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Sharjah Ruler Opens Historic Dh 6-Billion Khorfakkan Highway

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HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, accompanied by HH Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and HH Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated on Saturday the new Khorfakkan highway. Extending 89 kilometers and with an estimated cost of Dh 6 billion, the new highway is the latest addition to the world-class roads network of Sharjah and the UAE, linking the arterial Emirates Road (E611) in Sharjah with Wadi Shi Square in Khorfakkan.
HH the Ruler of Sharjah and HH the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah inspected the intersections, tunnels and underground crossings of the new highway that passes through deserts, plains and mountains. The highway includes 14 intersections, and 7 underground crossings along with five pairs of tunnels dug through high mountains. These include Al Sidra Tunnel (2700 metres), which is the longest covered mountain tunnel in the Middle East.

Their Highnesses also inspected Al Rafisah Dam, one of the most important family tourism destinations in Khorfakkan. Spanning a total area of 10,684 square metres, it includes a mosque, outdoor seating area for 300 people, car parking for 45 vehicle, a walkway, and three playing areas spanning 410 sqm.

Foundation Stone
HH Ruler of Sharjah laid the foundation stone for the branch of Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Khorfakkan on this occasion. The Academy will grant students a bachelor’s degree in applied, theoretical and maritime sciences. He also inaugurated the Khorfakkan Lakes and Fountains Project at the entrance of Khorfakkan. It features 4 lagoons and a number of fountains. It is surrounded by cedar trees in all directions, transforming the place into a massive park.
He also unveiled the Resistance Monument, which bears a historical and symbolic significance for the city’s authentic heritage, and is a testament to the steadfastness of the Khorfakkan people in the face of the Portuguese invasion in the early 15th century.
The leaders also went up to the top of the mountain, where the unique Al Rabi Tower sits, which is distinguished by its unique architecture, to unveil the memorial plaque of the tower that introduces the tower and the history of its construction. He also inaugurated “Al Adwani Tower” located on a hilltop near the Khorfakkan Port besides unveiling a memorial plaque for the excavations of the ancient Khorfakkan wall.
“Khorfakkan 1507”
Later, the leaders attended the premiere of the film “Khorfakkan 1507” which is inspired by the book, “Khorfakkan’s resistance against the Portuguese invasion of September 1507” authored by HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed al Qasimi. The film has been produced by the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority in cooperation with Get Go Films Ltd.
More than 300 people, including Emirati and Arab artists and producers, took part in the making of the historical film. The film was shot on the shores of Khorfakkan and the ancient city. Through the film, HH Ruler of Sharjah aims to promote the idea of Khorfakkan’s resistance at that important era of the country’s history, and to introduce current generations to the hardship suffered by Khorfakkan and its rebels due to the Portuguese unlawful invasion and occupation.

Key Projects
On this occasion, HH Sharjah Ruler also announced that many more projects will continue to be developed in Khorfakkan to increase the beauty of the city, and provide it with all educational, sports and leisure facilities.

He also promised to develop Shis area along the lines of Al Rafisah besides establishing Khorfakkan Sports City. The projects at the entrance of Khorfakkan will also continue with a new Clock Tower being built along with the Cultural Palace which will include theatres, libraries and halls for all cultural activities, he added. HH Ruler of Sharjah also promised a new corniche project that will extend from Zubarah beach to Luluah areas, and will be named Al Sabihiyah Beach. Also he announced that the Khorfakkan branch of Sharjah University would be developed into the Khorfakkan University within 2 years.

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African Tourism Board: The Human Right to Explore the Cape in the Eyes of Marriott

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Avukile Mabombo

The official launch of the African Tourism Board is only about two weeks away. On April 11 at 15.30 the Cape Town International Convention Centre Conference Theatre during World Travel Market Africa will be the venue where Africa becomes one tourist destination.

Cape Town is a good example where the Human Right to travel is so important. Avukile Mabombo, Group Marketing Manager, Protea Hotels by Marriott summarizes his love for Cape Town:

In a former age in South Africa, locals were boxed in, unable to explore their own country, limited to pockets of land within cities and rural areas. This, quite rightly, has changed, opening the curtain on a wealth of activities and experiences to be explored – a country for the people. There’s a rising interest among the black, middle class traveller to do just that. Of course, besides places of natural beauty, there are many places that preserve heritage, and it’s worthwhile checking them out.

From Robben Island to the Pass Office

Cape Town, as much as it seems to be a vibey holiday space, has just as much of a role in the country’s history. Fortunately, we’ve sought to redress the inequalities of the past and to turn them into opportunities for locals. We respect their sometimes-chilling place in memory, but we celebrate that we’re leaving that era back in the “dustbin of history”, to use a phrase once quoted by Leon Trotsky.

