Beth El Synagogue trip to Spain

• Depart the United States.

• Arrive at Madrid International Airport, with assistance
• Transfer to the hotel.
• Chance to rest and get settled, then meet in the hotel lobby at 4pm.
• Gentle stroll around Madrid, a chance to get your bearings.
• Festive welcome dinner and trip orientation.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart for Segovia, a UNESCO declared World Heritage site, chosen as such due to its preservation of complex historical realities of medieval Spain.  Explore the well preserved Roman and Medieval remains that testify to Segovia as a center of both tolerance among religions as well as a major manufacturing center.  The visit will include:
• The Jewish Quarter:
  • The Segovia Jewish Quarter Education Center
  • A walk through what once was the Jewish Quarter, with visits and views of buildings that housed many of the community synagogues and homes of communal leaders
  • Visit the Corpus Christi Convent, which was once the Major Synagogueof Segovia
  • Conclude the visit to the Jewish Quarterwith a visit to the Jewish Cemetery, just outside the city walls
• Lunch on your own in the area of the Segovia Plaza Mayor.
• Central UNESCO HeritageMedieval Segovia, including:
  • Roman Aqueductof Segovia, considered by many to be the largest and best preserved in the world.
  • The Gothic Cathedral of Segovia, located in the Plaza Mayor.
  • The Alcazar, Castle of Segovia, shaped like the bow of a boat, is one of the most famous in Spain due to its size, shape and location, and serves today as the Museum of Segovia.
• Return to Madrid.
• Time to prepare for Shabbat.
• Kabbalat Shabbat at one of Madrid’s synagogues, followed by Shabbat dinner with members of the community.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Optional visit to one of Madrid’s synagogues.
• Explore Madrid on foot:
  • Stroll the main streets of Madrid’s oldest quarter, the original site of Madrid, called “Austrias,” with its small plazas and narrow streets
  • Visit the Plaza de la Villa, home to the city hall and the 15^th century Tower of Los Lujanes, the site of the original Arab shuk of Madrid
• Shabbat lunch.
• Late afternoon discussion—The Meaning of 1492 and the Relationship Between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—with Tour Educator.
• Free time to rest, followed by Havdallah and a free evening.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive to Toledo.
• Guided visit to the Old City of Toledo, and capture a sense of the glory that was built on a convergence of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Take in the Jewish Quarter, the Shmuel Halevi statue and the Shmuel Halevi Abulafia Synagogue, which was turned into a church, known as Nuestra Senora del Tranisito, the Sephardic Museum, and the Santa Maria La Blanca Church which was formerly the Grand Synagogue.
• Group lunch at a local restaurant.
• Visit the El Greco Museum, dedicated to the famous painter who influenced 17^th century Toledo.
• Enjoy the Grand Toledo Cathedral.
• Group dinner together at a restaurant in Toledo, followed by a free evening.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive to Seville and group lunch at one of Seville’s restaurants upon arrival.
• Visit the Santa Cruz neighborhood, formerly Seville’s Jewish Quarter, once known as La Juderia, with its winding alleyways and remnants of Jewish life found within the contemporary city. Jewish Heritage walking tour with Moises Hassan.
• Tour the beautiful Alcazar Palace, followed by a visit to the Great Cathedral, the burial place of Christopher Columbus, and La Giralda, built in the 12^th century, whose bell tower became a symbol of the city. Your Tour Educator will share some thoughts about the role of Jews in the development of navigation cartography and astronomy.
• Dinner on your own and free evening in Seville. Time permitting check out the views from Las Setas.
• Evening stroll on the Triana Bridge.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive to Cordoba, home town of Moses Maimonides (the Rambam) and the capital of the Moorish Kingdom of al-Andalus.
• Group lunch at a local restaurant.
• Explore the Jewish Quarter inhabited by Jews since the year 840, including Plaza Tiberias and the Yehuda Halevi Square. View the statue of Maimonides and visit the small Moorish-styled building known as the Maimonides Synagogue.
• Special Program at Casa de Sefarad, dedicated to the history of the Sephardic Jews in Cordoba and Spain prior to the Inquisition and the expulsion of 1492. Meet with the people responsible for the creation of this private historical project in the Jewish Quarter, with a special workshop focused on Ladino
