Ben Harris, JTA’s Wandering Jew, is exactly like wandering Jews of centuries past: He carries his belongings, and searches for Jewish communities the world over. But instead using the stars for navigation, Harris has Google Maps. Since last August, Harris, 33, has been on the road almost continuously, visiting Jewish communities as close as Helena, Ark., and as far away as Eastern Europe. Along the way, he has reported, blogged, tweeted and filmed his travels and experiences with all types of Jews. Harris’s next trip will take him — like many wandering Jews before — to Israel. The Forward caught up with Harris on one of his few travel breaks, in Vermont.
1 How do you choose where you’re going?
The Israel trip is a result of a vote; it was the winner of a contest we had online. The winner was Kibbutz Hanaton in the Galilee. There’s some interesting Jewish pluralism going on there. Generally, the M.O. has been [this]: We wanted to do some reporting from [certain areas], so within that it was kind of up to me to figure out where the interesting places were.
2 What are the three items you would never think of traveling without?
Excluding a toothbrush and passport, my Mac PowerBook, which is a pretty indispensable tool for writing and researching… and booking hotel rooms in the next city. I don’t know how people traveled before the Internet. My camera, obviously. And the third thing? It’s a little lame, but pretty indispensable — my tripod.
3 Travelers always meet interesting people. Who are some of the most interesting people you have met on your travels?
At Burning Man, I stayed at a Jewish camp, and most of the people who were there were alternative Jewish spiritual types, but there were these two guys who were both Satmar Hasidim from Williamsburg. They spoke in this classic Brooklyn Yiddishe accent in the middle of the Nevada desert. It blew my mind to hear that out there.
In Vienna, we went to a place that serves kosher Vienna wiener schnitzel and we ran into this guy…an Israel-American businessman who happened to be internationally ranked as an arm wrestler. Of course, we had to challenge him. My friend Martin lost, clearly.
4 What was the most interesting Jewish experience on the trip?
In between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur I was in Zacatecas, this tiny mountain town in Central Mexico. Guadalajara is the closest Jewish community to there, but like many places, you can’t just show up for Kol Nidre, not know anyone and expect that you’re going to get in…. Someone needs to vouch for you. We kept trying to reach the right people, but it wasn’t happening. Out of the blue, I get a Twitter message from a guy asking if I’m coming to Guadalajara…. As it happens, he is the rabbi of the Conservative synagogue there. He was very nice, and he invited us, and we had the pre-Yom Kippur meal with him and his wife, so that was really cool.
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How interesting, both for Ben and his readers, if in his upcoming trip he were to spend some time wandering with Jews such as Dr. Jeff Halper [Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions]: www.icahd.org/ or Hannah Mermelstein [Birthright Unplugged]: www.birthrightunplugged.org/ or Neve Gordon [Ta'ayush]: www.taayush.org/
Michael--Why should he want to meet 3 fringe leftists who are anti-zionists and are completely ignored in Israel? Aren't there enough self-hating Jews in the US?
"Now wait, who’s censored??" by Philip Weiss, 1/3/10. [ http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/now-wait-whos-censored.html#more-13179 ] [Excerpt] " . . . [There is a] dramatic struggle that is taking place for the soul of Israeli society after 42 years of occupation. The American media have largely closed their eyes to this wrenching division in Israeli life–and, on a parochial note, deprived American Jews of any awareness of, let alone sustenance for, the reemergence of a non-Zionist tradition in Jewish communities. On this subject as on many others involving the Israel/Palestine conflict, Arabs are better informed than we are." http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/now-wait-whos-censored.html#more-13179
A report by Michael Ratner (human rights attorney and the President of the Center for Constitutional Rights) of his tour of East Jerusalem -- today (Jan 3, 2010) -- with Jeff Halper. [Excerpt] "Today we came away stunned, shocked and almost numb from our trip to East Jerusalem with Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. . . . nothing and I mean nothing prepared me for today and our trip through East Jerusalem and to Ma’ale Adumim, a city a few kilometers away. It was not the Palestinians we met, although each had heart breaking stories. Rather it was our seeing first hand the deliberateness of the Israeli annexation project and its seeming inevitability. If you want to be made almost speechless stand at the edge of East Jerusalem and look out at a vast construction project on someone else’s land. Look out at the commission of a monstrous crime, open and notorious. As one of my children asked, “Why have the countries of the world done nothing to stop this?” I said, “It’s worse, the U.S. and others have aided and abetted this crime.” http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/ma%E2%80%99ale-adumim-annexation-and-the-architecture-of-apartheid.html
I've found using the Jewish Travel Guide published in England to be an excellent source for the Jewish traveler. During my 26 years of travel in the Marines this book has led me to Jewish points of interests in every clime and place ....Semper Fi
I'd suggest that the Wandering Jew make his way to Argentina and the Province of Entre Rios where the famed Baron De Hirsch created plans for the settlement of Jews from Eastern Europe and Germany. Many Jews did actually settle there, including some members of my distant family from Germany. Many of the settlements have disappeared, but some may actually still exist, including the one called AVIGDOR. Mournful remnants of former communities remain here and there, and it would be good to know for the World's Jewry what's become of the good Baron's dreams in that remote land. Besides, it might turn out to be one wonderful journey.
Good luck, Herb Rosenbaum
Herb,
Family members of mine left Germany in the early 1900s to settle in that region of Agrentina as well. They went on to establish a large and successful cattle ranch. My parents honeymooned on the ranch in the 1950s. My father (z''l) said it was like the Jewish 'Bonanza.' He thought of moving to the ranch from New York but my mother quickly rejected that idea!
Dave