Israelis, and Jews the world over have enjoyed traveling to & around Turkey for the past decade or more due to exceptional Israeli – Turkish relations in the region. However, due to last month’s flotilla incident, Israel’s National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau (NSCCTB) has issued a travel warning to Israelis planning trips to Turkey.

In response to the events surrounding the protest flotilla, there are growing protests by the government and public in Turkey. This delicate state of affairs is liable to deteriorate into violent outbreaks against Israelis in Turkey.

Americans too have enjoyed years of friendly travel to the Turkish state. However, recently, the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey issued travel warnings to to the country well before this incident:

April 8, 2010

The Department of State would like to remind American citizens that there is a current travel alert for Turkey based on a continuing valid threat.

The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to evolving security concerns in Turkey, and reminds them of the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens and interests.

U.S. citizens in Turkey should be particularly vigilant in light of the ongoing “Get Out America, This is Our Country” campaign and upcoming significant anniversaries associated with the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), a designated terrorist organization. Actions against American and/or Turkish-American cultural and business establishments in Turkey are possible. We remind U.S. citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.

Given current events this may be common sense, but nonetheless, this is still an important message to spread until potential terrorist activity in Turkey subsides, and/or relations between Turkey and Israel are
normalized.

Take care and have happy & safe travels!

Contributed by: Michelle Szpilzinger | Last Visited: January 2009

Kosher Info: This site has a good list of the kosher resources in Brussels. There is not much to find in the old historic center, but there are currently two kosher restaurants in the EU area, which is not a major tourist destination but is fairly simple to get to by metro. I would check to see if they are open on evenings and weekends as I know for a fact that the EU area is deserted at night. I can not vouch for them as I did not eat at either one. Unfortunately, it seems that the one kosher place in Brussels I actually visited (Pilpel) is now closed, which is a shame as it was a nice little restaurant with an adjacent kosher shop that was open in the evenings. We bought our food for Shabbos there.

For Shabbat Hospitality, contact Chabad. They offered to host us for meals and accommodation, but we opted instead to stay in the city center. They were really nice and I had good communication with them by e-mail.

If you’re staying in the city center, the kosher shops are not terribly convenient by public transportation. We opted to stay in an apartment-hotel with a kitchen rather than a regular hotel and brought a small pot and pan and some food from home so we could save money and time by making our own food. We also figured it would mean avoiding the annoying key-card issue, and we almost did — the only problem was that our flat was above a shop and when the shop was closed you had to use the key from the outside or a button on the inside to open the electric door shutter. This meant we were stuck inside Friday night (though we didn’t mind, as it was cold) and on Shabbos day had to make sure the shop was open. It was annoying but I’d still highly recommend the company, Apartments Apart, as the flat was really comfortable and nice, cheaper than most hotels, and even provided free wifi. You also get to feel more like a local for your stay.

Another option is to head over to Antwerp where kosher food abounds. It’s only 45 minutes or so from Brussels by train, and many kosher shops and restaurants are right near the Antwerp train station.  If you’re staying in Brussels for more than a day or two, Antwerp is a must-visit whether you need the food or not.

Chocolate is, of course, a Belgian specialty; but the only brand we were told is definitely kosher is Guylian, which you can also buy internationally. We did manage to find some obscure kosher chocolate in a tiny store in Bruges that happened to have an Israeli hechsher on it, but we never saw it in Brussels.

Another Belgian specialty is beer, including many types of flavored beers. We were never given a definitive answer on the kashruth of these beers, so we stuck to regular, plain beer.

As for the ubiquitous Belgian waffles (sold in stands on nearly every street)…good luck finding kosher ones. Let me know if you do. They smelled incredible — it was torture.

Tourist Info: Once a major medieval city, now the de facto capital of Europe, Brussels has a great mix of old and new with some amazing Art Nouveau thrown into the mix. A first stop for any visitor would be the Grand Place, a stunning square surrounded by the city hall and the glittering former guild houses of medieval merchants, where you can also find the tourist office. Every other summer the square is filled with a giant Carpet of Flowers. If I ever go to Brussels again, it’ll be a summer when I can see it. Nearby is the famous “Mannekin Pis,” a hilarious symbol of Brussels as it’s a fountain with a center sculpture of a tiny boy putting out a fire by rather unusual methods. (The title is a hint.)

Up a hill is Place Royal, home of the King’s Palace (open only in summer) and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which houses both the Museum of Ancient Art and a Modern Art museum.

For Elegant Shopping you can visit the Sablon Squares and Avenue Louise. If you have children with you, you might want to visit Mini-Europe.