• Meet Rabbi Haim Casas, the first native born Spanish rabbi since 1492, sharing his vision for the Jews of Spain. Enjoy dinner with him at Casa Mazal Cordoba, with traditional Andalusian Jewish food and music.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit Cordoba’s famous Cathedral-Mosque and the Mezquita, dating from 785 AD, with its 1,000 colored columns.
• Lunch on your own at a local restaurant.
• Stroll through the restored heart of Cordoba, one of the largest medieval quarters in Europe.
• Free afternoon to rest or explore Cordoba on your own, especially Cordoba’s famous craft scene—pottery, jewelry, leather goods, and embroidery works. You might also catch some of Cordoba’s patios/courtyards, secret treasures tucked away that beckon the curious.
• Masterclass in Andalusian music.
• Group Dinner at a local restaurant and free evening.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart Cordoba and drive to Granada, the last stronghold of the Moors before it fell to Isabella and Ferdinand in 1492.
• Visit the Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens.
• Lunch on your own, en route.
• Visit the Albaycn, the old Moorish neighborhood, with its narrow streets and beautiful white houses, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided visit to the Realejo, the former Jewish Quarter and the site of the original town bearing the name Garnata al-Yahud.  Continue to the statue of Samuel ben Yehudah ibn Tibbon, translator of the Kuzari and the Guide for the Perplexed.  Explore the streets and traditional neighborhood, which have no remains of the Jewish community but a host of legends.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Attend a Flamenco performance, followed by a Flamenco workshop with the musicians and dancers.
• Dinner at a local restaurant.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Transfer to the airport for the flight to Barcelona.
• Land in Barcelona and start with a panoramic bus tour of the city beginning at Montjuic (The Mountain of the Jews), including a view over the whole city.
• Meander through the city’s streets and avenues to Sagrada Familia for a guided visit of Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece considered one of the world’s awe-inspiring, unique places of worship.
• Continue to other Barcelona landmarks, such as the Plaça de Catalunya, the plaza which marks the beginning of the Passeig de Gracia, the most stylish street in Barcelona where one can see Antoni Gaudi’s extraordinary buildings, Casa Batllo and Casa Milo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Time permitting, visit Parc Guell located on Carmel Hill.
• Continue to the Old Port of Barcelona for a Sailing Experience aboard a Turkish Wooden Gulet for a unique voyage that with sights along the Barcelona coastline.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Musical Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Dinner with Steve Berkowitz, the rabbi of the liberal community in Barcelona and members of the Jewish community.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Optional morning visit to Barcelona’s synagogue.
• Walk along the Ramblas, Barcelona’s historic promenade.
• Just off the Ramblas encounter La Boqueria, the world-famous market of Barcelona.
• Continue with a guided walk through the Gothic Quarter and then the ancient Jewish Quarter, with a synagogue that October date to the third century.
• Picasso in Barcelona, visit the Picasso Museum Experience, followed by a visit to some of Picasso’s favorite haunts.
• Free time in Barcelona.
• In the late afternoon, optional visit to the Barceloneta Beach, including a possible Bike Ride.
• Free time and dinner on your own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive to a full day tour to Girona and Besalu.
• Walk through the restored Call – what was once Girona’s old Jewish neighborhood and continue to the Bonastruc Ca Porta Centre, a center of Jewish life and culture for a special program on the synthesis of Jewish mystical traditions and the Jewish Music of Spain.
• Drive arrive to the medieval City of Besalu and visit the Medieval Mikve – Ritual Bath, which has become one of Spain’ most significant sites of Jewish heritage.
• Return to Barcelona.
• Free time for last minute shopping and personal exploration.
• Discussion and Festive Concluding Dinner.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Transfer to the Barcelona Airport.
• Return flight to the United States.

*Program is subject to change, pending confirmations.