VIENNA, January 19

We are getting into that “watching the exchange rate” mode—the dollar has lost some value which makes an impact on the number of Euros we will get. Everything seems so expensive compared to the US, but we keep reminding ourselves that the quality of food is so much better than the US! We went to the Jewish Museum and spent 3 or 4 hours. It is fascinating to see the various Jewish artifacts and also the stories of some of the Jews. Reliving the Holocaust is always an unsettling experience, but there were also pre-Hitler exhibits which showed the anti-semitism in Vienna and the Church going back to the Middle Ages. Somehow God will hold Christians accountable for the persecution of Jews. Austrians do not have a good record of treatment of Jews. The top floor had a massive collection of shofers, etc. Didn’t have time to go on down to the Jewish square. The rituals of the East European Jewish communities is fascinating.