One unique museum is the Center for Comic-Strip Art. Belgium is the home of the famous Tintin, and it’s a fun museum housed in a gorgeous Art Nouveau building. Art Nouveau lovers will also love the Museum of Musical Instruments and the Musee Horta.

Jewish Info: The Jewish community of Brussels is much smaller than the one in nearby Antwerp, much of it outside the historic center. We did not encounter a lot of it, but there are a few sites in the city center. The Great Synagogue is a lovely Neo-Romanesque structure on Rue de la Regence between the Palais de Justice and the Place Royal. There are also a couple of memorials to the Holocaust and Jewish martyrs. For more information on Jewish life in Brussels, check out the Jewish Virtual History Tour.

There is now a silly tradition that many Americans hold Christmastime each year… to indulge in Chinese cuisine. Since the Chinese do not celebrate Christmas, like us Jews, their restaurants have no need to take a hiatus on Xmas day.

In honor of this wacky tradition, we’ve compiled a list of Chinese restaurants (both sit-down & take-out) for your convenience.

• NORTH AMERICA
  Annie Chan’s Restaurant
  190-11 Union Turnpike
  (off 190th Street)
  Fresh Meadows, NY 11366

  
  Bamboo Garden Vegetarian Cuisine
  364 Roy Street
  Seattle, WA USA 98109
  www.bamboogarden.net

  Chai Peking
  2205 Lavista Road Northeast
  Atlanta, GA 30329
  www.chaipeking.com

  China Bistro
  3565 NE 207th Street
  (The Waterways)
  Aventura, FL 33180

  China Glatt
  4413 13th Avenue
  (Between 44th & 45th St.)
  Brooklyn, NY 11219

  Chopstix
  172 West Englewood Avenue
  Teaneck, NJ 07666
  www.chopstixusa.com

  Chopstix
  478 Pleasant Valley Way
  West Orange, NJ 07052
  www.chopstixusa.com

  ChoSen Garden
  64-43 108th Street
  (Bet. 64th Rd. & 65th Rd.)
  Forest Hills, NY 11375

  ChoSen Island
  367 Central Avenue
  (Cor. of Central Ave. & Frost Lane)
  Lawrence, NY 11559

  ChoSen Village
  505 Middle Neck Road
  Great Neck, NY 11023

  Dragon Inn Glatt Kosher
  7638 Castor Ave
  Philadelphia, PA 19152

  Eden Wok Manhattan
  43 East 34th Street
  (Bet. Park & Madison Ave)
  New York, NY 10016
  www.edenwok.com

  Eden Wok Westchester
  1327 North Avenue
  (Northfield & Quaker Ridge Rd.)
  New Rochelle, NY 10804
  www.edenwok.com

  Ernie & Ellie
  6900 Decarie Blvd.
  (Decor De’Carie Square- enter through Venezia)
  Montreal, QC
  H3X 2T8, Canada

  Golden Chopsticks
  7000 Bathurst Street
  Vaughan, ON L4J, Canada
  www.goldenchopstick.ca

  Grand Bamboo
  106 Route 59
  (Corner Route 306)
  Monsey, NY 10952

  Hunan
  557 Kings Highway
  Brooklyn, NY 11223

  King Solomon’s Table
  3705 Chesswood Drive,
  North York, ON
  M3J 2P6, Canada
  www.kingsolomonstable.com

  Mr. Chopstik
  4020 Royal Palm Ave
  Miami Beach, FL 33140

  Royal Dragon
  4832 Boiling Brook Pkwy
  Rockville, MD 20852
  www.royalkosherrestaurant.com/royaldragon.htm

  Shangchai
  2189 Flatbush Ave
  Brooklyn, NY 11234

  Shanghai Diamond Garden
  9401 West Pico Blvd.
  Los Angeles, CA 90035

  Singapore Chinese Vegetarian *
  1006 Race Street
  Philadelphia, PA 19107-2306
  www.singaporevegetarian.com
  (*this place is vegan / vegetarian and is open on Shabbat)

  Tein Li Chow
  2485 Howard
  Evanston, Illinois
  www.teinlichow.com

  Wok ‘n Take Out
  455 Route 306
  Wesley Hills, NY 10952
  www.wokntakeout.com

  Wok Tov
  594 Central Avenue
  Cedarhurst, NY 11516

  Yi-Tzi Peking
  145 Montgomery Avenue
  Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
  www.yitzipeking.com

