Travel is much more than encountering new places. It is about transforming myself, utilizing creativity, and sharing with others.

A long time ago I realized that I had ideas about people and places I only knew about through second hand sources. I began to wonder if I had any wrong perceptions. I could educate myself from afar, but all the material would be biased by the perception of the author/creator. The other option was to have direct experiences.

So I found myself on an almost fifteen year quest (to almost 35 countries so far) to encounter not-yet-familiar humans, cultures, religions, animals, plants and landscapes. I share the essence of my explorations through creativity - painting, photography, public speaking and writing.

A number of times my journeys led to founding social projects that affect many people. Here are just a few examples:

Ohr Olam Dharamsala Project: A program for spiritual seekers in India, founded after a private meeting with His Holiness The Dalai Lama (Chapter 11 of the travelogue Holy Cow is entirely about the project)

Peace Begins With Myself: A program for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, facilitated by Buddhist monks and nuns at Plum Village, France. (Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “Peace Begins Here”, is about the project)

The Traveling Jerusalem Cafe: A multi-media art installation about the café cultures of Israeli and Palestinian societies in Jerusalem, created during the height of the Second Intifada (Palestinian uprising).

In the backdrop always I’m conscious of being the eldest male in an unbroken lineage of rabbis reaching back a couple thousand years. As I had almost no contact with anyone outside of the Orthodox Jewish community until my late 20’s, I am able to explore almost anything with the wonder-filled eyes of a child and the mind of a mature educated adult.