Hebrew may not be a universal language, but well-traveled Israelis make it a handy travel tool. I learned that as a rising college senior, when a gal pal and I backpacked around Europe, bumping into Israelis everywhere. My French was as non-existent then as it is now, but my Hebrew was quite good, and so during our week in Paris, my contribution was asking Israelis for directions.
I didn’t have the same experience during my family’s recent trip to Geneva. My husband was working around the clock, so my one-year-old daughter, Lila, and I had whole days to ourselves and absolutely nowhere to be. After we missed Shabbat services that first weekend (I hadn’t researched our options in time), I Googled local Jewish life — Shabbat transcends geography, after all — and learned that Geneva has both a Chabad as well as several other synagogue options. And one of those synagogues, the progressive GIL, offers Israeli dancing lessons on Wednesdays.
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