34 Friday, December 14, 2012 ARTS&LIFESTYLE The Australian Jewish News – jewishnews.net.au four seasons hotels & resorts is proud to announce the re-appointment of as a valued member of their preferred partner program. goldman holidays clients receive exclusive vip benefits that may include complimentary breakfast, upgrades, food and beverages & spa credits. GOLDMAN HOLIDAYS 1800 009 833 [email protected]A division of Goldman Travel Corporation “YOU DESERVE A HOLIDAY & YOU DESERVE THE BEST” Travel Historic sites I T’S a busy life for Brett Kaye between teaching at Mount Scopus Memorial College, being chazan at St Kilda shul, per- forming at the annual Yom Ha’atzmaut concerts and singing at simchas. Next year he will add tour-group leader to his workload, escorting a heritage tour of Lithuania and Latvia, a musical tour of Israel and two cruises that are being organised by Executive Edge Travel and Events of Caulfield. And a special bonus for guests travelling on these tours will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy his singing. “You can’t stop me from singing,” Kaye says. “This is the perfect opportunity to combine the things I love – Jewish education, singing and travel.” Kaye has a wealth of experience travelling with groups, having led school groups on trips to Israel and Europe for many years, as well tak- ing groups to Poland for March of the Living. For the tour of Latvia and Lithuania, the group meets in Copenhagen on June 13 and travels from Riga to Vilnius, exploring historic sites and shuls. “There is still a lot of unspoiled charm in these countries,” he says. “When we visit old Jewish buildings and shuls there, just to bring music back into them is very special, and I try to do it as often as I can. “It’s not just me singing – I try to get every- one involved and by the time we finish the tour we have formed our own amazing choir.” Kaye has a personal link to the region – his great-grandparents lived in the Lithuanian town of Kaunas (formerly Kovna). “When we get there I will do more research of my family history. One of the special features of the tour is having the services of a local genealogist to allow everyone in the group to do their own personal research.” In many Lithuanian cities the old yeshivahs The sound of music will never be far away for travellers joining tours next year that will be led by Brett Kaye, who is renowned for his singing, whether as a cantor in shuls or in concert halls. Danny Gocs reports. with a musical treat The Western Wall in Jerusalem. Photo: Peter Haskin
Transcript
3 4 Friday, December 14, 2012ARTS&LIFESTYLEThe Australian Jewish News – jewishnews.net.au
vip benefits that may include complimentary breakfast,
upgrades, food and beverages & spa credits.
GOLDMANHOLIDAYS
1800 009 833holidays@goldmantravel .com.au
A division of Goldman Travel Corporation
“YOU DESERVE A HOLIDAY& YOU DESERVE THE BEST”
Travel
Historic sitesIT’S a busy life for Brett Kaye between
teaching at Mount Scopus MemorialCollege, being chazan at St Kilda shul, per-forming at the annual Yom Ha’atzmautconcerts and singing at simchas.
Next year he will add tour-group leader tohis workload, escorting a heritage tour ofLithuania and Latvia, a musical tour of Israeland two cruises that are being organised byExecutive Edge Travel and Events of Caulfield.
And a special bonus for guests travelling onthese tours will be plenty of opportunities toenjoy his singing.
“You can’t stop me from singing,” Kaye says.
“This is the perfect opportunity to combine thethings I love – Jewish education, singing andtravel.”
Kaye has a wealth of experience travellingwith groups, having led school groups on tripsto Israel and Europe for many years, as well tak-ing groups to Poland for March of the Living.
For the tour of Latvia and Lithuania, thegroup meets in Copenhagen on June 13 andtravels from Riga to Vilnius, exploring historicsites and shuls.
“There is still a lot of unspoiled charm inthese countries,” he says.
“When we visit old Jewish buildings and
shuls there, just to bring music back into themis very special, and I try to do it as often as I can.
“It’s not just me singing – I try to get every-one involved and by the time we finish the tourwe have formed our own amazing choir.”
Kaye has a personal link to the region – hisgreat-grandparents lived in the Lithuanian townof Kaunas (formerly Kovna).
“When we get there I will do more researchof my family history. One of the special featuresof the tour is having the services of a localgenealogist to allow everyone in the group to dotheir own personal research.”
In many Lithuanian cities the old yeshivahs
The sound of music will neverbe far away for travellers joiningtours next year that will be ledby Brett Kaye, who is renownedfor his singing, whether as acantor in shuls or in concerthalls. Danny Gocs reports.
with a musical treat
The Western Wall in Jerusalem.Photo: Peter Haskin
3 5Friday, December 14, 2012ARTS&LIFESTYLE
The Australian Jewish News – jewishnews.net.au
Travel planner DANNY GOCS
China Southern flight dealsCHINA Southern Airlines has a front-of-the-planedeal, offering half-price companion return faresto London, Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles andVancouver via its hub in Guangzhou (formerlyCanton). Business-class fares from Australia toGuangzhou or other Chinese cities – includingShanghai and Beijing – start from $3869 (com-panion fare from $2099). Business-class fares toEurope start from $5488 (companion fare from$2988), and to North America from $6502(companion fare from $3502). All fares are sub-ject to availability and conditions. ChinaSouthern Airlines has operated into Australia for12 years and flies a daily double service fromMelbourne to Guangzhou.
Enquiries: www.csair.com.au.
