OK, full disclosure first. We are not in Jerusalem this Shabbat.
Not Netanya. There will be no pictures of adorable grandchildren (at least not
till August!) So, where are we? Well, let’s give you some clues. Yesterday we
saw the Eiffel Tower, the gondolas of Venice and Frescos on the ceiling, then
visited ruins of ancient Greece and the castles of King Arthur’s Knights of the
Round table. After a whirlwind magic tour, we strolled through the Lower East
side of New York and then returned back to a Mirage in the desert. All right,
any guesses?
Of course, we are in none other than Las Vegas, Nevada. We
decided that for a one week, rapid holiday we would go somewhere that we could
have fun, find good kosher restaurants, and see things we have not seen before.
We’ve never even had a conference here. So, we flew out on Monday and presto, a
week on Vegas unfolds!
Strategically, we decided to stay just off the strip. This
turned out to be a good calculation for a week’s visit for several reasons. We
are in a Holiday Inn Resort, in a one bedroom ‘villa’ with full kitchen and 4
pools on the grounds, plus no casino, no showgirls, no huge crowds...you get
the picture. Shabbat on the Strip might get a bit noisy but here, it will be
very laid back. We are a 15-minute walk from the strip, and (even better) a
5-10 minute free shuttle ride to the key hotels which certainly helps
considering the heat here. This gives us the perfect combination of “faced paced
excitement” and “chilling out”. 
We will spare you all the details (unless you want to hear more, please feel free to ask), but some highlights
include a visit to Hoover Dam and the Lake Mead area, two great shows (Cirque
de Soleil Mystere, and David Copperfield) and some really good restaurants
(Jerusalem Grill and King Solomon’s Table). Plus Sunday will be a trip to Red
Rock’s National Park and then a visit to Suzy and Moe Rosenmeir, ex-Montrealer’s
who are now full time Vegas residents!
Shabbat will be spent will some great food (thanks to Smith’s
Kosher Emporium) and down time, good books and more sunshine. We are back on
Monday and look forward to more good times this summer. So, although it's not exactly Israel, it is an opportunity for us to send warm wishes to friends, family and all who are reading along!
Wishing you a warm and relaxing Shabbat Shalom!
Barbara and Bruce
We wish Refuah Shlema to Yitzchok ben Chaim
Happy 11th Birthday to Shoshana Hadassah!
