Recent destinations in our travels to Jewish communities around the world...

Last week's destination in our Etz Chayim seventh graders' travels to Jewish communities around the world was VENICE, ITALY, home of the first ghetto.  For more on the topic (or to catch up), check out
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Venice.html
Jewish Ghetto of Venice.
 
We'll be continuing our studies with a discussion of whether there is anything good about living in a ghetto.  Any thoughts on the topic?

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Recently, we also shared an awesome lesson (designed by Jen) on the Jews of Ethiopia, also known as Beta Israel or Falasha.  We featured this lesson about one of the largest communities of non-Rabbinic Jews (Jews who were isolated from the Jewish community from a point in time previous to the destruction of the Second Temple) in order to commemorate their festival of Sigd.  For more details on the Beta Israel and Sigd, check these sites:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ejtoc.html
http://www.iaej.org.il/index.htm
http://www.pbase.com/yalop/sigd
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3562939,00.html

NOVA | Quest for Solomon's Mines

During Thanksgiving break, I watched a terrific episode of NOVA, cosponsored by National Geographic, which showed the latest evidence supporting the existence of Israelite David and Solomon. I totally recommend this episode, available streaming online: NOVA | Quest for Solomon's Mines. On the same page, you can also find links to other Nova resources discussing various aspects of biblical archaeology (including its purpose) and topics related to Ancient Israel, including how NOVA has recreated the First Temple and claims about finding King David's palace.

Actual color photo of Bukharan Jews from a Century Ago

A hundred years ago, a color photo was almost always one that had been hand-tinted (painted). I said "almost always" for a reason. In August, the Boston Globe published an amazing series of actual color photos taken between 1909 and 1912, surveying the Russian Empire. They are truly amazing. Image 16 of the ones published by the Globe shows a rabbi and students in Samarkand, the heart of the Bukharan Jewish community.

A group of Jewish children with a teacher in Samarkand, (in modern Uzbekistan), ca. 1910. Google Map, (Prokudin-Gorskii Collection/LOC) #

To see the rest of the photos, click here:
Russia in color, a century ago - The Big Picture - Boston.com

To learn more about the Uzbek, or Bukharan Jews, see: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Bukharan_Jews.html.

Thanks to Jodi Paley for bringing these amazing photos to my attention!

The Jewish Traveler: Rome - Hadassah Magazine | HadassahMagazine.org

Hadassah Magazine is consistently one of the best Jewish periodicals around. My favorite ongoing feature is The Jewish Traveler. Every month, Hadassah profiles the Jewish community of a city in North America or an international destination. Not only does it inspire dreams of travel, but it also describes the history and culture of the Jews in that area. The Jewish Traveler: Rome - Hadassah Magazine | HadassahMagazine.org

Defining the Borders of the Land of Israel

Land of Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This Wikipedia article has great images of the various ways in which the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible) outlined the Land of Israel and its borders. The maps include the definition from God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 15, the books of Numbers, and Ezekiel. There is also an image of different Biblical explanations of the extent of King David's empire.

Map showing one interpretation of the borders of the Promised Land, based on God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 15).