SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
From the Golden Age to the Inquistion and Explusion, the Jewish story of Sepharad is one of triumph and despair. As we journey through Spain and Portugal, we will meet some of the most influential thinkers in the Jewish world and beyond-Torah scholars, philosophers, poets, physicians, astronomers, cartographers, global traders, linguists, and more. We will explore the flowered lanes of the old Juderias (Jewish neighborhoods), visit the few remaining synagogues, and delve into the Jewish legacy forged over 1000 years of settlement in the Iberian Peninsula. We will also meet members of the renewed Jewish communities, made up of conversos returning to Judaism, Sephardi Jews returning home, Israelis, and Ashkenazi South Americans. Other highlights include Flamenco dancing in the Albaicin, Gaudi’s architectural monuments in Barcelona, the magnificent Alhambra in Granada, and the impressive collection at Madrid’s Prado Museum.
MOROCCO
A largely Muslim country, Morocco has a rich twothousand-year Jewish history, and welcomes visitors from all over the world, including over 50,000 Israeli Jews, each year. Beginning in the famed city of Casablanca, we will journey
through Rabat, Fez, Mechnes, and the magical city of Marrakesh, with day trips to the Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountains. We will experience the hospitality of the warm and welcoming Jewish community, and meet journalists, artists, musicians, and local Muslim students exploring the Jewish roots of their own country.
ITALY
Ancient Rome was also the city whose leaders Destroyed the Temple and burned Jerusalem, exiled the Jews and brutally quashed the Bar Kokhba rebellion. In addition, it is the seat of the Vatican whose Popes saw themselves as the “New Israel”. Today and tomorrow we will explore the sites and institutions that played a major role in shaping Jewish and western world history.
ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia is a country with a long Jewish history. From the kingdom of the Queen
of Sheba, to the Jews who left in Operation Solomon; the Beta Israel have been
sovereigns and slaves; rulers over large areas of land, and suffered exile because of
their faith.
We will meet the Jews who remain and spend Shabbat with them. We will view the
astonishing architecture of Amhara and Tigray – where Christianity is suffused with
Jewish practice – and visit lost kingdoms that to this day are barely known to the West.
Argentina
Argentina boasts the largest Jewish population in Latin America, with over 170,000 Jews, making it the eighth-largest Jewish community in the world. The Jewish community in Argentina began with Spanish and Portuguese Jews in the early sixteenth century, including crypto-Jews, and grew with waves of immigrants from other countries in the mid-1800s and through the 20th century. Buenos Aires features numerous synagogues, Jewish organizations, schools, and clubs, along with many kosher restaurants Additionally, Buenos Aires is home to world-class museums and significant Jewish remembrance sites.
During our stay we will immerse ourselves in the rhythm of "the Paris of South America”, experiencing the city's eclectic architecture and vibrant neighborhoods, filled with artsy cafes and street performers, including the Buenos Aires version of the Lower East side. Along with an expert guide and a scholar in residence whose expertise is the Jewish community of Argentina, we will also explore the rich Jewish heritage and vibrant culture of Buenos Aires, concluding our stay there with a memorable Shabbat as guest of two notable Masorti congregations.
Our unique tour of Argentina concludes with two-day expedition to the spectacular Iguazu Falls Nature Park, which straddles the border of Argentina and Brazil. With more than 275 falls, Iguazu is one of the most impressive natural wonders of Latin American and the world. Those who wish after the main portion of the trip are welcome to remain for an optional extension to El Calafate and the Perito Moreno Glacier in the deep south of Argentina.
