By NAOMI LEVIN, Australian Jewish News
Seven Melbourne men are about to embark on a trip to Mount Everest with a difference: the entire trip will be undertaken in Jewish style.
All food on the trip will be kosher and supervised by an on-site mashgiach, and despite being on the world’s highest mountain range, the group intends to observe Shabbat.
Surgeon Michael Gordon, who will be accompanied on the trip by six men from the Mizrachi and Chabad communities, has been organising the trip for 10 months.
“We’ve got 25 sherpas going and yaks as well, which makes it quite a kashrut problem,” Dr Gordon told The AJN on Monday. “You’ve got to feed the sherpas and you’ve got to feed us.”
So what has he done? Dr Gordon has organised two lots of food to be carried and two cooks to accompany the group on its journey.
“We negotiated with Chabad of Kathmandu and they are giving us one of the bochrim, as a mashgiach, to come with us,” he said.
The group will be gone for three weeks and in that time expect to trek to Everest Base Camp, which is almost 5500 metres above sea level.
Dr Gordon, who has been training in the gym and doing long walks with a heavy pack, said he looked into climbing all the way to the top, but the danger was just too great.
“There is a significant mortality [rate] and I thought it wasn’t worth that risk,” he said. “There is a risk of frostbite too, so you can lose fingers and toes and, as a surgeon, I just couldn’t afford to do that.”
read #4
well you see when you come home from work at 5.10 actually 5.12 with traffic, yes you have time and energy to do other enjoyable things…this is fantastic and #1 if you would read instead of critisize yes he said he is not risking his life going all the way to the top but going on a life fullfilling enjoyable experience where you can experience Niflaaos Haboreh!!!
when school life (in melbourne) takes the life out of living (which they do) they un up roaming the world looking for life
It could be they are only going to trek to Base Camp but that is not a big deal.
It’s just a bunch of rich Melbourne Yids going through a mid-life crisis. Come on … get a life.
Many people who have attempted to climb Mount Everest have died, this is not a kidush hashem.