• EUROPE
  Blue Lagoon
  Lange Herentalsestraat 70
  2018 Antwerp, Belgium

  Kaifeng
  51 Church Road
  Hendon, NW4 4DU
  England, UK

  Missada
  45, rue Laugier
  75017 Paris
  France

• ISRAEL

  Canton
  The Tayelet Hotel
  6 Gad Machnes Street
  Netanya , Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)
  www.chinese.co.il

  Chai Tai
  Moshav Hutzot Hagolan
  Katzrin, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  The Chinese Wall
  26 Mikve Israel St
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  China-Lee
  7 Montifyori St
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Glatt Kosher)

  Korussin
  Malha Shopping Center
  Jerusalem, Israel
  (Kosher Mehadrin)

  Lemon Grass
  Azrieli Shopping Center
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  Lemon Grass
  22 Even Gvirol St
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  Ming Ling
  12 Herzel
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  Pikansin
  Azrieli Mall ~ 1st floor
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  Tokyo Bankok
  40 Ainstain St
  Ramat Aviv Shopping Center
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  Tuch Food
  48 Menahem Begin Road St
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

  Yosi Pekin
  15 Keren Kayemet St
  Jerusalem, Israel
  (Kosher Rabanut)

• CHINA
  Dini’s Kosher Restaurant
  Nuren Jie Xingba Lu Jiuba Jie
  Beijing, China

And now here is a funny video about Jews, Chinese food, and Xmas for you to enjoy.

Contributed by: Arielle Singer Klein | Last Date of Travel: [Author grew up in Brooklyn and often visits her parents who live there.]

Kosher Info: Ahh Brooklyn the proverbial mecca for the Jewish foodie. Although I no longer live in Brooklyn I still dream about all the myriad food choices that exist some open till the wee hours of the morning. I usually don’t mind a visit because I know I’ll end up with a juicy burger or delicious sushi on my plate things I rarely if ever complain about. In Brooklyn you can eat for a lot or a little it all depends on your tastes and your budget. Here my rundown of good eats.

Flatbush:

Flatbush is a mix of Ashkenazim, Sephardim and now even Chassidim. In Flatbush can be found some of my favorite restaurants.

Avenue J

Looking for a cheap breakfast? Hit Bagel Hole on Avenue J. For around $3.99 you can get a complete breakfast; eggs, coffee, bagel, home fries. You can get a bagel with cream cheese for about a $1.50. The bagels taste great and are always fresh. They also have an array of flavored and regular coffees, the best iced cappuccino’s, the best tuna and other fresh tasty salads. They also offer wraps and twists and baked goods.

For a sit down breakfast, lunch or dinner where you can take the family check out Garden of Eat-In. They offer everything from pancakes, omelets and french toast, to soups, salads sandwiches, pasta, even sushi. Everything is delicious and a meal there won’t break the bank.

If it’s pizza you crave you can definitely find it in Brooklyn.

Most of us from Brooklyn will agree that Pizza Time has the best pizza in Brooklyn. The founder of this blog will argue otherwise. Pizza time has a variety of pizza toppings and the most delicious square cheese-less tomato slice.

Jerusalem 2 Pizza has the best mushroom slice around. They also make great personal pies.

If it’s a deal you’re after, head over to Natanya near the subway station. You can get a cheap special for with a slice, fries, and can of soda; and they give the best free pickles. I spent every Friday afternoon there after school with my dad and most of my Saturday nights throughout high school.

Looking for a meaty sandwich? Head over to a kosher Subway (based on the non-kosher chain) on either Avenue J or Kings Highway. There are a variety of bread and meat combinations topped with fresh vegetables and a large selection of sauces.

Subsational is also a great choice for a sammy. They have two locations one on E 15th street off of Avenue J, the other on Coney Island Avenue near Avenue P. They have mouthwatering sliced steak, grilled chicken, salami, meatball subs, turkey etc. all served on club bread. There are burgers, tacos, burritos and really great pastrami egg rolls.

Want a burger that’s juicy, flavorful and phenomenally good? Check out Burger’s Bar (an Israeli chain) on Coney Island Avenue (near Subsational). They serve tantalizing burgers, spicy burgers, chicken sandwiches, grilled chicken and steak sandwiches and delicious home-style French fries. The best part is you choose what goes on your burger. When your order is ready you stand at a counter and tell the counter help exactly what you want on your burger. There’s lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried and raw onions, chimichurri sauce, pesto, BBQ sauce, garlic mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish sauce, sweet and hot chili and quite a few more. If you didn’t guess yet this is one of my favorite places to eat!

