Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 43

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The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Book Launch for Brad Listi: Be Brief and Tell Them Everything

Be Brief and Tell Them Everything by Brad Listi “A darkly funny meditation on creativity and family. The life of an author who is struggling to write his next novel & understand his son’s disabilities, set against a backdrop of escalating human insanity in contemporary Los Angeles.”

Twelve years in the making, Brad Listi read from his new book, Be Brief and Tell Them Everything, at Chevalier Bookstore, the oldest bookstore in Los Angeles. 

Listi shares the darkness, the turbulence and his sense of humor about the madness of living in a city like Los Angeles where “the unifying theme is that there is no unifying theme, the point is that there is no point.” Listi questions everything and asks: “What does it mean to be an artist, a husband, a father?” In life, you can “be whoever you want to be. Live however you want to live. Scrap and claw and fight and dream, and pretend to be infinite in your infinity pool.”

On his arduous journey to this book, Listi implores:  “Who am I? What happened? And what should I do? And why am I here? The problem of how to be a person. The issue of what to write down.” As a writer working on a memoir, I felt comforted by questions which I worry about as well.

Over the last decade he has been interviewing authors on his podcast, OtherPPL, and finding, “the only critical ingredient is transparency, the willingness to face things openly in the company of another person. On a functional level it can feel like an active demonstration of what it means to be human. When this happens, things get effortless and affirming in a hurry, occasionally even transcendent. The basic, deep relief of truly communicating with another human being, giving the mind its proper exercise, and silencing the voice in your head.”

Listi ponders the complexity of being human in this conversation with his wife, Franny, He tells her, “The unlived life of a parent can have enormous psychological impacts on a child. Our job or one of our jobs, I think, is to figure out what we’re called to do. And then do what we’re called to do.”Franny asks him, “So what are you called to do? He tells her, “I’m called to articulate my confusion.” This scene and several others made me laugh out loud as I was reading. Another time he tells her, “There’s an asteroid called Apophsis, Named after the Egyptian god of death. I was reading about it in National Geographic. It’s gonna buzz past Earth in 2029, and if it gets close enough, and moves through something called “the keyhole,” then we’re guaranteed a direct hit in 2036.”“Perfect.” she says. “The entire west coast of North America will be obliterated, I say. But only if it goes through the keyhole. If it misses the keyhole, we’re fine.""Keep me posted," she says.

Life is full of hardships and Listi and his family have gone through many tragedies. As Listi writes, “At times it can leave me feeling like I weigh a thousand pounds…In my experience, there’s only so much benefit to be derived from keeping a running tab on the sadness—a sadness that will, I suspect, come and go in waves for the rest of our lives.” Listi leans into all that has gone wrong and reminds us that “at times, I can feel a sense of enormous pride over the simple fact that we’re managing. The triumph of survival. It isn’t easy.” 

He reminds himself “of world historical figures who had it way worse than I do, who endured unthinkable miseries but found a way to triumph in spite of it all. Nelson Mandela and his twenty-seven years of unjust imprisonment. Anne Frank in the attic with her diary. Helen Keller finding her way out of the darkness. People who have absorbed some of the most dreadful absurdities that life can serve up, but who somehow managed to retain their grace and keep a firm hold on the best of themselves.” I love this historical perspective. One of my favorite proverbs is: “Fall Down 7, Get Up 8!”

I agree with him that there is a “need to address the darkness but [not] get to the point where I’m bludgeoning anyone with it… It is a problem trying to write about the crushing sadness and capture it accurately, without hyperbole, and with some jokes thrown in to make the process bearable.”

In his auto-fiction, Listi suggests that we “forget about trying to have a better past, and accept that some questions have no answers. The answer is that there are no answers. And that’s the only answer there will ever be.”

Listi hopes for us, his family and himself that we make peace with reality and our challenges and come to see what happens to us “less as a mark of difference and more as a binding thread.”

Get your copy of Be Brief and Tell Them EverythingListen to Brad read the beginning of his new book on APPLE PODCASTS , YouTube, Spotify and iHeartRadio:

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This is Not Your Parents’ Hebrew School

This is Not Your Parents’ Hebrew School: Wise CYE and Leo Baeck Are Reinventing Jewish Education

On Sunday May 1, 2022, families at Stephen Wise Temple’s Center for Youth Engagement (CYE) celebrated an academic year unlike any other in the temple’s 58-year history, one which marked a re-imagining of Jewish education for children attending secular schools.

For our end of school celebration, families from five different CYE programs gathered to mingle and share unique stories about their distinct Jewish educational experiences.

