Will we finally be visa-free?

By Noga Gur-Arieh
Published on February 6, 2013

Report: Communities Must Do More to Attract Birthright Alums

Published on March 23, 2009

Nearly 160,000 young Jews from North America have taken part in Taglit-Birthright Israel, a 10-day free Israel trip aimed at revving up their Jewish identities.

Analysis: Mumbai attacks mean new challenges for Israel

By Leslie Susser
Published on December 4, 2008

The attacks on 10 sites in the Indian city, which killed nearly 200 people, could lead to a shift in the way Israel views global terrorism and the way to combat it.

Nation & World Briefs

Published on August 4, 2005

The successor to the late Saudi King Fahd has previously proposed a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Melrose: Avenue of the Stars of David

By Gaby Wenig
Published on August 12, 2004

The street was made famous by the TV show "Melrose Place," and for years, scores of tourists have trawled Melrose Avenue every day, hoping that some Los Angeles stardust will rub off on them.

Dining With Tolerance in Krakow

By David Wallis
Published on February 19, 2004

Soon after Alef Jewish Restaurant opened for business in Krakow's Jewish quarter more than a decade ago, a gaggle of Polish schoolgirls wandered in during their lunch break. The anxious students asked the restaurant's co-owner, Janusz Benigier, whether they served non-Jews.

Tourist Trap

By Rabbi Ron Shulman
Published on June 26, 2003

Summer is often a season of travel and vacation. Whether travel is a part of our plans for this summer, most of us have had the experience of being a tourist.

Jewish History Draws in Bratislava

By Curt Leviant
Published on January 9, 2003

Once we declared here that we would visit Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, we expected people to say, "How quaint! How interesting! What an unusual place to visit." Instead, we invariably heard, "Why Bratislava?" And in Prague, when we announced our next stop, the reaction was, "Why do you want to go there?" Amazingly, even in beautiful Bratislava itself, residents asked in wonder and bemusement, with no hint of being impolite: "Why would you want to come here?"

Folks in Bratislava are not used to tourists. It is not, as they say in the travel trade, a "destination." No tourist buses crowd the streets like in Prague. No Israelis swarm here. And even if tourists come, we were told, they are ultra-Orthodox Jewish tourists visiting Budapest who take a taxi to Bratislava for a quick visit to the tomb of the revered early 19th century sage Rabbi Moshe Sofer (the Chatam Sofer), and then scoot back to Budapest without so much as a backward glance.

A Reason to Party

By Eric Silver
Published on August 8, 2002

After Osama bin Laden demolished the World Trade Center, then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani made a point of dining out in Manhattan.

Closed for the Duration

By Larry Derfner
Published on November 1, 2001

Whenever there's a wave of terror in Israel, the nation's hotels come up against a wave of cancellations, and the country's entire tourist industry -- from five-star hotels to souvenir hawkers -- goes into a slump. But in a few months the terror and fear subside, and the tourists come back.