Robben Island: San Francisco, another global destination, may boast Alcatraz, the former prison, as a tourist attraction, but Robben Island’s place on our tourism itinerary is an iconic one for a different reason, being the place where Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, Kgalema Motlanthe, Neville Alexander, Mac Maharaj and Harry Gwala, as well as other political leaders were imprisoned, in addition to thousands of ordinary struggle foot soldiers. The rugged island dominating Table Bay is an essential one for heritage tourism. Just across the bay is the Breakwater Lodge in the heart of the V&A Waterfront, a former prison now operating as Protea Hotel in conjunction with the UCT Graduate School of Business, a reclaimed space within our city that’s engaging with the past by undergoing a renovation to place historic visuals and artifacts in display.

Back on land, it’s possible to visit many places that echo this historical journey. The Slave Lodge in Adderley Street, the Pass Office in Langa, the Amy Biehl Memorial in Gugulethu and other spots in Cape Town call for a meditative visit, perhaps a walking tour that allows for reflection.

Such neighborhoods themselves still remind us of the spacial disparities that existed then and that exist still, although innovative tourism entrepreneurs have spotted the opportunity to present a vibrant tourism offering in spite of those memories.

Giving the storytellers a voice

What makes the local tourism special is that you can speak to people now serving as tour guides for whom our heritage is their lived experience. They have first-hand accounts of what went on, who was involved and how we have managed to overcome as a society; their accounts are spine-chilling, relevant and meaningful, and it’s worth making the effort to chat to those storytellers whose oral histories echo our written ones.

Most importantly, reflecting on heritage as a part of the tourism experience enables us to hold a more balanced account of the future, acknowledging that the past is alive and that it has an impact on how we experience life in our growing metropolis. We don’t need to hide our heritage – in fact, we must shine a spotlight on it, even the shameful parts, so that we can tell our local and international visitors how we have grown, and just why we are optimistic that our spaces aren’t some kind of historical Chernobyl, Ukraine – a region closed off to the world following that catastrophic nuclear accident in the 80s. As catastrophic as our own history has been in many ways, we have learned how to adapt and appreciate our freedom, as well as the opportunity to tell those riveting stories and to keep our struggle heroes alive in memory.

Why not adventure into our heritage today? Your exploration translates into jobs for locals, economic benefits and transformation at its deepest roots.

For more information on African Tourism Board visit www.africantourismboard.com 

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Jane Austen leads the way for a new themed guided tour of Winchester in England 

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In conjunction with Winchester Cathedral, Visit Hampshire announced a new Jane Austen-themed product to meet increased demand from US visitors to explore the literary legend. 

In partnership with England’s Literary Greats project, Visit Hampshire and Winchester Cathedral have created a new travel trade friendly product, which packages a Jane Austen-themed tour with an afternoon tea in the Cathedral Refectory for the first time.

The new package will encourage tourists to visit Hampshire and immerse themselves in the literary roots of one of England’s greatest writers. The themed tour provides tourists with an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Austen, offering unique insights into her life, her connections to the Cathedral and how it came to be her last resting place. The itinerary also invites visitors on a walk through the Cathedral’s historic ‘Inner Close’ to the house on College Street where Jane spent her final days, with her sister Cassandra.

Catherine Hodgson, Marketing Manager for Winchester Cathedral comments, “We feel most privileged to be able to share the story of Jane Austen and how her life came to be so intertwined with our Cathedral. Today, tourists come from all over the world to stand at her grave here and they can also see her brass plaque and memorial window – three memorials to a remarkable woman whose novels so brilliantly capture the quiet drama of human relationships.”

The experience has been created following extensive international research which identified that more than a third of overseas visitors want to see places from film and literature, and that almost half of them visited museums, art galleries, castles or historic houses on previous trips.

Andrew Bateman, Tourism Manager for Visit Hampshire comments, “We are very excited about launching the new version of this tour as it has such a broad appeal for international visitors. There is something very special about inviting people to step into a landscape that has inspired one of Britain’s best loved authors and are very much looking forward to celebrating her life and the wonderful literary contributions that she made to our country.”

The bookable products can be bought independently or incorporated into a new wider itinerary. The tour and can be purchased by a tour operator ‘off the shelf’ or tailored as required. The itinerary also recommends accommodation, with a focus on travel trade or group-friendly properties and those that relate to the theme or are quintessentially English. Also recommended are complementary experiences including food experiences, landscapes famous for film locations or other local sites of interest.

The Jane Austen itinerary and new bookable products can be found here.

The Discover England Fund project, England’s Literary Greats, is one of a number of projects to benefit from the UK Government’s £40 million Discover England Fund. The Fund is administered by VisitBritain/VisitEngland and involves a program of activity to ensure that England stays competitive in the rapidly growing global tourism industry, by delivering world-class English tourism products to the right customers at the right time. The Fund is a central government funded programme of activity, supported by match funding by partners in the public and private sectors.

The ‘England’s Literary Greats’ project will fine tune itineraries based around literary figures, adding associated film locations and deepening trade engagement.

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Czech Memorial Scrolls survived the Holocaust and travel to New York City

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The fact that a few of the 1,564 Czech Memorial Scrolls were all in one place at the same time, was almost a miracle. It took detailed planning and the cooperation of many institutions to bring these historical documents to New York City’s Temple Emanu-El for one-evening. It is only through the efforts of the Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum and the auspices of the Memorial Scrolls Trust of London that this first-time phenomenon took place in New York.