“It always felt like we had to work so hard to get our children a Jewish education,” said Jonathan, father of three children enrolled in CYE’s monthly Jewish day camp. “Now, it feels like their Jewish education is working for us, and we couldn’t be happier.”

No matter what name it’s been given—religious school, Hebrew school, or Sunday school—traditional supplementary Jewish education experiences, including those at Wise, have often prioritized community and content over discovery and customization, preventing them from meeting the variety of goals and expectations different families have for their children’s Jewish learning.

Recognizing how the shortcomings of the traditional model prevented us from meeting the unique needs of students and families during the pandemic, we approached our return to on-campus learning in 2021 with an eye towards change. Instead of offering only the same weekly religious school experience as in the past, we began to craft tailored experiences to meet the disparate needs and schedules of our families, who come from a multitude of ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds.

With limited staff and resources, we needed to think creatively. Our first step was to explore a novel partnership with Leo Baeck Temple—historically a partner of the Wise community and home to one of Los Angeles’s premier religious schools—to ensure that we could still provide a world-class weekly religious school experience to those families who wanted it. Next, we sought to identify the different priorities of our families, using interviews, surveys, and recommendations to determine the content and schedules they craved for their children’s Jewish education. Finally, we carefully considered the resources at our disposal, as well as available scholarship in the field, in order to select the best experiences we could provide to meet the needs of our families.

We began with five programs, each offering Jewish education for students with different goals, different learning styles, and different needs.

Five distinct learning opportunities for Jewish childrenA monthly Jewish day camp , filled with fun and engaging experiences that allow students to fall in love with their Judaism as they practice Jewish values on the field of play, in the pool, at the art studio, and more.A monthly family learning experience , filled with project-based learning activities that enable families to determine how to infuse their homes with moments of meaning, discovery, and joy from our tradition.A weekly Shabbat Torah study , filled with deep insights into our tradition’s sacred teachings that allow students who want academic rigor (without the stress) to tackle in-depth study of Judaism.A weekly T’filah class, filled with opportunities to enjoy and master the art of Jewish prayer, either in-person or online.A weekly religious school experience at Leo Baeck Temple, where students discover the joys of Judaism through study, prayer, art, dance, gardening, and more.

Having developed these five different choices for supplementary Jewish learning, we then engaged our families in deep discussions about their priorities for their children’s Jewish education, in order to help them select the best path for their children’s learning.

There have been challenges: offering different courses at different times makes community building among students a Herculean challenge, one we are still learning to navigate. For some students, this Sunday was their first time meeting one another. Meanwhile, for many families, like Jonathan’s, the opportunity to choose their children’s Jewish educational path made sense immediately, but for others, it took some time to see the possibilities that flexibility creates. Some children moved between programs until they found the right fit for their learning and scheduling needs.

The early results, though, have been encouraging. The flexibility of the offerings attracted families who otherwise may have eschewed Jewish education for their child, either because of their religious school memories or the time demands.

“We wanted to introduce our children to Jewish education, but once a week was too much for us,” said Jamie, the father of a kindergartener and first grader. “We already miss so much family time with them. But the camp Sundays and the family program made the perfect way to introduce them to Jewish study.”

In addition, families new and old have expressed deep satisfaction with the multitude of options at their disposal.

“We’re so grateful,” said Roya, the mother of a fifth grader in our Shabbat Torah study. “We’ve been here a long time, and this is what we’ve always wanted. My daughter loves it, and it’s never a fight to get her here on Saturday morning.”

As our academic year concludes, we look forward to 5783 and all the opportunities it presents to build meaningful relationships between our families and to further enhance and develop the available choices for families searching for the right fit for Jewish education.

To learn more, visit us online at https://wisela.org/cye or call us at 310.889.2211.

Why Jewish Education?

Throughout their history, the Jewish people have engaged in an ongoing search for purpose and meaning that has led to countless developments which affect the ways in which we live and think. Jewish education enables children and adults alike to continue this conversation, augmenting our perspectives with the wisdom and values of our forebears while advancing their search for purpose and meaning. In order to lead deep and engaging Jewish lives, we must embrace deep and engaging Jewish learning.

In addition, while a firm Jewish education is essential to becoming better Jews, modern research suggests that Jewish education and participation in a Jewish community makes us healthier, happier, and more successful, too.

Why WISE?