When you are looking for a place that has slighly more ambiance, or a touch more elegance, check out these places:

• Estihana- Located on Ave J; has a variety of Asian fusion fare. They serve Japanese, Thai and Chinese food. If you can sit at the tucked away booth and if you really want to impress her (and she likes sushi) order the sushi boat for two.
• Moshi Moshi- Another great place that serves Japanese and Chinese food. Make sure you try all things Tempura. The tempura vegetable appetizer is pure cholesterol joy as is the tempura banana dessert. Located on Coney Island Ave between Ave P and Quentin Rd.
• Fuji Hana- One of the original kosher sushi places in Brooklyn. Their sushi is superb, as is the ginger chicken – a Thai specialty served sizzling hot. Don’t forget to try the tollhouse cookie or hot apple cobbler for dessert. Located on Ave U between E 9th & E 10th streets.
• Sunflower- The Israelis have invaded Brooklyn and with them they have bought fabulous salads, paninis, fruit shakes, and pasta. This is a great place to go with the girls or a date but not a first date. Located on Quentin Rd. & E 13th (& Kings Hwy).
• Amazon- One block over from Sunflower is Amazon on E12th st. Similar in fare to Sunflower but with soft lighting, less noise, and a lot more ambiance. Try the haloumi salad, deep fried cheese on lettuce, tomato, cucumber and saute’ed mushrooms with pesto dressing or the panini caprese made of mozzarella, tomato, and pesto on delicious club bread served with salad. Don’t forget the pasta and if you need a drink there’s a full bar with all sorts of fun tropical mixed drinks.
• Tea For Two- A great place for a date. They have pasta, fish and really great sushi a bar with all types of wine, soft lighting and a well heeled crowd. Located on Kings Highway & E 4th st.
• Cafe Renaissance- This is a nice place to go with the family, your friends, or a date. They always have great specials, like pumpkin soup, or walnut blue cheese and pear salad – not typical kosher cuisine and not too pricey. They also offer sushi, pasta, fish and salads. Located on Kings Highway & E 8th st.
• Cafe K- Delicious grilled fish can be found here. Along with fresh salads, amazing chocolate soufflé, and good but pricey sushi. In the winter enjoy sitting in the heated sidewalk cafe. 2 locations: Ave K off Coney Island Ave & 18th Ave near Borough Park.

Another great place for breakfast is Dunkin Donuts (luckily Brooklyn has tons of kosher ones!). Get ice cold coffee or coffee drinks and the best donuts in the city. I recommend the jelly and the Boston cream. they also offer breakfast sandwiches, bagels, hot coffee, and often are combined with Baskin Robbins so if its ice cream you want and donuts he wants you can get it all at one stop shopping. There are many kosher Dunkin’ Donuts throughout Flatbush. A few listings:

• Avenue M next to the train station on East 16th street
• Avenue L and Flatbush Avenue (This one has a huge parking lot and is quite the Saturday night hangout)
• Avenue I and Nostrand Avenue
• Kings Highway: and E 19th, and E 15th, and E 10th, E 16th & Quentin Rd.
• Coney Island Ave. & 18th Ave. (closer to Borough Park)

Borough Park

Borough Park is filled with mostly chassidim today with large families, so great cheap eats are abound.

Check out Amnon’s on 13th Avenue, for about $5 you can get a heaping mixed salad, a scoop of Tuna and a pita enough for two to share. They also have great pizza and ooey gooey cream cheese sticks.

For a little ambiance head to the corner of 47th st and 13th Avenue and sit down at Spoons. The best sushi in Borough Park, they also have great pasta and sandwiches.

Looking for a real deal head across the street from Amnon’s. In the middle of the block is a place that’s such a hole in the wall it doesn’t even have a name. It’s smack dab in the middle of 13th Avenue between 46th and 47th street. A bagel with a shmear of tuna or cream cheese is $1. A Coffee is $0.50. Definitely a place to check out.

• China Mehadrin- Delicious Chines on 12th Avenue / New Utrecht Ave. where on either Tuesdays or Wednesdays 4 ladies the 5th eats free. You can find the ad in the Jewish Press.
• Dave’s Luncheonette-Located on 16th Avenue and 45th street you can get a great breakfast or lunch here. An egg sandwich on a kaiser roll with coffee shouldn’t run more than 3 dollars with veggies on the sandwich. They also have delicious salads and sandwiches for lunch. A good heimish type of place.
• Mendelsohns Pizza- Although in High school we were not officially allowed of 16th Avenue to get Lunch, we used to make detours to Mendelsohns located on 18th Avenue near McDonald avenue to get some of Borough Park’s freshest pizza. When ordering fries be aware that one is enough for the table as they give you a giant plateful. They also have great soups, hot dishes and a delicious Israeli style salad bar.
• Big Fleishigs- located on 16th Avenue and 55th street they used to call this place McFleshigs until people made a gantze megilla that it sounded too much like McDonald’s. They have burgers, french fries, hot dogs and all the other carnivorous things meat eaters love.

