Fili's World | A different look at Asia, China & Taiwan

Dubrovnik – Synagogue & Jewish Museum

Fili — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:01:00 PDT

I bet you didn’t know that Dubrovnik in Croatia hosts one of the oldest Sefardic synagogues still in use today and generally the second oldest synagogue in Europe. Dating back as far as 1352, the old Jewish synagogue, now turned into a tourist attraction with a local Jewish museum, is still up and running – serving the lively community of about 4 local Jewish families and the occasional Jewish and Israeli tourists that come to visit Dubrovnik.

Wikitravel has the info :

Synagogue and Jewish Museum, Zudioska 5, ☎ +385 20 321-028. 10AM-3PM; Sa-Su: Closed. Built in 1352, the second oldest in Europe after Prague. A permanent Jewish community here was founded at the end of the 15th century following the exodus from Portugal and Spain. The community flourished and included respected doctors, merchants and state representatives. Jews in Dubrovnik enjoyed relative freedom, but there were some restrictions on their activities at certain points in history. The Synagogue is tiny and delightful, with heavy velvet drapes and a richly painted, midnight blue ceiling. The museum contains valuable menorahs and Torah scrolls, alongside information on the history of the Jewish community in Dubrovnik. Entry: 20 kuna.

Wikipedia sets the somewhat dark mood of how Jews lived in Dubrovnik:

After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, many of the expelled went east and some eventually settled into independent city of Dubrovnik, where there was already a small Jewish community. […]

Many Jews became traders and craftsmen, dealing with spices, silks, fabrics, and crafts that were in demand at a seaport city. In 1546, Dubrovnik officials allocated a Jewish settlement within the city, with the main street being called Ulica Zudioska ("Jewish Street) in the Dubrovnik Ghetto.

Jews were still persecuted in the areas around Dubrovnik under Venetian law and attitudes of the local Catholic Church. When Dubrovnik’s economic position and power declined in the mid-18h century, Jews were prohibited from engaging in commerce and confined to the ghetto. When Dalmatia and Dubrovnik were occupied by Napoleon’s forces in 1808, essentially ending Dubrovnik’s centuries of independence, Jews attained legal equality for the first time. However, when the Austrian Empire annexed Dalmatia in 1814, legal equality was again withdrawn. Jews were granted legal equality under Croatian law in the mid-late 19th century.

During World War II, Croatia came under the rule of fascism : Dubrovnik was occupied first by the Italian army, and then by the German army after 8 September 1943. Before the Holocaust, 250 Jews lived in Dubrovnik; many were transferred to the island of Lopud along with other Jews from different parts of Croatia, then in June 1943 they were transferred to the Rab concentration camp with most Jews from Italian-occupied lands. In October 1944 Tito’s partisans entered Dubrovnik, and many Jews were transferred by the partisans to the freed territories; the rest were sent by the Germans to concentration camps. After the war, many of the surviving Dubrovnik Jews settled in Israel. Today, approximately 30 Jews live in Dubrovnik, however, only 17 officially registered in the 2001 census. […]

Today, because of the lack of Jews in Dubrovnik, the synagogue does not have its own rabbi. On holy days, a visiting rabbi would conduct services for the small community.

It’s not big, and you’ll need to look for the signs. If you do set your mind to it, this is what you’re most likely to find.

Not too far away, BTW, is another small token of Israeli presence – a branch of the surprisingly successful Michal Negrin jewelry and fashion stores. It’s not often that you see Israelis creating a new unique sense of fashion, quite distinct and recognizable world-wide, and this is one style to be proud of. Respect.

Shenzhen SEZ 30s Anniversary Firework Display : Huge Disappointment

Fili — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:05:28 PDT

Somebody’s going to pay for this mess, I assure you. Such a big disappointment! With Hu Jin Tao and China’s greatest leaders lining up in Shenzhen to watch the 30th anniversary grand fireworks together with hundreds of thousands of local Chinese, there couldn’t have been a greater fall. The fireworks lasted only a minute before becoming a gigantic cloud of pollution that covered the entire area of Shenzhen, hovering up in the skies with dark gray so that even the follow-up 29 minutes of fireworks couldn’t be seen from anywhere. Instead of 30 minutes of spectacular fireworks, all we experienced was suffocation.

Personally, I was trying to watch the fireworks from Lian Hua Mountain Park (“Lian hua shan gong yuan” 莲花山公元) together with many other locals. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a crowd of thousands of mainlanders go “boooo” before, but I could feel their frustration and disappointment. Not a good way to boost national pride, and a serious loss of face, so I’m guessing somebody will be paying for this fiasco with atleast his job.

If you want more “harmonious” reporting of the fireworks People’s Daily Online has something nicer from the first minutes of the fireworks display with “Brilliant fireworks illuminate night sky of Shenzhen” :

Here’s a bit of what the newspapers had to report about the occasion.

China Daily through Xinhua news agency:

SHENZHEN – Shenzhen, a southern city bordering Hong Kong, marked its 30th anniversary as China’s first economic reform zone Monday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao told a celebratory rally held in Shenzhen Monday morning the central government will always support the country’s special economic zones (SEZ) embarking on "brave exploration" in their roles as "first movers."