All our Center for Youth Engagement programs contain meaningful and joyous Jewish learning opportunities designed to prepare Jewish children to:

Question. Navigate life’s challenges and mysteries with critical thinking, curiosity, and wonder.Make a difference. Make the world a more just and moral place.Be good. Make choices consistent with progressive Jewish values.Be fulfilled. Achieve shleimut, a sense of wholeness, through purpose and resilience.Connect. Understand the strength of community, history, and heritage – on their own, and as the key to achieving the goals above. https://www.facebook.com/WiseLA

The post This is Not Your Parents’ Hebrew School appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Reinventing Religious School at WiseLA

On Sunday May 1, 2022, families at Stephen Wise Temple’s Center for Youth Engagement (CYE) celebrated an academic year unlike any other in the temple’s 58-year history, one which marked a re-imagining of Jewish education for children attending secular schools.

Instead of concluding yet another year of traditional weekly religious school, families from five different CYE programs gathered to mingle and share unique stories about their distinct Jewish educational experiences.

“It always felt like we had to work so hard to get our children a Jewish education,” said Jonathan, father of three children enrolled in CYE’s monthly Jewish day camp. “Now, it feels like their Jewish education is working for us, and we couldn’t be happier.”

No matter what name it’s been given—religious school, Hebrew school, or Sunday school—traditional supplementary Jewish education experiences, including those at Wise, have often prioritized community and content over discovery and customization, preventing them from meeting the variety of goals and expectations different families have for their children’s Jewish learning.

Recognizing how the shortcomings of the traditional model prevented us from meeting the unique needs of students and families during the pandemic, we approached our return to on-campus learning in 2021 with an eye towards change. Instead of offering only the same weekly religious school experience as in the past, we began to craft tailored experiences to meet the disparate needs and schedules of our families, who come from a multitude of ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds.

With limited staff and resources, we needed to think creatively. Our first step was to explore a novel partnership with Leo Baeck Temple—historically a partner of the Wise community and home to one of Los Angeles’s premier religious schools—to ensure that we could still provide a world-class weekly religious school experience to those families who wanted it. Next, we sought to identify the different priorities of our families, using interviews, surveys, and recommendations to determine the content and schedules they craved for their children’s Jewish education. Finally, we carefully considered the resources at our disposal, as well as available scholarship in the field, in order to select the best experiences we could provide to meet the needs of our families.

We began with five programs, each offering Jewish education for students with different goals, different learning styles, and different needs.

Five distinct learning opportunities for Jewish childrenA monthly Jewish day camp , filled with fun and engaging experiences that allow students to fall in love with their Judaism as they practice Jewish values on the field of play, in the pool, at the art studio, and more.A monthly family learning experience , filled with project-based learning activities that enable families to determine how to infuse their homes with moments of meaning, discovery, and joy from our tradition.A weekly Shabbat Torah study , filled with deep insights into our tradition’s sacred teachings that allow students who want academic rigor (without the stress) to tackle in-depth study of Judaism.A weekly T’filah class, filled with opportunities to enjoy and master the art of Jewish prayer, either in-person or online.A weekly religious school experience at Leo Baeck Temple, where students discover the joys of Judaism through study, prayer, art, dance, gardening, and more.

Having developed these five different choices for supplementary Jewish learning, we then engaged our families in deep discussions about their priorities for their children’s Jewish education, in order to help them select the best path for their children’s learning.

There have been challenges: offering different courses at different times makes community building among students a Herculean challenge, one we are still learning to navigate. For some students, this Sunday was their first time meeting one another. Meanwhile, for many families, like Jonathan’s, the opportunity to choose their children’s Jewish educational path made sense immediately, but for others, it took some time to see the possibilities that flexibility creates. Some children moved between programs until they found the right fit for their learning and scheduling needs.

The early results, though, have been encouraging. The flexibility of the offerings attracted families who otherwise may have eschewed Jewish education for their child, either because of their religious school memories or the time demands.

“We wanted to introduce our children to Jewish education, but once a week was too much for us,” said Jamie, the father of a kindergartener and first grader. “We already miss so much family time with them. But the camp Sundays and the family program made the perfect way to introduce them to Jewish study.”

In addition, families new and old have expressed deep satisfaction with the multitude of options at their disposal.

“We’re so grateful,” said Roya, the mother of a fifth grader in our Shabbat Torah study. “We’ve been here a long time, and this is what we’ve always wanted. My daughter loves it, and it’s never a fight to get her here on Saturday morning.”

As our academic year concludes, we look forward to 5783 and all the opportunities it presents to build meaningful relationships between our families and to further enhance and develop the available choices for families searching for the right fit for Jewish education.

To learn more, visit us online at https://wisela.org/cye or call us at 310.889.2211.