Williamsburg- Welcome to the home of the “Saint Mary” Chassidim otherwise known as Satmar. You won’t find too many places in “Willie” but there are a few.

• Gottlieb’s Restaurant- Before my family moved to Brooklyn we lived on the upper west side and did a lot of Brooklyn shopping. We frequently shopped in Billyburg and Gottlieb’s was always a place to get a good greasy, schmaltzy, heimishe meal. They have things like roast chicken with farfel and kasha, kishka, cholent, Brisket and other Jewish delicacies. Located at 352 Roebling Street.
• Itzu’s Kosher Restaurant- Located at 45 Lee Avenue. I have never eaten here but apparently it’s one of the few kosher places in Willy. If you eat here let me know what it’s like.
• Landau’s Glatt Kosher Deli is located at 65 Lee Avenue. Come here for a tasty deli Sandwich.
• Flaums Appetizing- Located on Lee Avenue. Come here for all types of herring, smoked fish, appetizing and even pickles. Opened in 1918 by Jewish polish immigrants if you’re in Williamsburg you must go. You can also find Flaums Appetizing products in many of the kosher markets around the NYC area.
• Green’s Pizza- Located at 216 Ross Street come here for Pizza and Separate seating they offer family seating as well.

Crown Heights – home of Lubavitcher Chassidim. I have not tried any of the restaurants here but I will provide a brief listing anyway.

• Mendy’s Steakhouse and Grill- 792 Eastern Parkway located in the Children’s Museum. Mendy’s in the city was always great. I imagine you can get good meat dishes here.
• Boulevard Cafe- 510 Empire blvd.
• Empire Grill and Deli- 597 Empire blvd. between Kingston and Albany.
• Esther Grill and Deli- 463 Albany between Montgomery and Empire.

For more info check out the Beth Din of Crown heights that certifies these places: http://www.chkosher.com/

—> Kosher Markets:

All neighborhoods mentioned above have kosher markets large and small, some even super.

There’s a massive Shoprite on Avenue I and McDonald Avenue that carries all sorts of kosher goodies. There’s also a Mountain Fruit on Avenue M and East 16th street that has everything from fruits and veggies to meat, takeout and baked goods.

Tourist Info:

Places to see :

• Brooklyn Bridge- Take a walk across and enjoy the views.
• Brooklyn Botanical Gardens – see how beautiful Brooklyn really is.
• Coney Island and New York Aquarium – walk along the famed boardwalk; at the aquarium see the dolphins and sea lions.
• Avenue J – a mecca for the Jewish shopper
• 13th Avenue – everything a Jew could want and more
• The main library at Grand Army Plaza (take the 2 or 3 train to Grand Army Plaza).
• Prospect Park – a beautiful oasis in an urban landscape.
• Shopping in Williamsburg, DUMBO, and Park Slope.

Obviously I’m sure there are any restaurants I have missed and places to see.

For a comprehensive restaurant list check out: http://www.nachas.org/BethYehuda/kosher.html

For places to see in Brooklyn: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60827-Activities-c7-Brooklyn_New_York.html

Jewish Info: Brooklyn is full of Jewish history, synagogues and all things relating to Jewish life. For some older Jewish synagogues and to see how the Chassidim live check out Williamsburg or Borough park. Head over to Flatbush to see how the Yeshivish live; you can also check out the kosher Syrian markets, mansions and grandiose shuls on Ocean Parkway and Avenues S, T, and U.

To see the Mitzvah Men (Chabad’s street soldiers) in action, head to Crown Heights. There you can see the famous 770 and have a look at the new Jewish Children’s Museum.

If you need a minyan, one can always been found at Landau’s on East 9th and Avenue L in Midwood. In terms of Mikvaot, The Buzz on Coney Island has a keilim mikvah for when you purchase items that need to be toveled. In terms of Women’s mikvahs there is a stunning mikvah on Avenue S and East 7th, as well as a very nice mikvah on Avenue N and Ocean Ave.

For More information check out: http://www.brooklynonline.com/bol/neighborhoods/