Importance of the Scrolls

Scholars have determined that it would be difficult to identify examples of Jewish culture and religion more suitable than the Torah scrolls. The reading from a parchment manuscript, containing the Hebrew text of the Five Books of Moses, the Divine Teaching handed over to the people of Israel, is the cornerstone to the Jewish synagogue ritual.

More Than Parchment

The Torah scroll is a strip of parchment, prepared from the skin of a kosher animal. Many inches in length, it is supported by two wooden rollers (atzei hayyim, “trees of life”) at each end. Considered to be holy, the text and the scroll hold an exceptional position in Judaism. If the scroll is appropriate for reading in the synagogue, the Torah scroll must be written in Hebrew square script with permanent ink by a professional scribe (sofer). The scroll cannot have textual errors and the letters must be legible. While certain errors and imperfections may be corrected by the scribe, if the damage is wide-ranging, the parchment cannot be used.

Jeffrey Ohrenstein, Chair, Memorial Scrolls Trust, London, UK “These scrolls are survivors and silent witnesses of the Shoah.”

Amazing Grace

The fact that the Torah Scrolls exist at all is a marvel.  They were saved from the Czechoslovakian regions of Bohemia and Moravia during WWII, surviving the planned destruction of everything Jewish and the horrors of the communist regime that controlled the country in 1948.

It is thought that the artifacts survived because Prague, although badly damaged, was not leveled during the fighting. The scrolls were stored in a synagogue in a Prague suburb and they remained (decomposing) in this building until 1963, when the Czech government sought a buyer for the treasures. Eric Estorick, a British art dealer, introduced the opportunity to Ralph Yablon, a founding member of London’s Westminster Synagogue. Yablon purchased the scrolls and donated them to his synagogue.

On February 7, 1964, 1,564 scrolls were delivered to London. According to Jeffrey Ohrenstein, “They were in plastic bags, like body bags.” Many of the scrolls were in disrepair. Fortunately, Rabbi David Brand, a sofer, was looking for work, and presumed that the synagogue would have at least one scroll in need of repair; he was shown an entire floor of scrolls in need of his attention. He worked in the synagogue for nearly 30 years, repairing all the scrolls – personally.

Shortly after their arrival in London, a trust was created to care for the scrolls and repairs were initiated. Over the next 30 years, over 1,400 scrolls were sent to synagogues around the world. Now the Trust focuses on raising awareness of the responsibility attached to the housing of these historic documents. Synagogues and institutions are asked to devote one Shabbat during the year to the Memorial Congregation to coincide with the anniversary of the deportation of that community and to memorialize the many murdered Jews by remembering their names on that Shabbat and Yom HaShoah and Yum Kippur.

The Czech Torah Scrolls Viewed in Manhattan @ Temple Emanu-El, February 5, 2019

With more than 75 scrolls from over 10 different states and countries on view, hundreds of people crowded the auditorium at Temple Emanu-El. The scrolls are identified by number and no longer have their original mantles. The current scroll covers range from sumptuous velvet to tartan plaid with an outstanding cover designed in the stripes of a concentration camp prison uniform. The Torahs were carried by Temple members as well as representatives from nearby synagogues and Houses of Worship. The scroll procession was accompanied by a violin playing Etz Hayim (A tree of life) from Proverbs.

 

 

In his emotionally moving words to the audience, Jeffrey Ohrenstein said: “The Torah is the one thing that binds all Jews together. We would like our scroll holders to use the scrolls in a way that reminds people of what we have in common rather than what divides us.”

For additional information, go to memorialscrollstrust.org.

© Dr. Elinor Garely. This copyright article, including photos, may not be reproduced without written permission from the author.

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Hawaii Tourism: Los Angeles Rams to play Dallas Cowboys at Aloha Stadium

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The Los Angeles Rams will host the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 4PM HST at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, it was officially announced today. Tickets are now available on TheRams.com/Hawaii and can be purchased on-site at Aloha Stadium.

The preseason matchup will be the first time the NFL has played an exhibition game at Aloha Stadium on Oahu since 1976. Before moving to Orlando in 2016, Aloha Stadium served as the host site for the Pro Bowl every year with two exceptions since 1979.

Through the support and partnership of Hawaii’s tourism industry, the Rams will provide various community engagement opportunities for youth in the islands. In advance of the preseason matchup, Rams players and staff will host an 11-on-11 Tournament & Skills Competition that will feature 16 Hawaii high school football teams. The event will include a character education session and will aim to build camaraderie and promote the game of football in Hawaii. During the week leading up to the game in August, Rams cheerleaders and mascot, Rampage, will visit local schools to host PLAY 60 events and create lifelong memories while encouraging youth to be active for the recommended 60 minutes every day.

In addition, as part of the Rams’ year-round military appreciation efforts, the team will bring its PLAY 60 Military Base Tour to the islands to support the military community and to honor, empower, and connect with Hawaii-based service members, veterans and their families.

In November 2018, the Rams began partnering with Hawaii’s tourism industry, which included a special Hawaii-themed presenting sponsorship of the Rams-Seahawks game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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