Why Jewish Education?

Throughout their history, the Jewish people have engaged in an ongoing search for purpose and meaning that has led to countless developments which affect the ways in which we live and think. Jewish education enables children and adults alike to continue this conversation, augmenting our perspectives with the wisdom and values of our forebears while advancing their search for purpose and meaning. In order to lead deep and engaging Jewish lives, we must embrace deep and engaging Jewish learning.

In addition, while a firm Jewish education is essential to becoming better Jews, modern research suggests that Jewish education and participation in a Jewish community makes us healthier, happier, and more successful, too.

Why WISE?

All our Center for Youth Engagement programs contain meaningful and joyous Jewish learning opportunities designed to prepare Jewish children to:

Question. Navigate life’s challenges and mysteries with critical thinking, curiosity, and wonder.Make a difference. Make the world a more just and moral place.Be good. Make choices consistent with progressive Jewish values.Be fulfilled. Achieve shleimut, a sense of wholeness, through purpose and resilience.Connect. Understand the strength of community, history, and heritage – on their own, and as the key to achieving the goals above. https://www.facebook.com/WiseLA

The post Reinventing Religious School at WiseLA appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

COURSE: “So, You Want to be a TRAVEL WRITER AKA: How do I get a FREE Trip?”

Thank you for all of your support and interest in my travels. Many of you have asked me how to get started so I decided to build my first interactive course, “So, You Want to be a Travel Writer, AKA- How do I get a FREE Trip?”

We will work together in six modules on skills from writing, video, social media, press trips, networking, travel conferences to interviews with travel professionals including magazine editors, travel writers and PR teams from luxury hotels, tour companies and destinations. 

Why take this course from me? 

Click here for links to my adventures in 101 countries on 6 continents in my travel videos (over 1.5 million views on YouTube), samples of my writing from AARP to WIRED, my awards for digital, print and broadcast television and my social media platforms. 

I have been a traveler all of my life and am fascinated by new places. I worked for seven years onboard cruise ships and backpacked for three years in Asia. I am honored that many hotels, destinations, PR firms and tour companies have invited me to share their stories. 

I have a Masters in Education and have been teaching for decades; I even worked at Nickelodeon. I am a highly requested speaker and recently spoke at the Scuba Show, the Southern Travelers Explore Conference, Metro Women’s Leadership Summit and Women in Travel Conference.

Lisa Niver in Tanzania, country #100 with Abercrombie and Kent

This first beta course will be at the discounted rate of $449 which is less than you might spend on your next hotel room! By the end, you will be ready to share your first travel adventure and build your clips to pitch yourself as a travel content creator! 

I am targeting September 2022 for my first group to take off! Please fill out this short survey (name, email, time zone)  to get on the waitlist and receive your special early bird discount. By the end of this course you will have a blueprint and be ready to network with travel professionals and find yourself invited to your bucket list destination.

Lisa Niver in Jellyfish Lake, Rock Islands, Palau on her first press trip

I hope you will join me for this brand new adventure! There will be tips, tricks and many chances to ask me questions as well as community discussions, support and maybe even an ongoing Facebook group and the chance to travel with me or publish on my website.

It will be a small group of students so I can perfect the material. Click here if you’re interested in joining this small group.

REMEMBER: There’s no payment or commitment yet! This is just letting me know that you’re interested in learning more about the course when the time comes.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it.
If you’ve been waiting for someone to walk with you, I’m here.
This is going to be big. I’m excited to meet you.
Are you in for the beta? Enter your name, email address, and timezone to get involved.

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Niver In PRINT: Blog Bytes April 2022 Jewish Journal

Thank you to the Jewish Journal for publishing me online for over a decade. Since they resumed print publication in Fall 2021, I have been in the Blog Bytes section more than eighteen times!

Here are the two issues that I was in during April 2022: Jewish Journal April 1, 2022: p. 36

From my article, “Road Trip READY: Genesis GV70 to Joshua Tree“

“After years of working on a cruise ship and being involved in safety drills twice a week, I am always thinking about possible incidents and accidents. I loved that this vehicle has been rated as one of the safest vehicles on the road and chosen as a 2021 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ by a set of comprehensive collision tests, standard headlight performance, and crash prevention technologies.”

Jewish Journal April 8, 2022: p. 36

From my article, “Start with Small Steps“

I am reminded of an interview I did with Gaby Natale last year when she said, “Starting small doesn’t mean thinking small.” She started her show in a carpet warehouse and now has 3 Emmys and 30,545,939 views on her YouTube channel. If we all do our best with our small steps, we can create big change.

