Temple Travels on Zoom!

Thursday, October 21, 2021 | 12:00 PM
We will stroll with our tour guide, Borcsa Lakos, through the historical Jewish Quarter of Budapest, and gain some insight into the 1000-year history of Hungarian Jewry. During the 60-minute Zoom tour, Borcsa will show us the birthplace of Theodor Herzl, the main synagogues of this neighbourhood
(including the largest one in Europe), the Jewish Museum, the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park and the famous Emmanuel Memorial Tree. While walking through the former Jewish ghetto of Budapest and learning about the local Jewish community and its different branches and congregations, our guide will take us off the beaten path and show us some hidden gems of the Jewish Quarter. Borcsa has a deep knowledge of Hungarian
Jewish history and cannot wait to share all of it with us. We will discover the past and the present of the Jewish Quarter of Budapest together.

Borcsa Lakos
Borcsa was born and raised in Budapest. She holds a B.Sc. in tourism management and has been working as a tourist guide in Budapest for the past seven years. In 2013, she completed the one-year program of Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Stockholm. Currently, she is working towards an M.A. in History of Jewish Culture at the University of Jewish Studies and Theological Seminary of Budapest.

Thursday, November 18, 2021 | 12:00 PM
We will walk with Rabbi Haim through the narrow streets of the old Jewish quarter of Córdoba and the old city. We will visit the medieval Synagogue and stop by the statue of Maimonides, the Royal Alcazar and the ancient Great Mosque (today Cathedral) of Córdoba. The Jewish quarter of Córdoba is one of the best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters in all of Europe. Home of great thinkers and unsurpassed beauty, its streets and houses keep secrets that fascinate both locals and visitors. The medieval synagogue is the only one preserved in Andalusia. Discover the fascinating history of this neighborhood, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the life and work of its most famous inhabitants such as the great thinker Maimonides. Córdoba, founded by Rome, became western Europe’s most populous city in the 10th century. It was a crucible of cultures, and witness to the greatest cultural splendor of Judaism and medieval Islam. Its labyrinthine streets whisper the history of coexistence between Jews, Christians and Muslims. Although that coexistence was never easy, it nevertheless offers a powerful example of how cultural diversity can enrich a society.

Rabbi Haim Casas
Rabbi Casas was born in the beautiful city of Córdoba, the city of Maimonides. Casas was ordained at London’s Leo Baeck College in 2017. Since his ordination, he has served communities in Switzerland, France and Spain, always guided by three principles: openness, humility, and joy. Rabbi Haim Casas is the promoter of “La Sinagoga Abierta” (The Open Synagogue).

Thursday, December 16, 2021 | 12:00 PM
The Spanish Island of Majorca is known for its beach resorts, limestone mountains, and being home to tennis celebrity Rafa Nadal. But Majorca holds a secret never discussed in most travel guides. During the Inquisition, the Crypto-Jews or Chuetas publicly professed Catholicism while privately adhering to Judaism. Still, hundreds of Jews were murdered and only 15 families survived. Join guide Dani Rotstein on a special virtual tour of Majorca’s history and its lessons for all Jews today.

Dani Rotstein
Dani moved from New Jersey to the island of Majorca, Spain, in 2014. There, he learned of the taboo history of the Conversos or Chuetas of the island. In 2018, he founded Limud Mallorca and has run over 50 successful events promoting diversity and inclusion in the small, yet growing, Jewish community of Majorca.