By: Daniel and Raizel Namdar, as told to Shifra Klein

After traveling the world for two years, Daniel and Raizel Namdar have visited more places than most people will in their lifetime. As an Orthodox Jewish family, Shabbat plays a big role in their travels; keeping Shabbat has proven to be quite its own unique experience, sometimes trumping the actual travel destinations themselves. The following five destinations are Daniel and Raizel’s most memorable Shabbatot. 

Fiji

Traveling full-time as digital content creators is work that keeps us quite busy — videoing, editing, vlogging, posting and interacting is our full-time job. Before all of that, we went on our honeymoon to Fiji, months before we decided to commit to the nomadic lifestyle. At that point in time, we had a plan to go on our honeymoon, then move to Israel and take it from there. After 10 months in Israel, we put everything we owned in storage and began traveling the world. 

In Fiji, we stayed in Natadola at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa; we didn’t know what to expect kosher-wise. We came prepared with salami, chips and bread and had to figure out the rest. We got to know some members of the hotel kitchen staff who were so nice and respectful of our Judaism and customs. They genuinely wanted to learn about our culture and help us keep our traditions within the hotel. They graciously provided us with kitchen access and new utensils as well as fresh ingredients like eggs, produce and the best fresh tuna we’ve ever tried! To date, it was the most unique Shabbat meal we have ever cooked. 

Dubai, UAE

We went to Dubai in October 2021 for the first ever NAS Summit, a conference for digital creators hosted by NAS Daily, a well-renowned digital brand. On Friday, we picked up challah, wine and candles from the shluchim (Chabad emissaries), Rabbi Levi and Musha Duchman. On the way back to the summit we got stuck in an unexpected traffic jam just minutes before Shabbat. We parked the car at a random hotel — it was truly a wild experience. We managed to walk back and still have a beautiful kiddush and challah with the other Jewish creators there. Visit chabad.ae for more. 

Tamworth, Australia

Populated with a handful of Jews, Tamworth is a rural town in NSW Australia. We were sent there by Chabad of RARA (Rural and Regional Australia) to celebrate Purim and Shabbat. We drove five hours from Sydney (Raizel’s hometown) with our newborn baby to celebrate. If we hadn’t gone, many wouldn’t have celebrated Purim. It was also the first time many of them ever celebrated Shabbat in their lives. It was such an inspiring and memorable Shabbat. Visit chabadofrara.org for more. 

Venice, Italy

Shabbat in Venice is world famous — the Chabad house offers iconic Shabbat meals for hundreds of guests per week! The meals are served at Gam Gam Restaurant, located in the old Jewish Ghetto just steps away from the water and surrounded by beautiful buildings. We felt like we were traveling back in time. Kiddush was said outdoors for all in the Jewish quarter to hear. Visit jewishvenice.org for more.

Iceland 

Iceland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Known as “The Land of Fire and Ice” due to its breathtaking landscapes and the Northern Lights, one of the wonders of the world. Dani’s sister is the Rebbetzin at Chabad of Iceland and there is nothing as spectacular as spending time with family in such a stunning location. The Chabad house serves thousands of tourists each year, incorporating local food in their menu, which is mainly fish and produce-based. Everything is made from scratch and very minimally processed, making for a very unique Shabbat menu. The Rebbetzin served a phenomenal salmon prepared with black lava salt, as well as the world-famous Icelandic smoked trout.Visit jewishiceland.com for more.

Daniel and Raizel Namdar are Orthodox Jewish digital nomads, who travel the world with their toddler son and document their adventures. You can watch their travel journey on their YouTube channel That Jewish Family and on Instagram @thatjewishfamily. 

Originally published in Fleishigs Magazine. Issue #42.

Disclaimer: The status of the kosher certifications of featured restaurants were accurate at the time of original publication. Please verify current certification status independently before visiting. Additionally, some establishments may have since closed.