - peace!

With the same entrance fee (€12), you may visit all the sights in the Jewish Quarter. For those interested, the shiksa recommends! Wonder how the kids' section is, though?

Meet me at the synagogue

A couple of weeks ago I visited inside a synagogue for the first time. Even though I have seen a couple of them in Israel (peeked inside one of them) and walked by the one in Helsinki, I never had actually been inside any synagogue before.

The name synagogue comes from the Greek word  "sinagogi" which means to get together or assemble. Compared to Christian churches, synagogues often are quite modest or normal-looking buildings and do not necessarily feature any religious symbols on the outside. No bell towers, high rooftops, crosses (or in this case Star of David) are necessarily visible. But the synagogue is full of interesting little details, if you know where and what to look!

The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam dates back to 1675 and was built for the Sephardi Jews who migrated to the North from Spain and Portugal because of the inquisitions. It is actually the center of a bigger complex: the synagogue is surrounded by buildings (that include e.g. a library, treasure chambers, a gift shop:) and forms an inner court together with them.

There was no service - or no one else inside for that matter when I entered the synagogue. The inside is quite modest with wooden floors and benches, but there are beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. No wonder that thousands of candles are burnt here every year. The candles weren't lit this time, but one of the chandeliers has ner tamid (the eternal flame) burning - just like in the Temple of Jerusalem back in the day.

Women's balcony on the left, supported by the columns. Eternal flame is burning opposite the Herchal (the Ark in the back wall).

As any Orthodox Jewish synagogue, there is a separate seating section (up on the balconies) for women with own entrance. One of the Ionic columns supporting the balconies is slightly fractured - a deliberate imperfection that is placed in all synagogues in the memory of the destruction of the Temple. The separate seating arrangement for the different sexes is somewhat unfamiliar to me - but I have once seen a similar setup in a Christian church, too.

Ladies only!

The buildings around the synagogue include many interesting places, and some of them are protected by the Dutch law as they are considered the country's heritage. Like for instance, the treasure chambers...

The collection also includes valuable cloths and fabrics in addition to these beautiful silver objects.

And for the first time, I saw in real life a mikveh (or more familiarly in English known as a bath) that is used for ritual cleansing in Judaism. For converts, it also resembles the final stage of the conversion process when the person walks in the water and immerses, re-born, as a Jew.

The Portuguese Synagogue forms an interesting historic, Jewish cultural sight in Amsterdam. Not only is it possible to visit the synagogue itself, the surrounding lower buildings add a little extra to the experience. I have not listed everything here, so go have a closer look yourself if you have the chance and see all the things this complex has to offer...

A museum visit in Denmark

Last weekend I had scheduled to attend a party in Copenhagen, Denmark. As the invitation was +1, we together with my significant other immidiately started planning a meet-me-half-way weekend in this Scandinavian capital. Well, these plans went to hell eventually but I did my best to include something Jewish on my agenda anyway.

Honestly, I wasn't aware of Copenhagen hosting a Jewish museum. It was by accident that I noticed it on the map when looking for the Danish Architecture Center. I've been to Copenhagen several times, especially to that area where the museum is, and I can't believe it's been there all the time right under my nose! Now it was time to visit it, but I was worried it would be closed as it was sabbath. Luckily, the doors opened at noon anyway.

Entrance to the museum is from the heavy, metal door in the back.

I was there early, and not the only one swarming around, waiting for the place to open. The entrance fee was 50DKK and you had to leave any bags bigger than A4 at the entrance. Unfortunately, it was not allowed to take photos inside the museum - but you can see some pictures at their website.

The museum presented the somewhat 400 year history of Jews in Denmark. The exhibition is divided into five different parts. First one of them being Arrivals, showing how Jews to Denmark came from various countries with very different backgrounds. The second part was Standpoints - how the only common ground for these people was in fact the religion but apart from that diversity was immense among the Danish Jews. The third part, Mitzvah, presented the story of those Danish Jews who were sent to Theresienstadt - and those who made it safely to Sweden. Traditions presented typical objects and items used in Jewish holidays while Promised Lands looks into how Denmark has become their final destination, their home.

I had a quick chat with the museum staff who were Danish students. They both had started working there this summer and said it had been busy over the past few months. Most visitors, however, are from the American cruise ships that stop for a day in Copenhagen - locals rarely find their way to the museum. Inspite of being non-Jewish themselves, both students seemed excited to work there as it somehow related to their studies.

One of the best untapped resources for shopping in almost any city is, in my opinion, museum gift shops. The shop at the Danish Jewish Museum was no exception and I didn't leave empty handed...

Supporting material for my up-coming studies - in form of a canvas shopping bag.

This duck has found its true calling.

And the gift shop's hit product: white, Magen David shaped candle holders. Here mixed with my Finnish Iittala ones.