Joy Katzen-Guthrie's Heritage Tours of China
Six remarkable visits to China since June 2000 have taken me through many of China's beautiful and historic regions. How can I describe the magnificence and exhilaration of my visits to Beijing, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Yichang, Qingdao, Qufu, Ta'an and Tai-Shan, Shaolin, the Three Gorges, Xi'an, Guilin, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai? Best by saying it was a privilege for me to share these journeys with you as tour creator and Scholar-In-Residence. Scroll down for information on tours planned for 2009 and 2010 and special announcements.
Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 08:47:18 -0400 • Dear Joy, I often think about the wonderful time I had on our trip to China. Our guides were excellent. Fine hotels and great Chinese food. Fun shows, too. Thanks to everyone for a beautifully planned trip - even the weather cooperated. I feel so fortunate for this great experience. (I was especially fascinated by Shanghai, its history, architecture and ambience.) Thanks again. Sincerely, Roz Sedlezky, Sarasota
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:17:15 EDT • I had a wonderful time and I am thrilled that I actually went and that I did it with you and your arrangements. I have beautiful memories of all the places we went to and of the guides and your singing on the way to Kehillat Beijing and of the delicious oily vegetables, etc. My cholesterol levels dropped, probably from little meat and more walking, and my other blood tests came out perfect, I'm sure, due to the trip. My photos are fun to watch and I'm still unsure of all the labels I should be putting on, but each and every day was delightful and full of discoveries. You are an inspiration that we should pursue our curiosities and learn all we can of a foreign culture. Thanks so much for everything. Welcome home and have a peaceful, happy pesach. Fondly, Linda Borsykowsky, New York
Australia/New Zealand Heritage Tours ... From Joy Katzen-Guthrie
For centuries, Jewish life has thrived Down Under, in lands that are among the most remote in the world. A small group of Jews was among the first Westerners to arrive in Australia. Maintaining tradition and Jewish identity was essential for those who chose to live in this part of the world. After World War II, Australia would become a refuge for thousands of Holocaust survivors. Today, Australia and New Zealand are home to an unprecendented number of synagogues, Jewish schools, and cultural and religious organizations. I am thrilled to announce my Jewish Heritage Tour of Australia/New Zealand for November 2009.
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Sydney's Great Synagogue
Photo courtesy of amyisrael![]()
Photo ©Sydney's Great Synagogue
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Rimona Kedem Window
Photo ©Melbourne Hebrew CongregationIn Auckland, the Auckland Hebrew Congregation and Congregation Beth Shalom serve the Jewish community. The historic former Princes St. Synagogue is fully restored and furnished. Melbourne's first formal synagogue, founded in 1848, the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, completed in 1930, with its Corinthian pillars, copper dome, bimah carved from Tasmanian blackwood (possibly the finest example of timber work in Australia) and its stained glass windows created by the Israeli artist, Rimona Kedem, seats more than 1300. The graceful domed St. Kilda Hebrew Congregation, founded 1872, is Melbourne's traditional Orthodox Congregation. Melbourne's Jewish Museum of Australia displays Jewish culture, history and religious practice. The Museum is a national institution dedicated to the conservation, preservation and exhibition of Jewish heritage, arts, custom and religious practice in all its diversity. In particular it illustrates the Australian Jewish experience. Through its exhibitions it tells of the common experience of migration, displacement and the challenge of adaptation to a new land. The Great Synagogue, is one of Sydney's most opulent and historic heritage buildings. The Synagogue has stood on its present site for well over a hundred and twenty years. The Sydney Jewish Museum, with its exhibits of Holocaust and Australian Jewish History, is dedicated to documenting and teaching the history of the Holocaust. Housed in the historic Maccabean Hall, the museum is a testimony to the fortitude and endurance of the human spirit.
These congregations, which our group will visit in addition to a magnificent itinerary of local historical, indigenous, and nature sites, are only a sprinkling of the many congregations and Jewish organizations that serve the diverse Jewish communities of Australia and New Zealand. Peruse this site to see more examples of the unity, commitment, and strength of the Jews Down Under. Visit the Australia Jewish Links section for a much more detailed listing of the Jewish communities of Australia and New Zealand. And join me in New Zealand and Australia this November for a one-of-a-kind experience Down Under. ~Joy
Travel Harmony & Joy Katzen-Guthrie Present
CHAI AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND SHOMER SHABBAT TOUR
An Exhilarating Discovery of Indigenous and Jewish Experience Down Under
First-Class Touring of Auckland • Rotorua • Melbourne • Philip Island • Dandenong Ranges • Blue Mountains • Sydney
November 4-22, 2009 (18 Days/17 Nights in Australia/New Zealand, plus Guided Round-Trip Air from Los Angeles)
A SMALL GROUP TOUR with Maximum 25 Travellers / Minimum of ten travelers to proceedThis tour is joined by and includes presentations by Tour Scholar-in-Residence Joy Katzen-Guthrie
and Jewish scholars and specialized guides in every city
Our tour is in arrangement with Travel Harmony, specialists in Australia/New Zealand travel
CLICK TO VIEW HIGHLIGHTS of this Magnificent Itinerary
NOTE: Space subject to availability / Initial deposit to hold the space must be received by June 15, 2009
Please click to contact Francine at Travel Harmony today if you are interested!
AND KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ...