THANK YOU TO THE JEWISH JOURNALSee my stories that were inthe September print issuesthe October print issuesthe November print issuesthe December print issues

2022

the January print issuesthe February print issues

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Scuba Show Speaker: Niver’s News: April 2022

April News 2022 with Lisa Niver & We Said Go Travel: [image error] I absolutely LOVE Scuba DIVING and am so honored that I was invited to be a speaker at the Scuba Show on May 14, 2022. CLICK HERE to read about my topic, “Diving off the COVID Rust! [image error] Thank you to Tourism Australia, The Best of the Alps, Sonoma County Tourism and Switzerland Tourism for the LOVELY LOS ANGELES events! I shared about them on all of my social channels and you can CLICK THIS LINK to learn more! [image error] Lisa Niver and Chef Dan Churchill from Australia! Since the Jewish Journal resumed print publication in Fall 2021, I have been in the Blog Bytes section eighteen times! Click here to see me in print in September 2021, October 2021, November 2021, December 2021 , January 2022 and Feb 2022. [image error] VIDEOS from my Spring Break Majestic Princess cruise to the Mexican Riviera:On my Joshua Tree roadtrip in a Genesis GV70, we also went to PALM SPRINGS [image error] Did you know that I make ART? It has its own Instagram:

View this profile on Instagram

Simply Ceramics (@simplyceramics2) • Instagram photos and videos

I love this perspective from my Facebook memories: SEVEN YEARS AGO: I had 315,000 views on YouTube and now I have over 1.5 million views! THANK YOU for your support!WHERE CAN YOU FIND MY TRAVEL VIDEOS?

Here is the link to my video channel on YouTube where I have over 1.56 million views on YouTube! (Exact count: 1,560,000 views)

Thank you for your support! Are you one of my 3,500 subscribers? I hope you will join me and subscribe! For more We Said Go Travel articles, TV segments, videos and social media: CLICK HERE

Find me on social media with over 150,000 followers. Please follow  on TikTok: @LisaNiver, Twitter at @LisaNiver, Instagram @LisaNiver and on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and at LisaNiver.com.

I love fortune cookies, and this batch has some of the best ones EVER! “You will soon discover that luck is on your side.”“As a chapter ends, you will find yourself on a road to a new discovery.”“Many successes are coming your way.” [image error]

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Travel Events in Los Angeles: Australia, The Alps, Switzerland and Sonoma!

It has been a change in Los Angeles that we have started to have travel events again!
Where do you want to go?

Welcome back and say G’day because: “There’s nothing like Australia!” I have loved my travels down under in OZ and cannot wait to return. Thank you to Tourism Australia for tasty treats from Chef Dan Churchill and news about where to go and how to get there! Thank you to Chris and Susan from TA, David Thomas from Qantas and Steve Paganelli from TripAdvisor! There are not only new non-stops on Qantas but you also have access to their expanded domestic network with explorer fares beyond the gateway cities! I am looking forward to Project Sunrise and my first time in the Whitsundays! Looking for fantastic food, great vibes, getting off the beaten path? See you in Australia.

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A post shared by Lisa Niver (@lisaniver)

Are you ready for THE BEST OF THE ALPS? 11 destinations! 5 countries! Winter or Summer (really EVERY SEASON it is stunning in the mountains!) –find sports from skiing to hiking, spa, cultures, authentic villages and so many great stories! Thank you to Sammy (we worked at the same Club Med Village in Colorado!) and the international team for the lovely event and lunch at FORMA!

Thank you to Divine Bonga and the Switzerland Tourism team for the beautiful Bern special Swiss Lunch! I am enchanted by the landscapes and year round outdoor adventures in Bern! Let’s meet to ski the peaks of Piz Gloria & Jungfraujoch and navigate on the lakes of Thun and Brienz, paraglide in Interlaken and then see the 72 waterfalls in Grindenwald. Join me to see this UNESCO world heritage area in the heart of Switzerland. I mean–they speak CHEESE! I want to go to the Emmenthal dairy, and the Kumbly biscuit class and go in a horse drawn carriage! I am going to walk on a glacier like BOND, Jane BOND! or at least see where they filmed in Schilthorn! and then wander in the car free village of Murren. Want to go on a Velogemel with me? Meet me at the TOP OF EUROPE for the brand new Eiger express.

Are you ready to go where “Life Opens Up?” Thank you to Sonoma County Tourism for the lovely event at the 1 Hotel West Hollywood.

How to get to Sonoma? Avelo Airlines

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