Why You Should Take A Kosher Cruise

You surely have met someone who had unforgettable Jewish trips abroad, and you’re looking for a way to top that. Well, you are on the right link. Your Jewish kosher journey is going to be more memorable when you take a Glatt Kosher Tour with Kosher River Cruises. Why are we some optimistic and sure about that? Here are some things that you can do while voyaging on a floating luxury hotel.

Enjoy

There are various ways to enjoy your time while attending a Glatt Kosher Tour on a river cruise:

• Get enchanted by the scenic landmarks and historical sites in your chosen destination such as the iconic Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Eiffel Tower in Paris, and Carpentras Synagogue in Provence.
• Get physical on walking and hiking treks along the magnificent Douro Valley or vineyards around Rouen.
• Get educated through fun guided tours in nostalgic Jewish sites in France, Portugal, and Spain.
• All of these can be done on a single trip via river cruise, as long as you choose the best one.

Relax

While you are on board on a luxury river cruise provided by your chosen cruise operator like Kosherica or Kosher River Cruises, you will surely feel the relaxation that you expect and deserve.

• Breathe fresher rural air while looking at the lush and verdant views of Provence.
• Meditate through the romantic river of Mekong while eating the best Glatt kosher food prepared by a team of expert chefs that follow the highest standards of kashrut.
• Start a healthy physical schedule with the cruise’s complete and up-to-date physical fitness equipment.
• Get entertained with good music provided by acclaimed artists that will grace the cruise’s stage while sipping the best wines.

Connect

Build connections and create new friendships with your fellow Jews while you are onboard or during an interactive guided tour. Being able to talk and share with your people enables you to understand Jewish life and struggles all over the world.

Take a trip to Douro, Rhone, Seine, Mekong, or Danube with Kosher River Cruises. We offer an all-inclusive trip through a floating-five star hotel. Check our website and book a cabin today. See you there!

Tips for First Time Southeast Asia Cruisers

Finally decided to experience your first Jewish trip on a cruise exploring the fascinating waterways of Southeast Asia? You’ve made a fantastic choice. Whether you’re all packed and set to go or are yet to book your reservation, it pays to prep yourself with handy tips to help you make the most out of your first kosher cruising experience!

Here are some great pointers for a great trip:

Write Down a List of the Sites You Want to Prioritize

Southeast Asia is packed full of exciting heritage sites and natural wonders. As early as now, expect yourself to get overwhelmed with where to go and what to check out first! If you’ve got some particular spots along your tour itinerary that you really don’t plan on missing out, make sure you’ve got them listed down. This way, you get to maintain a clear head despite the rush of the moment (and the crowds) that you’re bound to experience once you’re there.

Arrive at and Leave Your Departure City/town at Least a Day Before the Cruise

If there’s anything that can potentially spoil your relaxing cruise experience, it’s having to rush from the airport to the dock before embarking on your cruise as well as having to rush your farewells with your new cruise friends to make your flight home. This is why it’s generally recommended that you allot at least one day between your flight and the cruise departure/return.

Carry All Your Essentials in a Fuss-free Bag

Coming from the other side of the world, the climate of Southeast Asia will most likely be new to you, and it might take some time and some extra measures for you to fully adjust to it. That said, it’s a good idea to carry certain travel essentials with you at all times, such as mosquito repellent, sunglasses, sunblock, and a large bottle of water to keep you hydrated as much as possible. It’s also a great idea for you to wear a nice comfy hat that’s both Instagrammable and able to protect you from UV rays.

Make Friends and Just Relax

Most important of all, don’t forget to take this opportunity to get to know your fellow cruisemates! And when hanging out with your new friends, feel free to forget your inhibitions and simply relax. You can even further savor the moment by snapping pictures with your travel buddies.

Can’t wait for your kosher cruise in Southeast Asia? Time to start preparing! Next thing you know, you’ll be enjoying the balmy breezes and sunning yourself on the deck with your fellow cruisers. Just remember to stay hydrated and to have fun!

What You Should Check Out When Choosing A Kosher Cruise

We know that you’ve been constantly getting emails from kosher cruise companies every day. We also know that for your vacation, you are thinking about going on a life-changing Jewish journey this year. If you want to take a vacation through a cruise, you need to know how to choose your kosher trip provider, especially if it is your first time.

