Summer isn't over yet! Why wait for the next vacation? The last days of the summer vacation are the perfect time for an unforgettable family experience! Let your family end the summer vacation at a guaranteed fun and educational experience. Let our excellent reviews and ratings on Google and TripAdvisor speak for themselves (and for us). All thanks to an experience for the whole family: ☑From little ones to grown-ups - everyone enjoys it ☑Spectacular shows that will captivate you ☑Professional and experiential guidance ☑ Interactive petting - up-close encounters with animals ☑Full air conditioning Families who visited us keep writing to tell us it was their family highlight - so why not experience this magic for yourselves too? Already visited us? We'd love to hear how your experience was! Your reviews help other families discover our magical place. (fb)

Parashat Re’eh: Can We Eat Giraffes? The Torah states that an animal must possess split hooves and chew its cud in order to be kosher. Giraffes clearly possess both of these characteristics. They have fully split hooves that are identical to those of all kosher animals (albeit much larger!). They are ruminants with a four-chambered stomach, and they regurgitate their food and chew it again. In fact, due to the length of the giraffe’s neck, it is possible to observe the bolus of food, bulging under the skin, traveling up and down the neck as it is regurgitated for further chewing. Thus, the giraffe matches the Torah’s requirements for an animal to be kosher. According to Rav Saadia Gaon and others, the giraffe is the zamer mentioned in the list of kosher animals in this week’s Torah portion of Re’ay. The normative practice in Jewish law is that an animal is permissible for consumption if it meets the Torah’s requirements of possessing split hooves and chewing the cud, even in the absence of a tradition regarding that animal being eaten. This is why kosher certification is given to bison meat, even though there is no tradition for eating bison. Accordingly, a giraffe is also kosher. (There are, however, some sectors of the Orthodox community in Israel which follow a stringency of the Chazon Ish that a tradition is required.) There is a widespread myth that giraffes cannot be eaten because we do not know where on the neck to slaughter them. This is simply false. The halakha clearly states which part of an animal’s neck is suitable for slaughter; it is almost the entire length of the trachea and esophagus. In a cow, this is just over a foot long; in a giraffe, it is almost six feet. Finding the right place for slaughter is easier with a giraffe than with any other animal! Why, then, has kosher giraffe meat has not yet been made available? The answer appears to be twofold. First, there is no demand, perhaps related to the giraffe’s status as an exotic and endearing animal. Second, there is no supply, because giraffes are classified as endangered species. (fb)