Evolution of Jewish Travel

Jews for thousands of years were forced to wander. Now, out of choice, we travel frequently to places near by (from New York to Chicago) and places far out (from New York to Austalia).

As Joshua Cohen wrote in his article in the Forward:

Not many Yiddish authors ever mentioned it, but the Tefilat Haderech — usually translated as "The Wayfarer's Prayer," better "The Prayer for Those on the Way" — is an interesting piece of literature. It's a prayer said as a safeguard for a journey, for travel. What's interesting about the prayer is that it's wholly in the plural, even if an individual is reciting it only for himself. The idea, expounded in the Talmud, is that a single Jew speaks for all Jews, and all Jews are travelers, wanderers...

But in our day, in the Jewish-American end of History, wandering has been reduced to tourism. The Wayfarer has given way to the Two-Week Eastern European Web-Booked Family Package Deal and the western edge of the East is dotted with Potemkin villages for tourists.

But not only do Jews travel far but Jews now travel via all forms of transportations. Jews drive cars. Jews ride on buses. Jews travel by train. Jews travel by plane. And now a days Jews also travel by boat. But not like we travelled on to escape Europe, sleeping on the decks below while eating the only the food we had in our sacks. Rather, today we Jews travel on 5-star kosher cruises, while sleeping in penthouse cabins and eating the finest of kosher gourmet food, cooked fresh daily.
Now thats evolution!

Costa to unveil new ship in July 2006: Costa Concordia

Estimated Inaugural: July 14, 2006 Status: At finishing dock

Name: Costa Concordia

Size: GRT: 112,000 Capacity: 3,004 lower berths - 3,800 total

Builder: Fincantieri - Sestri, Italy

This will become Costa's largest ship. The hull will be built on a progression of the Carnival Conquest platform with the interior being unique to Costa. It will have four pool, two of which will have a retractable roof. Costa says it is designed for year-round cruising in the Mediterranean.

Look forward to Kosher Cruises on the new ship

Kosher Cruises Summer 2006

Yes, there are kosher cruises available in the summer of 2006. The summer is a great time to travel because you will be able to benefit from the warmth of the sun.
An example of the Summer 2006 Kosher Cruises are two 7-night voyages on the Costa Magica. Sail from Copenhagen to visit Hellesulyt; Geiranger; Bergan; Flam; Kristiansand; Oslo and return to Copenhagen. Departs July 9 and August 20, 2006.

Kosher Cruise to Panama

11-night round trip cruise to Panama. Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA – Jamaica - Columbia - Panama - Costa Rica - Honduras - back to Florida .

Two great things about this cruise are
1) There will be famous chazzanim on board, Moshe Schulhof & Benjamin Warschawsky
2)The food on this kosher cruise is the kind of food you get at a 5-star hotel(and not "TV dinners" like you get on most kosher cruises).