“Up until late last year, Saudi Arabia wasn't on my travel radar – a country often synonymous with terrorism, stringent Islamic laws, and high-profile incidents like the Jamal Khashoggi murder. But life, like travel, is full of surprises.

The liberalization of daily life in the Kingdom has been driven by 37-year-old Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). His reforms have brought expanded liberties for women, such as the right to drive, divorce, travel without a male guardian’s consent, uncover their hair in public, and participate fully in the workforce alongside men. Even men now enjoy new freedoms, including the right to wear shorts in public and enter shopping malls previously reserved for families and women.”

“In the name of Allah and the Afghan people, we have triumphed over the US,” boasted a commanding mural in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. A cascade of American flag stripes tumbled like falling dominos. These were the eye-catching welcomes to a Jewish guy like me to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, once more under Taliban rule following the withdrawal of American troops in 2021.