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the Shenzhen SEZ has been the scene of miracles in industrialization, urbanization and modernization.

He said the SEZ has made important contributions to the country’s reform and opening-up.

Li Ka-shing, Chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, said in a speech the Shenzhen SEZ was the "driving force" of China’s reform and opening-up.

"Overseas Chinese have been heartened and convinced by the achievements of the country’s reform and opening-up," said Li, Hong Kong’s richest man.

Wang Rong, secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC said Shenzhen will continue to play the role of "first mover" and strive to be at the "vanguard of China’s scientific development." He said Shenzhen is endeavoring to build itself into a "modern and international" metropolis.

The State Council, China’s Cabinet, late last month decreed the southern city "a national economic center" and "a city of global clout" in cultural, economic and technological exchange."

Once a small fishing village, the Shenzhen SEZ has evolved into a metropolis over the past three decades. It is also the birthplace of many high-tech enterprises.

Beijing Review :

It’s been 30 years since Shenzhen was established as a Special Economic Zone in south China’s Guangdong Province. A celebration rally was held on September 6 in Shenzhen where President Hu Jintao delivered a speech on its achievements and future development.

Hu said the Central Government will always support the special economic zones embarking on "brave exploration" in their roles as "first movers."

"The success of Shenzhen proves the decision of setting up SEZs in China was correct," Hu said. "The reform and opening-up policy was a crucial choice for modern China and that reforming and opening up to the outside world is the only road to achieving national prosperity and the people’s happiness.

"China’s development and changes over the past 30 years have relied on reform and opening-up, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will rely on reforming and opening-up," he said.

As a window for China’s reform and opening-up policy, Shenzhen has grown from a small fishing village with a population of 30,000 to an international metropolis of 10 million.

Shenzhen has put forward a development target for its GDP to reach 1.5 trillion yuan ($220 billion). And it has set a goal for annual per capita income to grow from 29,000 yuan ($4,270) to 49,000 yuan ($7,200) by 2015.

In case you’re thinking of visiting Lianhua Mountain Park, here’s a bit from Wikitravel :

Lianhua Mountain Park (Lotus Mountain Park; 蓮花山公園; Liánhuāshāngōngyuán), Hongli Road West, Futian Central (Metro line 4 (Shaoniangong Metro Station) Bus no 25 from Shenzhen Railway Station. Bus stop is “Lian hua shan gong yuan” 莲花山公元). This is Shenzhen’s main and most central park. Set at the northern end of the Futian central access it is 150 ha of urban bushland. The gardens themselves are extremely beautiful and meticulously cared for. But to really enjoy the mountain, you need to be there with Shenzhen’s middle calsses early in the morning or on Sundays when large family groups gather to have fun. At the top of the mountain, which you can reach via a twenty minute, not too challenging walk, is a large bronze statue of Deng Xiaoping striding out over the city. Large aerobics groups operate to loud music, people play badminton, a man walks down the path inscribing Tang Dynasty poetry in ever evaporating water with an enormous brush. Further down the mountain, ballroom dancers do the tango, a group of belly dancers wiggle and large men lay into each other with bamboo staves and swords. A famous and totally spontaneous group of singers of revolutionary opera sings by the lotus lake every Sunday morning, a must-see if you are even remotely in the vicinity. They are just past the laughter therapy group and the marriage market. And in season (Autumn), do not forget your kite

What do I think?

Can you feel the disappointment? :P

Dubrovnik–Croatia : Best of the Balkans

Fili — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:16:00 PDT

Dubrovnik, a quick detour to Croatia half an hour from the border with Montenegro, is one of the most impressive cities I’ve had the pleasure of visiting recently. What a gorgeous place! A modernly renovated historical old city set next to the sea and surrounded with island hosting terrific beaches and a beautiful sea. An exotic combination of traditional (Jerusalem style, if you wish) and modern beach life (Tel Aviv style). Declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979, it’s a bustling busy tourism city, crowded with tourists from all over the world, and it looks absolutely amazing. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Wikitravel introduces :

Today Dubrovnik is the proudest feather in Croatia’s tourist cap, an elite destination and one of the most beautiful towns in the Mediterranean. Dubrovnik used to be an independent republic, surviving mostly on trade. It managed to survive many centuries, with constant threats to its territory, particularly from the mighty Ottoman Empire and Venice. As early as 19th century, it was discovered by celebrities as a place to be seen. George Bernard Shaw once said that "those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik and find it". Royalty, presidents and diplomats have all favored the city. The late Pope John Paul II was a fan of Dubrovnik and was even made an honorary citizen. Out of the 23 top luxury hotels in Croatia, 13 are located in Dubrovnik (in 2010).

Dubrovnik is steeped in stunning architecture and sculptural detail, and boasts spectacular churches, monasteries, museums, fountain. A multitude of typical towns and excursions include: The Elaphiti Islands, the attractive town of Cavtat,the Konavle valley, Mljet Island, Korčula Island,Ston and Peljesac Peninsula. The neighboring towns of Kotor and Perast in Montenegro or Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina also make for intriguing day trips.