Thai adventure islandON Thailand’s beautiful island paradise of KohPhangan, the Anantara Rasananda Villa Resortand Spa has a discovery package where guestscan spend an adventurous day exploring half-a-dozen activities, ranging from elephant trekkingand zip-lining above the jungle canopy to bikerides and snorkelling in the calm waters. Thepackage is available until May 31, 2013 and fea-tures luxury accommodation in pool villas andreturn speedboat transfers between Koh Samuiand Rasananda.
Enquiries: www.anantara.com.
African safari at nightTHE luxury Khwai River Lodge in Botswana, oper-ated by Orient Express, has introduced night safariswhere guests use special night-vision binoculars tosee the hidden world of the noctural wildlife. Andwhile the daytime is spent roaming the game parkto see lions, elephants and rhinos, the nighttimeoutings provide a change of pace to observe gentleanimals such as the aardvark and the bush-tailedporcupine, as well as following predators on theprowl and watching hippos feeding.
Enquiries: www.orient-express.com.
Flights over AntarcticaVIEW the beauty of Antarctica from the comfort ofa Qantas 747 on the annual trips organised byAntarctica Sightseeing Flights, including the signa-ture New Year’s Eve departure from Melbourne. Thepristine white landscape features icebergs, cliffs,glaciers and mountain ranges viewed from 10,000feet. Phil Asker, founder of Antarctica SightseeingFlights – which has been operating for 18 years –says the one-day flight is an easy way to explorethe world’s most remote location. About four hoursof the 12-hour flight is spent over Antarctica. Thereis another Melbourne flight on February 17, as wellas departures from Adelaide, Perth and Sydney.Prices range from $1199 for economy class (cen-tre seats) to $6999 for ice class. As the flights donot land in Antarctica, no passport is required.
Enquiries: www.antarcticaflights.com.au.
Israel DiscoveryJo Gostin’s
Enjoy a 12 day Tour of Israel exploring the beauty & historyof this wonderful country at a relaxed & enjoyable pace
6-17
May 2013
Fully Escorted
Tour
Touring: • Tel Aviv • Jaffa • Coastal Plains • Upper Galilee • Golan Heights • JordanValley • Dead Sea • Jerusalem, and enjoy Israel’s Independence Day celebrations
Why not extend your holiday with a cruise on the Mediterranean?We invite you to join Jo and her companions in May 2013 on an unforgettable journey aboard the award winningCrystal Serenity. The adventure starts in Istanbul, exploring the Greek Islands, Italy and the south of France, thenheading south to enjoy the art of Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal before heading to London via the magnificentcity of Bordeaux. Contact Jo Gostin for more information
www.fbitravel.com.auLic. no.: 31785
have been restored and have become smallmuseums.
“The Jewish community in Lithuania isagain thriving with a shul, Jewish school andJews coming to live in Vilna. One of the mostexciting things is going back to see a communitythat was devastated by World War II and is nowrising out of the ashes.”
The Israel tour starts on October 13, spend-ing several days in Jerusalem before headingsouth to the Negev. The tour then goes to TelAviv, before travelling to northern Israel andending in Tel Aviv on October 25.
The tour is billed as a musical journey andKaye promises plenty of concerts and singingsessions.
“This will be my 24th tour to Israel, so I knowwhat works,” he says. “The focus will be on theculture and the music, as well as spending time
at places that are a little out of the ordinary.“In southern Israel we will stay at an exclu-
sive new resort in the Negev called the Beresheetresort (near Mitzpe Ramon) and visit Petra inJordan to see the stunning ancient ruins.
“And we will be the first Australian group tostay at the new Waldorf Astoria hotel inJerusalem, which has been painstakinglyrestored to its former splendour.”
Following the Eastern European tour, Kayewill board ship to lead a 10-day Baltic cruisefrom Stockholm to Copenhagen that includesSt Petersburg in Russia.
And prior to the Israel tour, Kaye will be onboard the Oceania Riviera for a 13-day cruisethat features Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy andMonte Carlo.
“The beauty of our tours is that they willexplore Jewish historic sites along with the localattractions. They are not planned to be aca-demic tours; they are primarily a holiday thatwill look at the places through a general andJewish history.”
Kaye has been the chazan of Central ShuleChabad in South Caulfield for many years andnext year will spearhead its adult-educationprogram. He taught at Mount Scopus MemorialCollege for 14 years, and was then BialikCollege’s director of Jewish studies for two yearsbefore moving to Sydney’s Moriah College in2010.
He returned home to Melbourne this yearand is currently the chazan at St Kilda shul,while also teaching music and culture at Scopus.
He is a regular performer at the annual YomHa’atzmaut concerts, and last year was a sup-port act for Israeli singer Dudu Fisher’sMelbourne concert.
Enquiries: Executive Edge Travel and Events (03) 9519 7777.Brett Kaye
The Riga synagogue in Latvia.
The Celebrity Solstice in Sydneythis week. Photo: Eugene Tan
New season of luxury cruisingTHE 122,000-ton Celebrity Solstice arrived in Sydney this week to start a season of summercruises based in Australia. Its first cruise headed to New Zealand, with other cruises in the inau-gural program bound for Tahiti and northern Queensland.
The ship, operated by Celebrity Cruises, was built only four years ago and brings a new levelof large-scale cruising amid luxury facilities for the 2800 passengers on board.
Among the shipboard features is the Lawn Club, comprising half-an-acre of real grass torelax and enjoy drinks and snacks, a glass-blowing studio from the Corning Museum of Glass,and a spa for health and beauty treatments.
More than 80 per cent of cabins have private balconies, and there’s a choice of 10 diningoptions, including specialty restaurants and a grand dining room.
