Europe Trip Memories – Vienna in May 🇦🇹✡️ "Don't worry, you'll be okay. We Jews are one big family. You won't feel alone, I promise you." - wise words said by my friend, irisweissbuch - while I was having a meltdown on the video call a week before my trip, worried how I would manage alone traveling for 3 weeks in Europe. On my very first full day in Vienna, I experienced exactly what she meant. After a classical music concert, I walked into a kosher deli shortly before closing, just looking for dinner. Then I discovered the attached kosher supermarket and felt like a kid in a candy store—so many European kosher products and an incredible wine selection! 🍷🤩🧀🍫 I ordered a bagel with avocado and eggs and got talking with the owner, David - a Bukharian Jew originally from Tajikistan. I had never met a Bukharian-Tajik Jew before, and he had never met an Indian Jew. We exchanged stories about our communities, Jewish life in Vienna, Tajikistan, India, Israel, and how Oct 7 has affected Jewish life in the Diaspora. We got so caught up talking that at one point he stopped me: "Eliana, you look hungry. You should eat." Followed by "And you look like you will enjoy your food with jalapeños" and rushed to get them. 😂 Such a Jewish-mother moment—and such Jewish hospitality. ❤️ I walked in looking for kosher dinner and walked out with a full stomach, new knowledge and the feeling of being welcomed far from home. If you're in Vienna, definitely stop by Lox & Truffles - not just for the food and supermarket, but for the opportunity to experience a little Jewish hospitality and learn about another corner of the Jewish world. My first day in Vienna ended with a Jew from Tajikistan making sure a Jew from India finished her dinner. Remarkably, it's the people, food and experiences that make traveling anywhere worthwhile. We really are one big family. ✡️🌍❤️🫂 #kosherdeli #koshervienna #jewishvienna #kosherfoodinVienna
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