Here’s a bit of background from Wikipedia :

The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik has always been based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, also known as the fifth Maritime Republic (together with Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa and Venice), it became the only eastern Adriatic city-state to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved a remarkable level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. […]

The patron saint of the city is Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise), whose statues are seen around the city. He has an importance similar to that of St. Mark the Evangelist to Venice. One of the larger churches in city is named after Saint Blaise. The city boasts of many old buildings, such as the Arboretum Trsteno, the oldest arboretum in the world, dating back to before 1492. Also, the third oldest European pharmacy is located in the city, which dates back to 1317 (and is the only one still in operation today).

Here, take a quick tour of the city…

In case you need a map of Dubrovnik’s old city :

More to follow later.

No related posts.

Hertzliya Beach–Israel : People

Fili — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:45:04 PDT

Herzliya offers some of the nicest beaches in Israel, with a boardwalk stretching almost all the way, a marina, shopping malls nearby and various other sea related attractions (sailing, surfing, sea-biking, etc.).

Here’s from Wiki-travel :

Herzliya beach is the perfect place to sunbathe, play matkot (Israeli paddle ball) and engage in watersports. The water is fine and the food prices are reasonable.

Indeed.

In my last visit to Israel, I went to the southern beach in Hertzliya, just next to the marina, and took photos of Israelis having fun.

Here are some panoramas to complete the picture:

If you want to get a feel of a different beach in Hertzliya, check these photos I took of a beach closer to the hotel area, which looks a lot more organized but also offers more chillout spots and terrific restaurants.

There’s the lovely Herzliya Marina not too far away, if you’re looking for some sailing or shopping afterwards :

Operating since 1995 and run by the Herzliya Municipal Tourism Development Company. Herzliya Marina is Israel’s largest marina.

More? Here are some related links :

Chinese Tourism in Israel–Interview

Fili — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:27:00 PDT

The Israeli channel 2 morning show recently featured an interview with an English speaking Chinese tour-guide who takes mainland Chinese groups to visit Israel. The short interview provides some insights into how the Chinese see Israel and offers some curious cross-cultural interactions.

Here’s the video :

(Hebrew introduction)

A: You’ve been to China?

B: No.

A: Surprising.

B: But I’ve been to the walls of Jerusalem.

A: Among other places in the world. You probably know there are more than a billion Chinese all over the world, many of them are quite wealthy, some travel to west, but they don’t really come to visit us (in Israel). Only a few come here, and to understand how we could increase the number of visitors here’s an interview we recorded with Wan Chou, or Vicky, a young Chinese tour-guide who guides Chinese groups in Israel.

(Interview conducted mostly in English)

Wan wan : People prefer to go to the “classical” places first, like London, you’re classical but we prefer the bigger destinations first…

One time I bring my family to Israel, they’re very happy with the Israeli weather, and also the people are very nice and also the deadsea, Jerusalem is very nice.

I think you Israeli people are very friendly and hot, warm in the heart, you always want to help the others… Israelis are warm, give you a nice feeling, friend feeling. The Israelis are – how to say – friendly to the Chinese economy, they buy a lot of things in China.

I think you need to do more advertisement to Chinese about how nice Israeli is, because Chinese have illusion about Israel – Boom Boom Balagan (big mess in Hebrew)…

The highlight of the interview was, no doubt, the end of the interview :

B : To conclude… please say a full line in Hebrew, can you?

Wan Wan : a full line? you mean a full sentence? okay… You’re ugly, but I love you anyways.

B: I should have seen that coming.

A: [Slang] Hitting it all the way (or… a home run). [In English] very good, Wan Wan, very good.

B: Why are you laughing? is that so funny to you? :P

A: Excellent.

The importance of studying Chinese – Israeli Prime Minister

Fili — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:41:00 PDT

The current Israeli prime minister – Benjamin Netayahu – spoke at the last Israeli Business Convention and elaborated the importance of introducing Chinese studies to the Israeli education system. I’ve known about this for quite a while, but I finally got around to listen to his speech.

Here’s the video of Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli Business Conference 2010 followed by my quick translation of the related content from Hebrew to English (core highlighted in bold):

(~ minute 22)
The Israeli education system is in trouble […] We understand there’s a problem with the lower end of the pyramid […] we’ll back up reforms in the Israeli education system […] we’re not taking advantage of our potential, especially with talents from various sectors which do not participate in the Israeli economy – the Jewish orthodox and the Arab minorities […]

(~ minute 26)
We’ll be offering the middle of the pyramid more core subjects to help them integrate better with the Israeli economy. [...] you need foreign languages, English ofcourse as modern times demand, and I told Gideon – we also need Chinese, not at the same intensity but let’s start initiating Chinese studies, it’s important, (to Gideon) I believe you already started, right? (some clapping). There are a few Chinese here, and it’s important, it’s important, we want to offer our kids, our students, the basic skills required to integrate with the economy. I’m not talking Zionism, self-discipline, or Jewish values, just to allow all Israeli kids to integrate with the economy. […]

Not sure whether Chinese studies is what’ll help the Israeli economy, but I would generally be happy to see more Israelis investing themselves into better understanding the east, language, culture and – if we really have to – business.