If you do not have any ideas about which features of the cruise you should be checking out, let us help you with that. 

The Food

What should you expect when attending a kosher cruise? The highest standards of kashrut, because you deserve the best! When searching for your kosher cruise provider check the products that their chefs will be using. At Kosher River Cruises, for example, all meat products are Shechita Bet Yosef, all dairy is Cholov Yisroel, and all breads and cakes are Pas Yisroel. In addition, all these products are under the highest level of rabbinical supervision.

For your Jewish escapade, your food should not just only follow kashrut standards - it must taste exceptional too. Choose a Glatt kosher cruise with Master kosher chefs on the lead, in that case. Kosher River Cruise’s fabulous cooking team is led by Master Kosher Chef Malcolm Green. This is guaranteed luxury and high-quality kosher cuisine.

The Services and Facilities

We attend cruises for its luxury services and facilities, so don’t settle for less! Checking your prospect cruise provider’s reviews on various review sites, you can check out their website for photo and video tours, testimonials, and about pages.

If you want some tips on which kosher cruise company to choose for your vacay, you will surely love Kosher River Cruises, Why? Its team is made of highest-quality guides, educators, rabbinic and cruise directors. To add, excursions, amenities, activities, drinks, and the Internet are all in what you paid for before getting onboard. Also, the ship you’ll be riding on is literally a FLOATING FIVE-STAR HOTEL!

Kosher River Cruises is onboard to take journeys on Vietnam and Cambodia, Normandy, and Portugal and Spain this year. Book a cabin with us! Let’s unfold memories you will treasure forever.

A Slice of Jewish Legacy in Asia

Vacations are a great way to experience the world outside one’s little sphere of familiarity. From road trips to kosher cruises, Jewish travel is an opportunity to explore the engaging and wondrous travel destinations around the world, from Europe to Asia. Jewish legacy, in particular, is something worth exploring when visiting different countries. Chabad has made an effort to establish comfortable spaces for Jews in different cities around the world, in countries that may have little to no Jewish presence otherwise. However, Jewish legacy is more widespread than one could possibly imagine, with splinters of heritage buried deep within the various cultures that welcomed, tolerated or antagonized the Jewish migrants of antiquity. Here is one of them.

Jews of Kaifeng, China

Photo Credit: visitourchina.com/kaifeng/intro.html

Even in a land so far from Israel can Jewish heritage be found. The Silk Road that connected Asia, Africa, and Europe allowed Jewish traders from Persia and elsewhere to visit and trade with China. The most well-documented Jewish community in the country’s history was the one in Kaifeng, a northern city that was once the capital of the Song Dynasty.

The Jews of Kaifeng prospered, gaining prestige and influence through commerce. This sliver of Jewish heritage in Asia even built a synagogue in Kaifeng, which, with the grace of the Yuan Dynasty, was renovated 100 years later.

In Shanghai 

Shanghai, China

Sadly, with the city’s devastation of the 1642 Yellow River Flood (caused by the Ming army in a bid to counter the rebel leader Li Zicheng), the Jewish heritage of Kaifeng was struck with a terrible blow, and since then, Judaism began to decline in China. As the next few dynasties showed lessening tolerance to the Jews, the various communities in other parts of China began to disappear, integrating to the point that they lost their cultural identity. The community in Kaifeng was stronger than most, had to sell their Torahs to survive. However, around the 19th Century, the fortunes of Jews in China began to improve when Sephardic Jews arrived in the country, revitalizing business and improving the lives of Jewish refugees from Russia and elsewhere in Europe. The Japanese occupation dampened this progress to a significant degree, but after the Second World War, things got better as the community in Kaifeng began to reconnect to its Jewish roots. Sadly, the quashing of non-approved religions by the Chinese government in the 21st Century is threatening to erase this Asian Jewish legacy once again. 

Conclusion

In a time when the world seems so small, repetitive and interconnected, international travel is a reminder that there are so many more things to see and experience. Sometimes, going on  Jewish trips lets you discover hidden and faraway heritages, legacies that might disappear when no one is allowed to remember them anymore.